Damazulo meets Salisbury

Adrenaline shoot at the Gates of Salisbury

180818: Idoia, Oskar F, Oier.

Damazulo (Ispaster). We’ve followed our patient and delicate work of Wednesday, and finally we’ve entered the Gates of Salisbury, name of the new sector that we offer to our friends (Simone, Gotzon and Antua) that happen to be far away this day.

In fact, we have got first into a little block site, followed by a large hall (Salisbury Hall, 15m wide x 20 m long) with a very curious shape: it seems to have been a natural dam during long time, with very thick layers of diverse materials (gravel, sand, silt), where water has recently found a way to filter to lower levels. Thus, Salisbury Hall have several sinkholes and its floor has collapsed in two places, which are separated by a high laminator, representing the former level of the strates, nearly up to the height of the ceiling (flat, as typical in long lasting water-filled galleries). In Salisbury Hall, we have identified two possible ways of descent to a lower level: in one of them a rope is needed (5-10 m), and the other is a meander, which we haven’t tried to get through, in order to respect some nice strates. We have identified some points that can be escalated, if necessary. Finally, (...) in a plateau, thas has taken us to a chasm, not difficult to descend, where we have seen clearly a lower level with a river bed, not active right now but that evidently is so in rain time; next day’s exploration will surely pursue in this point.

First view (plant)

In the second collapse site of Salisbury Hall we have tracked the air current to a cat hole, which after 15 slippering meters has taken us to another hall, not as large as Salisbury, but quite big too: we have named it Ojeda Hall, as by then we were totally muddy, and eager to cleanse. Same configuration, two upper ways (one of them with air).

We’ll summarize saying that the air current we felt in the Gates seem to come from above; bad news. But the descending points worth to be explored anyway; the exploration is comfortable, and we’re above the Crazy River of the most large cave system of Lea-Artibai!

Lady of the Hole