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<p style="text-align: center; font-size: 65%">
(<acronym>GSAB</acronym>) <b lang="fr"
xml:lang="fr">Sp&eacute;alp</b> 2 (1978) pp 14-19</p>
<h1 lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">GOUFFRE OVNI</h1>

<p>The summer <acronym>GSAB</acronym> expedition to the <span lang=
"de" xml:lang="de">Totes Gebirge</span> has allowed the exploration
of this new cave of 565m depth. Certainly, it is a little eclipsed
by its two neighbours (<b lang="de" xml:lang="de">Kelli</b> and
<b lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">Emp&eacute;gadure</b>) but it remains no
less of an accomplishment for a young team, only just broken into
their first large-scale trip.</p>
<p>For the location and discovery details, see the report in
<b lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">Sp&eacute;alp</b>
<acronym>GSAB-SSS</acronym> <a href="782012.htm">number 1</a>.</p>

<h2>Description</h2>
<p>The entrance, a bedding plane unblocked because of a draught,
gives access to a series of short pitches, dry at the start, which
get bigger, deeper, wider and wetter. The first exploration of 1976
had reconnoitred to -200m to the base of a 40m pitch (<b>The Black
Hole</b>). The explorers of this year started on the descent of a
fine 60m pitch of constant shape, slightly sloping. At the bottom
of this is the only chamber of the cave : <b>The Galactic Hall</b>.
Here the cave splits into two routes, the active and the
fossil.</p>

