Oxford University Cave Club

2006 Expedition: Pozo Chicago

Picos de Europa, Spain

Here were news, opinions, debate. Last updated 20/8/2006. 

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Chris Sinadinos

chris.sinadinos[at]googlemail.com

Cheers and adios, Chris.

Chris Sinadinos

We return to the UK on 17th August, ferry at 10am. We will be at the hut unpacking from 4pm into the evening so come along and help out a bit if you can. Hopefully see some of you then.

Thanks to everybody who has helped with the expo... has been great out here.

Gavin Lowe

Total length of survey shots = 967.95m Total plan length of survey shots = 350.52m Vertical range = 521.90m

(These figures should be considered unofficial until I've compared them with the figures in the log book, but I think they're right.)

Chicago will almost certainly join with Cabeza Muxa: the horizontal displacement is about 50m, and Chicago is heading in that direction. Chicago will be between about 820m and 875m deep at the connection point, depending upon precisely where it joins (these figures need to be taken with a pinch of salt because of the inaccuracies in our and the SIE's surveys). One interesting prospect is the possibility of getting into a high level in Muxa, to bypass the sump.

When we were in the field, we were using Al's map, which has the relative positions of the two caves wrong, so we were speculating that Chicago might feed the Lower Streamway in Julagua; I now think that's very unlikely.

Chris Sinadinos

Chicago is continuing to confound pre-expo expectations [not mine! - Ed] and continues to drop vertically at an exhilarating rate. The two last pushing trips have uncovered 200m further depth in quickly successive pitches. These 50/60m shafts are very large in size and numerous routes down are possible. They include an undescended shaft discovered by Gavin and Gareth, estimated by the former at 80m.

Gavin has also pointed out that current man power is insufficient to push this cave any further. Densham and Dave are leaving today and Gareth has accumulating severe knee problems that may prevent him from further deep caving. It has thus been unanimously agreed that derigging will commence between Gavin, Mike and myself (Tom and Simon to arrive to help with derig) on WEDNESDAY this week unless we hear from experienced cavers before this that they are able to come out to extend pushing. News about those that have remained ambiguous (Rich S, Elisa, Andy) about possible derigging help would also help us make a decision.

Cheers and fingers crossed that this amazing experience doesn't have to end prematurely,

Chris Densham

Chris Sinadinos

Gareth Phillips

Paul Mackrill
(Independent recce to Cares Gorge)

Chris Rogers

With some willpower, a good hammer and dieting it may be passable... this is in the bowls near the top of Cabeza Llambria so a really prime position, sitting directly over the hypothesised confluence of Cabeza Muxa, 2/7, Xitu... near some other draughting holes... really worth a try.

Otherwise, no one (probably) has ever looked in the valley just to the North of Cabeza Llambria - between La Texa and the gorge. Probably needs a rope to access from above or a treck via Oston to access from below but looks promising.

Paul Mackrill

(Independent recce to Cares Gorge)

We managed to visit the great hole in the cliff face. It was reached by Richard Gregson and Graham Naylor from above. It is indeed a great big phreatic tube some 10m diameter, however, after 50m it was blocked by stal fill.

Meanwhile Ursula and I made an abseil at a site further down the hill to another gaping hole we'd seen whilst working out how to get to the first cave. This was a 3/4m wide by 10m high entry, however it too closed down after 50 with stal blockage!

Finally Graham, Benoit Joly and I revisited the ridge above the first cave and descended a hole we had located. This went to -20/25m and... blocked with calcite.

A final [tourist] trip was into Culiembro cave. After a few false starts we got to the sump. [the way to the sump is up a stal slope then brief crawl BEFORE the point the passage turns left to a huge gallery] On reaching the sump we could here the river [?!] and, as the dive cord was hanging in the air, I guessed the sump was low. I waded the sump [up to the top of my chest] and came out the other side! So I managed to visit Culiembro 2. This consists of huge phreatic passages which rises, falls [traverse ropes] and then meets the river [climb down rift]. The river has cut a vadose slot in the base of the upper phreatic tubes and is rather immature and narrow in character. There was about 0.5m3/s, at a guess. I went to a point where the riverway narrowed to a gallery that required traversing above the water. I had to return to the others.

My conclusion from our visit, and it is only my opinion, is that the upper ancient galleries are likely to be full of calcite fill. We witnessed this effect in Culiembro cave as well as the caves we found. There seem to be three possibilities. 1 - to follow the river itself upstream in Culiembro. 2 - Look for active vertical [active] caves between the ends of Xitu, Jultayu and Culiembro caves on the eastern flanks of Cabeza Llambria. 3 - find a large drill and a box of dynamite and blow out the stal fill... !!!

I hope you have a good expedition. If people have time the eastern flanks of Cabeza Llambria might give a good area to prospect and a visit to Culiembro might allow a few to see Culiembro 2.

Chris Sinadinos