<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>
<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>
<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>
<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>