<h3>Active system</h3>
<p>Downstream from the chamber a drop leads to a small chamber
among boulders, the <b>Love Nest</b>. (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 <b>Anti-matter meander</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 10, 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
disappers into a fissure with tight impenetrable bends. The passage
is continued by 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.</p>
<p>Halfway down, the pitch is rejoined by the stream which is
avoided by a parallel fossil pitch. There immediately follows
another pitch of 55m, 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 we haven't pushed.</p>
<h3>Fossil system</h3>
<p>Upstream from the Galactic Hall, a window some metres high gives
access to a good-sized passage (3x3m on average), the <b>Little
Green Men's passage</b>. 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
<b><span lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">Gomette</span> pitch</b>
(discovered by the <span lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">Gaumais</span>), a
60m pitch, spray-lashed in its lower part by "the wee-wee". At the
base of this pitch is the beginning of the <b>Mutants' meander</b>.
This is a passage for masochists <span lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">par
excellence</span>: at the bottom, tight and suit-snagging. It ends
in a series of climbs and a 30m pitch joining the active
system.</p>
<h2>Geology</h2>
<h3>General</h3>
<p>From the geological point of view, the <span lang="fr" xml:lang=
"fr">Gouffre Ovni</span> is a typical example of the karstic
phenomena of the massif, and likewise of the greater part of the
karst of Austria. There isn't a zone of pitches leading to a
master-cave on an impermeable bed (of the Pyrenean type) nor tight
vertical caves (of the <span lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">Vercors</span>
or <span lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">Chartreuse</span> type). The
primary factors in the formation are the intense orogenic
fracturing combined with a very wet climate and heavy snow-falls
since the start of the era.</p>
<p>These caves generally open by virtue of the simple form of the
discontinuities in the limestones (joints, bedding-planes). Then
they enlarge more and more by following the larger-scale phenomena
(faults, master-joints). The master-cave, when it exists, is
generally only short and near the resurgence.</p>
<h3 lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">Gouffre Ovni</h3>
<p>The entrance is in a bedding plane open for about two metres.
There follows a series of pitches, quite small, formed in a quite
sinuous joint and enlarged on bedding planes and very strong
[<span lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">pendage</span> - dictionary failure]
in this zone. At about -200m, the influence of another factor
starts to be felt. The pitches become bigger and bigger and the
walls cleaner and cleaner. This section is characterised by a fault
running roughly East-West (see figure 1).</p>
<div class="centre"><img alt="fig. 1, 3k gif" width="512" height="128" src=
"../ovnif1.png" /></div>
<p>This fault controls the major part of the formation of the cave.
In effect, the course of the cave is hollowed out of different
levels of this fault. (figure 2)</p>
<div class="onleft">
<img alt="fig. 2, 3k gif" width="275" height="385" src="../ovnif2.png" />
<p class="caption"><b>Figure 2: Plan of
the fault</b></p></div>
<ul>
<li>1st The Zorglub pitch and the Father Christmas chimneys.</li>
<li>2nd The Galactic Hall and the first third of the Little Green
Men's passage (the other two thirds lie on bedding planes).</li>
<li>3rd The pitch to pass [?] the time and the <span lang="fr"
xml:lang="fr">Gaumette</span> pitch with the Mutants' meander.</li>
<li>4th The major part of the Anti-matter meander (the unwedging of
this part [?]) by connection with the rest (plan) is [complete
translation failure - something about the fault being broken
?]</li>
</ul>
<p style="clear: both">Following the large part of the Anti-matter meander, a
very narrow zone marks the junction with a second fault orientated
<acronym>SE-NW</acronym> which controls the rest of the cave. [next sentence is
real gobbledegook to me unless there is a misprint in the french ?] One rotted
to believe conspicuously the survey, which concerns a meander in a joint seen
its sinuosity [???]. In fact, the straight part and space of this fault is
impracticable because it overhangs continually a perpendicular of 6m whence the
lips are sloping and muddy. One is therefore obliged to borrow the bottom in
[<span lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">surcreusement</span> - what a time for a
dictionary failure !]. More unwavering [lots of alternative translations for
this word - none make much sense] by an unhooking where the stream destroys
itself [sinks ?]. The passage continues in the same direction always controlled
by the jointing/faulting.  The zone of pitches which follows develops equally
in the lower part of the fault; [<span lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">elle ait</span>
is the present subjunctive of <span lang="fr" xml:lang= "fr">avoir</span> -
what the fuck does present subjunctive translate as ?] well what/as/who/as/how
has the appearance of a forced conduit [phreatic passage/lift ?]</p>
<h3>Possibilities for continuation</h3>
<p>As one the remark to the observation of the survey, the main
passage continues unexplored. It appears that [present subjunctive
of to be] in the presence of a simple phenomenon of regression and
so logically one should find another series of fossil pitches
dropping to the base level. (figures 3 and 4)</p>
<div class="center">
<img alt="Fig. 3 - 5k gif" style="border: 2px solid black" width="460" height="480" src=
"ovnif3.png" />
&nbsp;&nbsp;<img style="border: 2px solid black" alt="Fig. 4 - 3k gif" width="320" height="340" src=
"ovnif4.png" />
</div>
<p>The strength [power, force ?] of the <span lang="de" xml:lang=
"de">Dachsteinkalk</span> (granular Jurassic limestone) lies next
to the 700m from the entrance. [??]</p>
<h3>Meteorologie</h3>
<div class="onright">
<img alt="fig. 5 - 2k gif" width="265" height="435"
 src="../ovnif5.png" /> <p class="caption"><b>Figure 5:
Diagram of the draughts at the principal points of
perception:</b></p></div>
<p>As we have already said, there is a strong draught which drew
our attention to Ovni. This draught was blowing in a hot period
(summer) [so] we logically [expected] to find the presence of an
intermediate entrance. Seeing the strength of the cold draught
[<span lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">chass&eacute;</span>], the existence
of an upper entrance is fairly certain. Prospecting on the hillock
above the entrance didn't yield results. It concerns there of an
objective to see again because the vegetation and the snakes didn't
permit us to operate an efficient search pattern.</p>
<p>The junction with this higher entrance must be at the level of
the Little Green Men's passage; either by the wet chimney at the
bottom of the 1st fault or in the roof of 2/3, there where the
draught is lost. For the other part, the presence at the bottom of
another strong draught, suggests a lower entrance, probably a
fossil resurgence. Nevertheless these are only suppositions, the
caprices of a draught are very difficult to deal with.</p>
<h3 style="clear: both">Conclusions</h3>
<p>One sees from this brief analysis of the cave that the chances
of a continuation aren't minimal. Now this cave isn't extremely
difficult of access or of exploration. The work [god knows - rotted
to be there mend] very soon, but it is nevertheless a secondary
objective compared with other Austrian possibilities.</p>
<p lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">G Feller <acronym>GSAB</acronym></p>
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