Gallery: The Best of Exploration: Top 4 Caving Expeditions of 2012
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Yes, it’s about that time of year, the time to get in on the “end of the year” lists. At The Extremo Files, I’ll be profiling the year’s best in exploration, with assistance from some of the most knowledgeable chroniclers around. Today’s edition: The Best in Caving. We've teamed up with [Caving News](cavingnews.com ), the web’s go-to site for all things speleo: scientific discoveries, conservation issues, and updates of daring adventures around the world. Scott Falkingham, the caver who runs the site, selected five caving expeditions that pushed the boundaries in 2012 and exposed new subterranean frontiers. He explains his picks in this gallery. __Above:__ Andy McKenzie climbing in Cueva Jadibamba. (*Photo Credit: Nicholaus Vieira*)
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1. 2012 Peru Caving Expedition ------------------------------ The first item that comes mind is an expedition to Peru during which an international team of cavers rewrote the list of the world’s highest caves. During the first three weeks of the expedition, the team explored the Cajamarca region of northern Peru, tipped off by the disappearance of the large Rio Jadibamba into the limestone. Exploring in water barely above freezing, the team pushed the main system to about 800 meters in length and 40 meters in depth. Several other holes were also discovered, often with the help of local intel, though time constraints left a number of them unexplored. In the second half of the expedition, the ten cavers discovered more than 100 caves in the Puyo valley, all of them at elevations in excess of 4,500 meters (14,760 feet). One cave, Puna Mach’ay was surveyed at an elevation of 4,862 meters (15,951 feet), making it the second highest in the world. *-- Scott Falkingham, Caving News* __Above:__ Cavers Andy McKenzie and Alan Warrild in Cueva Jadibamba. (*Image Credit: Nicholaus Vieira*)
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Australian caving godfather Alan Warrild rigging a -115m shaft. (*Photo Credit: Nicholaus Vieira*)
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2. The Call of the Abyss, Arabika Massif, Abkhazia --------------------------------------------------- Next up would be two related expeditions. In early August, Ukrainian cave diver Gennady Samokhin, [extended the depth of Krubera-Voronja](http://cavingnews.com/20120814-worlds-deepest-cave-krubera-voronja-became-slightly-deeper), the world’s deepest known cave, by another 5 meters (16 feet) during a 50.5-meter (166 foot) dive in the cave's main siphon. The cave, located in Abkhazia's (Georgia's) Arabika Massif, is now surveyed to a mind-boggling depth of -2,196 meters (-7,205 feet). Part of the Ukrainian Speleological Association's “The Call of the Abyss” Project, Krubera-Voronja has been the subject of an ongoing international expedition since 2000, which has involved more than 50 cavers from 11 different countries. Later that same month in the same region, [cavers on another expedition pushed Sarma Cave](http://cavingnews.com/20120828-cavers-push-worlds-second-deepest-cave-sarma-even-further) to -1,830 meters (-6,004 feet) deep, increasing its lead as the second deepest cave by 70 meters. One of the largest karst areas on earth, the relatively unexplored Arabika massif contains several hundred caves. With a handful already surveyed to more than 1,000 meters, this is a region full of potential. *-- Scott Falkingham, Caving News* __Above:__ The mountains of Abkhazia. (*Photo Credit: Flickr/Argenberg*)
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3. Lechuguilla Cave, Carlsbad Caverns, New Mexico ------------------------------------------------- The big news in the U.S. this year has been the [exciting discovery made in Carlsbad Caverns National Park's Lechuguilla Cave](http://cavingnews.com/20120602-explorers-make-exciting-discoveries-inside-lechuguilla-cave-carlsbad-caverns-national-park-oz-munchkin-land). An eight-day expedition in early May resulted in the discovery of a new section of cave passages with large rooms, deep pits, and many new leads. The new area, dubbed Oz, was discovered after cavers successfully climbed a dome called the Kansas Twister, which measured in at 164 meters (535 feet), taller than a 50-story building. Only opened in by diggers in 1986, cave explorers have already surveyed over 130 miles (210 km) and loads of exciting leads still remain to be explored. *-- Scott Falkingham, Caving News* __Above:__ Derek Bristol and Adam Weaver surveying below the Wizard, a formation filled dome over 100 feet overhead, inside New Mexico's Lechuguilla Cave. (*Photo credit: John Lyles*)
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Derek Bristol and Adam Weaver surveying in the Oz borehole inside the Lechuguilla Cave. (*Photo credit: John Lyles*)
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4. Sistema Sac Actun, Yucatán Peninsula, Mexico ----------------------------------------------- The final selection I have is the discovery of a connection between Mexico's Sistema Sac Actun and Sistema Dos Ojos which together have a combined length of 303.35 kilometers (188.49 miles), and bump South Dakota's Jewel Cave to become the second longest (albeit primarily underwater) cave system on the planet. In a strange twist, the connection between these mainly underwater cave systems was actually made by “dry cavers,” exploring on the surface. *-- Scott Falkingham, Caving News* __Above:__ A large chamber inside Dos Ojitos, part of the Dos Ojos system in Mexico. (*Photo Credit: Peter Sprouse*)
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Terri Sprouse surveying under the dripline toward Dos Ojos Cave, in Mexico. (*Photo Credit: Peter Sprouse*)
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Honorable Mentions ------------------ Other notable caving news from this year includes the [participation of Italian cave divers in the recovery effort following the Costa Concordia disaster](http://cavingnews.com/20120116-cave-rescue-divers-assisting-search-of-partially-capsized-cruise-ship), the [discovery of the "Frozen Deep,"](http://cavingnews.com/20120909-diggers-discover-largest-chamber-in-englands-mendip-hills) the largest chamber in England’s Mendip Hills, and the [French/Swiss expedition to Papua New Guinea](http://cavingnews.com/20120309-wowo-2012-a-frenchswiss-expedition-to-papua-new-guinea) during which 11 kilometers (6.8 miles) of new passage were explored. *-- Scott Falkingham, Caving News* __Above:__ Alison Moody in front of the Grotto, a feature in the "Frozen Deep", a chamber about 30 meters (100 feet) high, 36 meters (120 feet) wide, and 60 meters (200 feet) long discovered by diggers in the Mendip's Reservoir Hole, England. (*Image Credit: Nick Chipchase*)
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Nigel Cox in the In the "Frozen Deep", a newly discovered chamber in the Mendip cave system in England. (*Image Credit: Nick Chipchase*)
