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<title>GSAB: CTS ref. 78.2008 (in English translation)</title>
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<link rel="alternate" lang="fr" href="../fr/782008.htm" title=
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"Gouffre Ovni" xml:lang="fr" />
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<p style="text-align: center; font-size: 65%">
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(<acronym>GSAB</acronym>) <b lang="fr"
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xml:lang="fr">Spéalp</b> 2 (1978) pp 14-19</p>
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<h1 lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">GOUFFRE OVNI</h1>
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<p>The summer <acronym>GSAB</acronym> expedition to the <span lang=
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"de" xml:lang="de">Totes Gebirge</span> has allowed the exploration
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of this new cave of 565m depth. Certainly, it is a little eclipsed
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by its two neighbours (<b lang="de" xml:lang="de">Kelli</b> and
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<b lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">Empégadure</b>) but it remains no
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less of an accomplishment for a young team, only just broken into
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their first large-scale trip.</p>
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<p>For the location and discovery details, see the report in
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<b lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">Spéalp</b>
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<acronym>GSAB-SSS</acronym> <a href="782012.htm">number 1</a>.</p>
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<h2>Description</h2>
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<p>The entrance, a bedding plane unblocked because of a draught,
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gives access to a series of short pitches, dry at the start, which
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get bigger, deeper, wider and wetter. The first exploration of 1976
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had reconnoitred to -200m to the base of a 40m pitch (<b>The Black
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Hole</b>). The explorers of this year started on the descent of a
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fine 60m pitch of constant shape, slightly sloping. At the bottom
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of this is the only chamber of the cave : <b>The Galactic Hall</b>.
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Here the cave splits into two routes, the active and the
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fossil.</p>
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<h3>Active system</h3>
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<p>Downstream from the chamber a drop leads to a small chamber
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among boulders, the <b>Love Nest</b>. (No idea who ventured to call
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it this[?]) Between the boulders a 20m pitch opens, immediately
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followed by a 25m pitch. In fact, the last 25m of descent drops
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between the walls of an immense aven to land on a flat gravel
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floor. A diagonal chimney leads to a trickle of water.</p>
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<p>A fissure marks the start of the <b>Anti-matter meander</b>,
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where one immediately rejoins the underground stream. This has an
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average flow of two litres per second but quite rapidly increases
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to 10-15 litres per second in flood. The first part of the meander
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is straight and interrupted by 3 small pitches and two drops. At
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the top of the first, in the roof, is the connection with the
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fossil system. Quickly, the meander becomes less amenable: high and
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narrow, it is plastered with mud (the anti-matter) which makes
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progress quite arduous. Three pitches of 5, 14 and 10, punctuate
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progress. This last, followed by a drop of 3m, gives access to a
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section of passage blocked by clay. At the end of this, the stream
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disappers into a fissure with tight impenetrable bends. The passage
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is continued by a quite large fossil branch. After some 50m, the
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draught goes into an earthy hole, the start of a big pitch of 70m
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in several stages.</p>
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<p>Halfway down, the pitch is rejoined by the stream which is
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avoided by a parallel fossil pitch. There immediately follows
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another pitch of 55m, totally wet and characterised by an
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elliptical cross-section and constant slope. At the bottom, the
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water is engulfed by a fissure about three metres long, followed by
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a tight meander which we haven't pushed.</p>
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<h3>Fossil system</h3>
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<p>Upstream from the Galactic Hall, a window some metres high gives
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access to a good-sized passage (3x3m on average), the <b>Little
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Green Men's passage</b>. One comes up against a climb of 3m at the
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base of which the trickle of water is lost into a meander cut below
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the fossil passage (see below). After a narrowing and a climb, the
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passage ends in boulders between which it is still possible to
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penetrate for a dozen metres.</p>
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<p>Back in the meander below the fossil passage: this ends at the
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<b><span lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">Gomette</span> pitch</b>
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(discovered by the <span lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">Gaumais</span>), a
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60m pitch, spray-lashed in its lower part by "the wee-wee". At the
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base of this pitch is the beginning of the <b>Mutants' meander</b>.
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This is a passage for masochists <span lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">par
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excellence</span>: at the bottom, tight and suit-snagging. It ends
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in a series of climbs and a 30m pitch joining the active
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system.</p>
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<h2>Geology</h2>
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<h3>General</h3>
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<p>From the geological point of view, the <span lang="fr" xml:lang=
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"fr">Gouffre Ovni</span> is a typical example of the karstic
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phenomena of the massif, and likewise of the greater part of the
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karst of Austria. There isn't a zone of pitches leading to a
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master-cave on an impermeable bed (of the Pyrenean type) nor tight
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vertical caves (of the <span lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">Vercors</span>
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or <span lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">Chartreuse</span> type). The
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primary factors in the formation are the intense orogenic
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fracturing combined with a very wet climate and heavy snow-falls
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since the start of the era.</p>
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<p>These caves generally open by virtue of the simple form of the
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discontinuities in the limestones (joints, bedding-planes). Then
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they enlarge more and more by following the larger-scale phenomena
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(faults, master-joints). The master-cave, when it exists, is
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generally only short and near the resurgence.</p>
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<h3 lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">Gouffre Ovni</h3>
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<p>The entrance is in a bedding plane open for about two metres.
