THE ALASKAN CAVER
NSS Convention '82 BEND, OREGON ~AnnoJ~~ntumorLlrN.tr~l-~ CONWMToW CHAIlWUH mCuAmMM4 UNY. Dm 8106 5 E Cdlllrn S'.M 52' Wm Sn*ll b~anoOr-m 97706 -- Mnn ¶m8yli- NSS rrt (XU! 114 773 Canma vw u 6nva~ron [6%1352-'Wx htw: June 27th to July 3r4. 1982
lh 1982 Oonwntion staff is putting out a call for mrsfur th sasaions to k hald In Bend, 0-n Qlrlw 1982. Pleaom sham yew Info*mation and -rim- at one of the 808810~t8. Papers on all typas of cadw subjects are an-&. If you am willing to qiw a mr, plsaao cantad eitbr your section chiman or the Prqr- Chima for the Convention.
Wstracto of 300 worda or laan are nuby &ah l6t. 'Ybsr are to k pmtdin the FTiOXAH of the Convention and in a spscial M BULGgTII. You will, am the nm an$ nddrssa of the psraon to sand your abstract to in the W m.
Wa will hold all of thm earsessions, m.g. Biow, Wloqg, Vertical, Social Sclenca, Wmmn'~, ere. as Wll as s- mmcial wssions such an:
A Safety & TwWquen maimwith mrnim asmaion of pwra and an aft*mn seasfon in n cave. Wrman, Joe Facklsr, 2404 bntend St., hiss, fD 85702. 10s and his Idaho Rescum Group bw - mt im! Vnlcanosp.lwlomr -8iwn. Bill fhllldhg ia ergani~~this one1 Bill's address ix 1117 36th Avo. E, Seattle, 'dA 98112.
kdhPrsst Dfrsrsfe @mpoaium. In cue ym Wnk d1 caves in tb Wad ars formed af basalt (i.s., lava), Phil Ntfbald 3a pmto ahou you th wide diversity of caves! Rfchard Hall has already wluntwrd to tell as about mCavas & Cave Potmttial In Alaska." You will hear abut other qrwt caving areau that you may n& know adst in the West!
Special Progrm on Ht. St. Helms, Rid Pope, 3539 S.W. Rffada Court, Portlsnd, OR 244-G908. Phone 503 244-0908. Rick is pttinp this one tmthsr. Zf yw have pra k~dpost St. HhLsns pictulan admlfder, please let hlm know!
The Canvention won't be all talk ht will includa aDm, FIELD TRIPS, CAW. SeEHERy, CRm. 1- ~ARH,WZER P-, A "DLERT W,BAHQUFT, CAVES, mAIW.'3HE -EOX, M AUTTOB and =re, and more2 cmmOF ElENE October 15 Glacier Grotto beting, Meetings are held on tk third floor of Grant Hall, Alaska Pacific University at 7: 30 pn. The progran will be an ES multimedia stow based on John Denver's tune 'Country Roadshd titled 'Caving Roads'. kmnbr 19 Glacier Grotto Meeting. Wetings are kld on tk third floor of Grant Hall, Alaska Pacific hiv, at 7:30 pm. December 27 Glacier Grotto keting. ketings are kld on the third floor of Grant Hall, Alaska Pacific University at 7:30 pm, 7% program will be an SS slide show on tk C-3 l3pedition into Floyd Collins Crystal Cave, Kentucky. January 21 Glacier Grotta Meeting. ketings are held on the third floor of Grant Hall, Alaska Pacific Univ. at 7: 30 pm. February 18 Glacier Grotta Weting. Meetings are held on the third floor of Grant Hall, Alaska Pacific University at 7: 30 pn. The progran will be an SS slide show. June 27-July 3 NSS Convention in Bend Qregon. Don' t miss tk Convention that is ad will be tk closest one to Alaska in years, Plans are in the making for an expedition to tk mitistom Valley right after tk Comntion.
