THE ANIALARRA 2002 EXPEDITION
Results...
For the 6th time in a row, SC Avalon organized an interclub expedition
on the Anialarra-plateau (Pierre-St-Martin) in Spain. Members of different
Belgian and one Dutch club participated: SC Avalon, SC Marginal, SC33, Styx,
Technico, Hades OV, De Grotters, Speleo Nederland.
After almost 3 weeks of intensive work we can be satisfied about the
results...
The expedition started with very bad weather, that lasted unusually long:
for 8 days in a row we had to challenge rain, fog and even snow. Luckily,
afterwards, the sun was there for the rest of our stay.
Our main objective was again the Anialarra System, and again we used
the AN51 with its 400 metres of pitches to enter the cave system.
The abundant snowfall of last winter caused us a lot of trouble when
rigging the AN51: at –130 m the passage was totally blocked by many metres
of snow that we had to dig through. Unstable masses of ice and snow on ledges
in the big entrance pitches made going down the cave quite tricky!
First
thing after having rigged the AN51, was to participate in a big dye-test,
in cooperation with ARSIP. Three kilograms of fluorescein dye were injected
in the Anialarra river at -420m of depth. Collegues of MJC Rodez and GS
Bilbao saw the dye in the downstream main drain of the AN8 cave,
around -600 m. This proves for once and for all that the AN8 river is the
downstream part of the Anialarra river. Between the two caves, an unknown
part remains to be discovered which is several kilometres long.
ARSIP also placed dye-testers in Arresteliako Zilao (Lakhoura river)
and in the resurgences of the artificial lake in Ste-Engrace.
Then
we continued the exploration of the "Réseau des Affam?", an important
upstream part that we discovered near the end of the last year’s expedition.
In 2001 we quickly explored and surveyed 330 metres; this time we added
another 836 metres. The Réseau des Affam? is a relatively
small river, that can be followed upstream in an alternation of big passages
(up to 5x5 m across) and crawls or narrow passages in collapse areas. It
runs in North-East to East direction and climbs up for 105 m of height difference!
Halfway, a big gallery runs North into the direction of some other caves
we have explored, such as AN534- Pozo de l’Eclipse (-134m).
The Réseau des Affam? now totals 1166m. The end is a squeeze,
with not much airflow anymore. Amusing is the fact that for the last 50
metres the gallery leaves the Spanish territory and crosses the border.
So now for the first time, a part of the Anialarra System becomes French!
Other discoveries were made in the System, such as the "Affluent Oubli?/b>",
a spacious gallery (3 by 3 m) ending in big avens. Length is 211m. Paul
also passed the 3 metre long "duck" near the base of the AN51. Latex Ponto
+ Cagoule Marbor?were obligatory clothes to pass the 3?Celsius melting
water. An 100 tot 150 m. long river was explored, the "Affluent Infernal";
which probably is some shortcut between the Réseau des Affam? and AN51.
Meanwhile, we continued (re)surveying parts of the cave system that our
illustrious but lazy predecessors had discovered (but never surveyed) many
years ago. We totalled 615 metres.
Other caves in our exploration-zone were reviewed and surveyed as well:
AN61 (+/-100 m deep, explo still going on); AN62 (-61m, ends
in snow), AN567 (-68m). We also climbed towards an obvious but difficult
to reach hole in the AN73-Gouffre des Grands Frissons (negative...).
Again, we spend three days prospecting the zone above and past the terminus
of the Anialarra System. Unfortunately, no big results, despite digging
open a promising blowhole.
We also worked for two more days in our "dig" in AN60 and progressed
for 3 metres. We have now made 25 metres of narrow passage wider and we
are really close to a big pitch (but that we already stated last year also!)...
Also worth saying: one of our members, Rudi Bollaert, accompanied our
friends of MJC Rodez/GS Bilbao, during a 40 hour trip to -800 m. There the
terminal sump was dived, but no continuation could be found.
We more or less have the tradition of making a big discovery near the
end of our stay, and this year was no different. The nice thing was that
this discovery was predicted by "prophet" Paul De Bie, who, after many hours
of studying surveys and playing with his laptop computer, had predicted
that there had to be a big streamup continuation of the big Fossil Canyon
to be found in the "King Kong" zone.
And indeed, after two underground trips we did find it, and even where
it had to be found! At the base of the giant aven named "King Kong", a tiny
blowhole was found and dug open in about 15 minutes. Only 10 metres further
on, we again stood in an enormous gallery, over 30 metres high, and we heard
again the smooth sound of a river. Quickly +/- 100 metres of very huge gallery
was explored, sometimes 20 m large and as high as 30 metres.
The
next day a party of 3 had the pleasure of exploring and surveying in one
long run, 641 metres of giant gallery. They stopped when the sketchbook
was filled! They ended at "nothing", still big passage going on and a lot
of airflow. So, next year, we are hoping to push this gallery a lot further!
This "Réseau Nostradamus" runs first in Southeast direction, then
plain East where it reaches the "cam" between Anialarra and Ukerdi. Several
caves exist right above this gallery and will certainly be revisited by
us next year.
This gallery is our most spectacular find up to now in the Anialarra
System. OK, it runs upstream, but it has the dimensions of the downstream
galleries near -600m!
Finally some figures: during this expedition we discovered 1970 m
of new passages. We surveyed in total 2728m. The Anialarra System grows
from 11053 to 12858 metres, for an unchanged depth of -648
m.
Thanks to everyone for the enthusiasm. We’ll be back in 2003.
Paul De Bie, expedition leader
Click here for
a live report of the exploration of the "Réseau Nostradamus" in the Anialarra-system,
in 2002 (in Dutch)
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