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There follows a series of pitches, quite small, formed in a quite
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sinuous joint and enlarged on bedding planes and very strong
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[<span lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">pendage</span> - dictionary failure]
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in this zone. At about -200m, the influence of another factor
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starts to be felt. The pitches become bigger and bigger and the
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walls cleaner and cleaner. This section is characterised by a fault
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running roughly East-West (see figure 1).</p>
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<div class="centre"><img alt="fig. 1, 3k gif" width="512" height="128" src=
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"../ovnif1.png" /></div>
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<p>This fault controls the major part of the formation of the cave.
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In effect, the course of the cave is hollowed out of different
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levels of this fault. (figure 2)</p>
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<div class="onleft">
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<img alt="fig. 2, 3k gif" width="275" height="385" src="../ovnif2.png" />
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<p class="caption"><b>Figure 2: Plan of
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the fault</b></p></div>
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<ul>
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<li>1st The Zorglub pitch and the Father Christmas chimneys.</li>
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<li>2nd The Galactic Hall and the first third of the Little Green
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Men's passage (the other two thirds lie on bedding planes).</li>
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<li>3rd The pitch to pass [?] the time and the <span lang="fr"
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xml:lang="fr">Gaumette</span> pitch with the Mutants' meander.</li>
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<li>4th The major part of the Anti-matter meander (the unwedging of
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this part [?]) by connection with the rest (plan) is [complete
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translation failure - something about the fault being broken
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?]</li>
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</ul>
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<p style="clear: both">Following the large part of the Anti-matter meander, a
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very narrow zone marks the junction with a second fault orientated
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<acronym>SE-NW</acronym> which controls the rest of the cave. [next sentence is
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real gobbledegook to me unless there is a misprint in the french ?] One rotted
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to believe conspicuously the survey, which concerns a meander in a joint seen
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its sinuosity [???]. In fact, the straight part and space of this fault is
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impracticable because it overhangs continually a perpendicular of 6m whence the
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lips are sloping and muddy. One is therefore obliged to borrow the bottom in
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[<span lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">surcreusement</span> - what a time for a
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dictionary failure !]. More unwavering [lots of alternative translations for
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this word - none make much sense] by an unhooking where the stream destroys
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itself [sinks ?]. The passage continues in the same direction always controlled
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by the jointing/faulting. The zone of pitches which follows develops equally
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in the lower part of the fault; [<span lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">elle ait</span>
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is the present subjunctive of <span lang="fr" xml:lang= "fr">avoir</span> -
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what the fuck does present subjunctive translate as ?] well what/as/who/as/how
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has the appearance of a forced conduit [phreatic passage/lift ?]</p>
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<h3>Possibilities for continuation</h3>
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<p>As one the remark to the observation of the survey, the main
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passage continues unexplored. It appears that [present subjunctive
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of to be] in the presence of a simple phenomenon of regression and
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so logically one should find another series of fossil pitches
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dropping to the base level. (figures 3 and 4)</p>
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<div class="center">
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<img alt="Fig. 3 - 5k gif" style="border: 2px solid black" width="460" height="480" src=
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"ovnif3.png" />
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<img style="border: 2px solid black" alt="Fig. 4 - 3k gif" width="320" height="340" src=
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"ovnif4.png" />
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</div>
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<p>The strength [power, force ?] of the <span lang="de" xml:lang=
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"de">Dachsteinkalk</span> (granular Jurassic limestone) lies next
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to the 700m from the entrance. [??]</p>
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<h3>Meteorologie</h3>
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<div class="onright">
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<img alt="fig. 5 - 2k gif" width="265" height="435"
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src="../ovnif5.png" /> <p class="caption"><b>Figure 5:
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Diagram of the draughts at the principal points of
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perception:</b></p></div>
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<p>As we have already said, there is a strong draught which drew
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our attention to Ovni. This draught was blowing in a hot period
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(summer) [so] we logically [expected] to find the presence of an
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intermediate entrance. Seeing the strength of the cold draught
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[<span lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">chassé</span>], the existence
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of an upper entrance is fairly certain. Prospecting on the hillock
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above the entrance didn't yield results. It concerns there of an
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objective to see again because the vegetation and the snakes didn't
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permit us to operate an efficient search pattern.</p>
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<p>The junction with this higher entrance must be at the level of
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the Little Green Men's passage; either by the wet chimney at the
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bottom of the 1st fault or in the roof of 2/3, there where the
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draught is lost. For the other part, the presence at the bottom of
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another strong draught, suggests a lower entrance, probably a
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fossil resurgence. Nevertheless these are only suppositions, the
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caprices of a draught are very difficult to deal with.</p>
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<h3 style="clear: both">Conclusions</h3>
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<p>One sees from this brief analysis of the cave that the chances
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of a continuation aren't minimal. Now this cave isn't extremely
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difficult of access or of exploration. The work [god knows - rotted
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to be there mend] very soon, but it is nevertheless a secondary
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objective compared with other Austrian possibilities.</p>
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<p lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">G Feller <acronym>GSAB</acronym></p>
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<hr />
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<!-- LINKS -->
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<ul>
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<li><a href="../index.htm">GSAB articles list</a></li>
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<li><span lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">Gouffre Ovni</span> : <a href=
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"../../../noinfo/1626/122.htm">description</a>, in English</li>
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<li><a href="../../../1626/index.html">Overview</a> of area 1626,
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and index to caves</li>
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<li>Back to <a href="../../../index.htm">Expedition Intro
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page</a></li>
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<li><a href="../../../../index.htm">Back to CUCC Home page</a></li>
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</ul>
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</body>
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</html>
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