The AEASKAN CAVER is a periodic publication of the Glacier Grotto of the National Speleolcgical Society. Subscriptions are fr~eto members. Membership dues are $3 per annun. hes can be sent to Elizakth Rockwell at 2944 Enory St, Anchorage, M 99504. Copyright 1981 by Glacier Grotto. Material not copyrighted by individuals or other groups may be copied by other bES publications provided credit is given to the ALASKAN CAVER and a copy of such publication is sent to the editor. Mitor: QlOTlD OFFICES Richard Hall President Julius Rockwell Ptlbli sher : V. President Dvid Street David Moll Secretary Richard Hall Fcting Treasurer Liz Rocktfell At Large David k11 Publicity Barbara Jan-n EIWINTERNATIONAL C13NQIES OF SPELED1lXY
Lis, Matt, and I attended the InternationaI Congress and tk rJSS Convention in Botrling Green, KY this smer as representatives to the ES Congress of Grottas fran Glacier Grotto. mere were four days of talkslslide shows on various topics given by people frm all over the caving world running four at a time ad changing every tenty minutes so you had to constantly cbse one of thor one of the other activities such as vertical techniques, diving, mapping, equipment sales etc, There were also trips to Marmoth Cave ad Cunberlacd Caverns ad tours available for other caves. In addition each evening there were feature slide sbs, cave movies or parties. It was a chance for Lis and I to meet old friends £run the. East Coast and find out how their projects are going. It was also a chance to push caving in Alaska which I did whenever possible. The main result of this was to make plans for a trip to Chitistone Valley after the I6S Convention in Bend next year; Doug Eviedville of tk DC Grotto and I are oqanizing it. Rich Hall 2 Fran the President's Corner,
Fran time to time X am asked, 'That do 1 need to go caving?" Like all other ban endeavors, ttre proper equipnent and skills required vary fran trip to trip. Even for tk sane trip, opinions will vary fran person to person. However, it is well to think abut what will be required before departing. It is also imperative to ensure tbt all is in good working order. In Alaska, tk trip to tk caw can wll be more arduous than the trip in it. We generally take the minimun mount of speciali~dgear until we hww will bve need for it. king over-quipped also has its hazards, In the Minutes of the 'Board of Governors of the National Spleological Society far July 28, 1980, there appeared a List of minimun standards for safe caving, Although it has not been adopted otiicially, it is so ~eneraLthat it camt be Eaulted as a ~eneral~uideline in 1.1 . , Alaska. $ey are as follows :
LIST OF MINMM STANDPIRDS FOR SAFE CAVING 1. (310UP SIZE: Normally 3 or more persons with groups Iaqer than discouraged. 2. REQUIRED EQUIEM€NT.: (for: each incividual) b. Protective headgear. B. One primary and two backup light sources. C. Litter depository (for spent carbide let: al) . D. Suitable clothirg and study footwear. E. Suitable technical edqu ipnent as required. NOTES: =1 protective headgear shall: A. Give full protection to the head above the ears. B. Have secure connections between suspension, webbing, bead band, ad the hard portion, C. If light brackets are present, they shall be secure and servicable . D. Have a properly functioning chin strap. 2. Each primary light source shall: A. Be properly functionirg. B. Be accanpanied by a reserve energy source (carbide, battery(s) et a13 capable of producing eight burs of light kyond the projected length of the trip or accmpanied by a second source which serves the sane futxtion.
