Question Mark list conventions

This page is somewhat outdated. For the current 21st century QM methods, where we store QMs in the survex files, see

• QM data and cave descriptions
• Entering the QM data
• Only if really keen: QMs - the fourfold path

The format for question mark lists is QM identifier, Quality Grade, Area indicator, decription of QM. The QM numbers themselves are in the format Discoverer identifier, Year of discovery, Cave identifier, serial number.

[Archaic: If you look at the html, you will find that the nearest survey station (without its "<cavenumber>." prefix) is included in an html comment for almost all leads.]

In general, an unpushed QM will have a link from its QM number in the cave description file to the HTML QM list file (generated by a perl script for caves 204, 234 and 258), and a link from the list to the relevant point in the description. If there is no link, it means that we can't yet work out where the QM is in the description, or the description doesn't yet exist :-).

Discoverer identifiers

A

ARGE

B

Groupe Spéléo de Clerval - Baume les Dames

C

Cambridge University Caving Club

Quality grades

A

A fine QM - git down there and look.

B

Not so promising, or requiring some effort (eg. a climb)

C

Pretty cruddy, or good but very hard to get to.

D

A dig- only possible to continue if loose rocks or soil are removed.

V

An aven which might be climbable, but not adequately assessed

X

A high, wet or unsafe-looking aven unlikely to be climbed

?

No-one writing this list actually knows!

Note that the quality grades are assigned by the explorers at the time, and that subsequent discoveries may mean that the grade is optimistic, since the lead may now drop into passage which wasn't then explored. Also, different explorers have different ideas, or different waist sizes - one man's "A-lead" may be another's "C-lead" :-(