The slow exploration of Dragon Cave

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The slow exploration of Dragon Cave

Postby arachiya1 » Feb 29, 2020 12:20 pm

On the Skywatcher Clan's land, purchased 11 years ago, there are many depressions caused by soil falling into voids between the limestone rock. There are two distinct basins with limestone outcroppings. The first was used to dump auto parts and jarred food into. I am still removing car parts and broken glass. There are seven distinct leads, but two are definite s to indicate the potential large size of this cave. The first is a t the back of the main passage where flat chert sheets fell into the passage and rain clogged it with organic clay. A breeze blows from a small hole indicating more passage beyond.
The other passage may not have much head room but it is easier to dig out as the clay and soil is dry and mulch like. Easy to remove. Beyond I can see more passage, what may be another chamber and a lot more dirt to remove. It all seems to be lining up with the depressions on the surface. With few interest persons willing to help dig out the cave, even for a receipt to use on taxes for services rendered, it will take a long time to explore even a quarter of this cave.
There are anomalies inside Dragon cave, in the intersection of the Cross Fissure, embedded in the wall is something generating a magnetic field that delivers 40 degrees of variance. I named it after it discover; Ateyo's anomaly. My map of the new section, which connects to the cross fissure, was off by 40 degrees because I did not realize the anomaly was there and I wondered why my measurements were off.
In February, by myself, I removed 10 cubic feet of clay from the Clay Room to open the passage up so i can get back to the new area to removed all the pushed in dirt back there. Only then will I be able to push the new passages heading off in the direction of yet another two openings on property I am trying to purchase for the tribe and what i consider the main entrance off to the east on property a reverse mortgage company was suppose to sell to me but sold to someone else.
I will update the progress on each trip.
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Re: The slow exploration of Dragon Cave

Postby arachiya1 » Mar 8, 2020 7:07 pm

The March 07 trip was delayed by 24 hours due to near freezing temperatures at the property. On March 08, we visited the cave and broke up another 9 cubic feet of clay and soil heading towards the new section (to be named later). A foot of head space was added and I managed to get half way to the first squeeze into the new section. The change of day meant I was the one digging out the debris, bagging it, removing it from the cave and dumping it on the pile. With another person to remove the dirt from the cave, I could have removed 20 cubic feet and probably have reached the first squeeze.
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Re: The slow exploration of Dragon Cave

Postby arachiya1 » Mar 21, 2020 2:15 pm

March 21- We returned to Dragon Cave, with Gregg making his second trip. We arrived earlier than expected and Gregg descended into Dragon first. I tossed in the tools, and bags. I got right to working bagging the dirt I left on the second ledge. Gregg left the cave to get safety glasses and pulled out the first three bags. I crawled back into the Clay Room and removed more clay and soil. I managed to reach the First Squeeze which leads to the New Area, which is once again filled with dirt. I had to take the eight bags of dirt out of the cave three times while Gregg "cleaned the walls". Because of the new sand bag, I was able to removed 12 cubic feet of debris from that passage. I will have to bring in a rock hammer to break up a rock that makes the first squeeze difficult to get through. The photo shows the view of the New Area (filled with dirt) in the background, the First Squeeze and the cleared out section of the Clay Room.
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Re: The slow exploration of Dragon Cave

Postby trogman » Mar 24, 2020 6:50 am

Sounds like more digging than caving. :laughing: I've been involved in a project or two like that. If there is enough airflow, I'd continue pushing it, no matter how grim. My biggest project thus far was pretty discouraging, but finally yielded a real cave that is now over 1/2 mile long.
I may have missed it, but did you say how much passage you have surveyed thus far?


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Re: The slow exploration of Dragon Cave

Postby arachiya1 » Mar 26, 2020 8:22 am

So far, 200 feet have been mapped, but the big problem I have is that the new section, and the new passages heading off of it, keep filling with dirt. In six months, everything I took out has filled back in. The further away from the entrance I get, the harder it is to remove the bags of dirt, especially when there is no one else there to help. The surface indications hint that Dragon is a very big, multi level cave with multiple entrances. There is air blowing from the live end (wet clay and poor air flow there) and lots of dry, compose like soil to remove from the other side. If the surface clues are accurate, this cave could have over a mile of dry passage... probably more. This photo shows my friend at the Live End of the Serpent Hall, there is a fist sized hole the water carved around the debris that is allowing air from below come out.
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