<non_public>True</non_public><!-- 'False' or 'True'. True if the cave should only be visible to logged-in users. Caves are normally public, so enter 'False' unless you know otherwise. -->
<caveslug>1626-122</caveslug><!--(Ignored). Internal I.D. used to refer to this cave in entrance data files. Typically the same as the filebase, e.g. '1623-195' -->
<official_name>Ufoschacht</official_name><!-- Name of the cave (normally in German) Use ü for u+Umlaut and ö for o+umlaut eg Höhle for Hohle and Glück for Gluck-->
code used in the Austrian kataster e.g '1/S +' - https://expo/.survex.com/katast.htm
T Trockenhöhlen (Dry caves)
W Wasserhöhlen (Caves with water)
(W) Zeitweilig aktiv Wasserhöhlen (Caves with seasonal water)
E Eishohlen (Caves with ice formations)
S Schachthöhlen (Caves with pitches)
H Halbhöhlen (Rock shelters ?)
- unerforscht (unexplored)
= befahren (visited)
× teilweise vermessen (partly surveyed)
+ erforscht (exploration considered complete)
-->
<kataster_number>122</kataster_number><!-- (Either this or unofficial_number is required). Official number in Austrian kataster if one has been allocated -->
<unofficial_number></unofficial_number><!-- (Either this or kataster_number is required). Initial temporary cave ID used until kataster number is allocated e.g. '2012-DD-01'-->
<entranceslug>1626-122</entranceslug><!-- Internal ID to refer to each entrance instance in the entrance files (typically the same as that filename (e.g. 1623-161c). Matches the 'slug' field in the entrance file -->
<!-- DEBUG 1626-122+1626-122 'Z' == -->
<letter></letter><!--Leave blank for single-entrance cave. If there is more than one entrace then the letter needs to be given. Generally matches the entranceslug ID. -->
<explorers></p><ul><li>Discovered in August 1974 by D.Motte.</li><li>Entrance unblocked by <spanlang="fr">Groupe Spéléo Alpin Belge</span> in 1975 and 76.</li><li>Explored in August 1976 by <spanlang="fr">F.Dechany & J.C.Hans</span> (GSAB) to -201m</li><li>Pushed to -565m on a further GSAB trip 5th-29th August 1977.</li></ul><p></explorers><!-- 'CUCC Expo' and year(s) of exploration. To distinguish from caves explored by foreign groups. Individual names can be given too if it was a small cave. -->
<survex_file></survex_file><!-- Name of top-level survey file for this cave. Relative to the 'loser' survex repository. So for most caves that's "caves-162x/cavenum/cavnum.svx". (e.g. caves-1623/204/204.svx -->
<underground_description>The entrance consists of a crack about 20cm high, which was at first cleared as far as a chamber with no exit. The draught which had enabled the entrance to be found now showed the way on. After having unblocked a fissure dubbed Sas, a pitch, <blang="fr">Escalier Anti-G,</b> was reached. This is broken in five places. A second pitch, <blang="fr">Puits Andromède,</b> broken into three, leads to a short canyon, then to several drops and pitches interspersed with short squeezes. The following pitches can be seen as forming a single 80m shaft, the <blang="fr">Puits Ganimède,</b> divided into five and becoming bigger and bigger in depth as well as width. The cave continues by a fault rift two or three metres wide and 40m deep, <blang="fr">Puits Trou Noir</b> (The Black Hole). The early pitches are dry, but by this point, at -200m, the shafts are much wetter.</p><p>The explorers in 1977 started on the descent of a fine 60m pitch of constant shape, slightly sloping, <blang="fr">Puits Zorglub.</b> At the bottom of this is the only chamber of the cave : the <blang="fr">Salle Galactique.</b> Here the cave splits into two routes, the active and the fossil.</p><h4>Active system</h4><p>Downstream from the chamber a drop leads to a small chamber among boulders, the Love Nest. (No idea who ventured to call it this). Between the boulders a 20m pitch opens, immediately followed by a 25m pitch. In fact, the last 25m of descent drops between the walls of an immense aven to land on a flat gravel floor. A diagonal chimney leads to a trickle of water.</p><p>A fissure marks the start of the <blang="fr">Méandre Anti-Matière,</b> where one immediately rejoins the underground stream. This has an average flow of two litres per second but quite rapidly increases to 10-15 litres per second in flood. The first part of the meander is straight and interrupted by 3 small pitches and two drops. At the top of the first, in the roof, is the connection with the fossil system. Quickly, the meander becomes less amenable: high and narrow, it is plastered with mud (the anti-matter) which makes progress quite arduous. Three pitches of 5, 14 and 10m punctuate progress. This last, followed by a drop of 3m, gives access to a section of passage blocked by clay. At the end of this, the stream disappears into a fissure with tight impenetrable bends.