• Discovered in July 1976 by F.Vergier.
• Explored between 12th and 23rd July 1976 by A.C.Toulon, S.C.Toulon, Lou Darbon & Spéléo Ragaie to -587m.
• In 1977 A.C.Toulon, and groups from Aragnous & Darboun reached -854m.

Down to -287m the cave is made up of shortish pitches interspersed with tight meandering passage : p8, p12, p17, p9, p20, p3, p12, p30, p7, p6, p9, p8, p7, p5, p34, p6, p8, p5, p9. At -287m, an 18m pitch drops into a large chamber. The water disappears in the boulders to reappear in a whole series of wet pitches of which the longest is 30m. Floods impeded exploration at the bottom of this branch: at -456m a pitch of about 20m was definitely too wet to be descended. At -488m a low passage was also too wet. Moreover, the draught there was weak or absent.

In the chamber at -308m, a reascent of about 15m gave access to a fairly wide fossil canyon which blew a detectable draught. After 30m, this passage opened onto the enormous Puits de Naufragés (The Castaway's pitch), with a cross section of 15 by 25 metres and 242m deep. Near the bottom of this pitch, several inlets appeared to come from the first branch explored. The bottom of the pitch contracted to a joint-guided rift, exploration in 1976 ending at the head of a pitch estimated at 40m. (Depth 587m).

The cave continued predominantly vertical in 1977, with pitches of 54, 88, 53 and 25m to two siphons at -854m. The altitude of these sumps is 756m - the valley level.

78.2012

(GSAB) Spéalp 1 (June 1977) pp 33-49, Totes Gebirge: Description des principaux gouffres de la zone ouest du massif, Jean Claude Hans & Etienne Degrave
English Translation
En Français

78.2003

(GSAB) Spéalp 2 (1978) p64, survey, Trunkemboldschacht, Jean Pierre Braun
En Français

The description is translated mainly from reference 78.2003 by Andy Waddington and Jill Gates. -854m to 3 sumps, a predominantly vertical system. 1626/117.htm 1626/117.htm