</p><p>The main passage continues ahead as a quite large fossil branch. After some 50m, the draught goes into an earthy hole, the start of a big pitch of 70m in several stages, the <blang="fr">Puits du Centaure.</b></p><p>Halfway down, the pitch is rejoined by the stream which is avoided by a parallel fossil shaft. There immediately follows another pitch of 55m, the <blang="fr">Puits du Fond des Ages,</b> totally wet and characterised by an elliptical cross-section and constant slope. At the bottom, the water is engulfed by a fissure about three metres long, followed by a tight meander which has not been pushed. This is the deepest point : -565m.</p><h4>Fossil system</h4><p>Upstream from the <spanlang="fr">Salle Galactique,</span> a window some metres high gives access to a good-sized passage (3x3m on average), the <blang="fr">Méandre des Petits Hommes Verts</b> (the Little Green Men's passage). One comes up against a climb of 3m at the base of which the trickle of water is lost into a meander cut below the fossil passage (see below). After a narrowing and a climb, the passage ends in boulders between which it is still possible to penetrate for a dozen metres.</p><p>Back in the meander below the fossil passage: this ends at the <blang="fr">Puit de la Comète</b> (discovered by the <spanlang="fr">Gaumais</span>), a 60m pitch, spray-lashed in its lower part by <blang="fr">Le Pipi</b> (the wee-wee). At the base of this pitch is the beginning of the <blang="fr">Méandre des Mutants.</b> This is a passage for masochists <spanlang="fr">par excellence</span>: low and tight, gear gets caught everywhere. It ends in a series of climbs and a 30m
<equipment></equipment><!-- For a small cave, summary of gear needed to descend. For longer caves it could be blank, a table, or just refer to the description/topos. Leave blank if this info is in the description. -->
<references></p><dl><dt>78.2012</dt><dd><cite>(GSAB) <spanlang="fr">Spéalp</span> 1 (June 1977) pp 33-49</cite>, <b>Totes Gebirge: <spanlang="fr">Description des principaux gouffres de la zone ouest du massif</span></b>, <spanlang="fr">Jean Claude Hans & Etienne Degrave</span><br/><ahref="../../others/gsab/en/782012.htm#id117">English Translation</a><br/><ahref="../../others/gsab/fr/782012.htm#id117"lang="fr">En Français</a></dd><dt>78.2008</dt><dd><cite>(GSAB) <spanlang="fr">Spéalp</span> 2 (1978) pp 14-19, figures, surveys</cite>, <spanlang="fr"><b>Gouffre Ovni</b>, Georges Feller</span><br/><ahref="../../others/gsab/en/782008.htm">English Translation</a><br/><ahref="../../others/gsab/fr/782008.htm"lang="fr">En Français</a></dd></dl><p></references><!-- References to documentation. Could be Journal articles or Logbook entries. Can be links if the docs are online. -->
<survey></survey><!-- Drawn-up surveys. Scans of paper surveys or images/PDFs of electronic surveys. Should include HTML to display current plan and elevation, with links to larger versions (See section on URLs and files). Could list links to multiple years of survey, or even a separate survey page if it's complicated enough. -->
<underground_centre_line></underground_centre_line><!-- 'In dataset' if it is in the survex dataset. Blank if not, or notes about status such as 'surveyed, but no entrance fix so not yet in dataset'. -->
<notes>Description adapted from the references by Andy Waddington. This translation has not been vetted by a fluent french reader, and I'm afraid it shows rather badly in places.</p><p>See reference 78-2008 for Geology and Meteorology.</notes><!-- Normally empty, but place for anything else that should be noted, such as info on cave maybe being a duplicate, or lost -->
<length></length><!-- Cave length. Can be left blank and system should fill it in automatically from survey data (it doesn't yet) -->
<depth></depth><!--Cave depth. Can be left blank and system should fill it in automatically from survey data (it doesn't yet) -->
<description_file></description_file><!-- Path of top-level description file for this cave, when a separate file is used. Otherwise blank. -->
<url>1626/122/122.html</url><!-- (Required). Relative URL of this cave. i.e the URL this cave appears at on the website, not including 'https://expo.survex.com/. Normally area/cavenum., e.g ('1623/000')-->