My ccmnents are tm: (1) In this country, 1 prefer a minimun of four persons rather than three for extended trips sime rescues do not cane as easily as '"outside". (2) Where the backup light sources are battery powered, be wll aware of the expected life of tk batteries used. I have had just-bought "disposable" flashlights fail in half an hour. The kst plan is to zgmemkr that when your primary light source fails, your backup light source becanes your primary one. Also rmkr that battery life is longer when the batteries are warn, so keep thin your pocket wkn weather is below OoC. Jay RmkrJell 3 CAVES IN THE IFlURUK LAKE AREA Bendelebcn Quadrangle on the Ward Penjnsula In Northestera Alaska probably has a unlque grouping of karst and psuedo-karst in Alaska. Fw! different types of karst and pseudo-karst features are mntioned
Limstonc Caves
The only limstone cave mntioned by Slopktns is a small mtble cave on Traif Creek whdch contalns archeological mlns ranging fron a fm hundred to 6M?O years age IHopkins, 1963, p 7, fron Anerican Antiqutty 150, Motes and tlewr: v.15 p 264-265, 1951, r.16 p285). Yolm I: lhrnber 2 of The Alaskan tavtr refers to three other articles which tdlk about nine caves In the area with one being 71 meters in 1 ength and about nru meters in wi dtk at the entrance. As adai tional evfdenc~of karst1ftcatrom, Hopkins says that fn the %ward Peninsula Uplands nortk. east, and west nf Inuruk Lake. "septlts of stresms underls~nby mtali1.1estnne bedrock generally art ar,l except during flood stager' (Ho~klnS. 1963. p 11 I. Although beds of nasriue and interbedded REtdlfrEltDne up to a fpn feet thick are found In the schists in the area, '~ctaFincstom un-rlies mst of the highest hills Im the area and foms outcrops mre cmonlg tnan any other rock of pre-Quaternary age." "the mtal Imstone in broad be1 ts Is generally 1 lght gray, contrasting sharply with the darker gray and blue-gray tones of mtalinestone interbedded ~rith schist and napped nlth the schist unit", and "fs generally pure" (ibld. p 15). Peportedly, neither b-eddjng nor cleavage are discernabTe In the rock. In a letter to Wlllian Hall iday In 1?C1. Hopkins 1 ists several other places on the Se\lard Penfnsula where karst s Bedrock @ Llmstom, Oolomite and Hatble Qua ternary Basal t Ice Age Mdd f icartf ons Areas covered by Ice durrng None Ifver @ (Ill$nnin) glaciation Areas blanketed by windblown 5112 5 feet c:or mrr in thickness Roads location YoTcanlc Caves and Related Pseudokarst Hopklns deflnes flve volcanic formations; in decreasing age they are the Kupruk volcanics, the ltiuruk volcanics, tkc Gosling volcsn.lcs, the tsnille lava flow and the Lost dim lava flmr, il.lustrated on the nap on thls psgc. Each are distfngulshed by their relative degree of brecihrrlng and the anount of windblwn silt nn top of the flows. He believes the eruptions hare been spaced over at least the last ?a(l.WO years. The Kuqruk volcanics only appear where StreanS have eroded away the ovrrlylng Inuruk rocks and is separated from tbtn by a layer of weathered rocks uh~chwere at one tfne the top of the stratum. The Tmsuk volcanics also show a great deal of breathering and "thelr surfaces have been thoroughly brecclated by frost action and mantled by a layer of ~indblwnsilt 3 to 20 feet thick" (%bid. p 54). They are theamst extensive layer irith a general rhickncrs up to 200 feet. Their slit covering ranges from a few to several tens of feet." The Gosling rolcanics are TO to 511 feet thlck $a cast places and up to 300 feet thick near 5w.w source vents. have been brecciatcd by frost to st least 10 feet deep, and &re covered by a th~nner layer of sflt {which has accmlrted mre in low-lying areas on the rocks) than the Inuruk. The Canille lava flow, in tontrlst to the older rocks shows very llttle frost rlwing, has only a few ~nchesof silt, and llcs over the Gosling and/or Tmruk volcanics. The Lost Jin lrva flotr lies over the Camille lava flovr and at tlms directly over the Imruk or Camille, 15 relatively undfsturbed by frost actlon, and has no silt over jt. It covers about 88 square miles and has nure pseudo-karst features than the underlying volcanlcs. Thrw Sfnts and Thaw trues. On all lavas whjch an covcrcd ulth sllt. espec3rlly the Inuruk Xanibecau~eeRantleof silt Is thicker there. thaw sinks arc twfdent. They can occur trherevet the permafrost layer fs breached, smetimes beyuse the vegetation has been stripped. The s11t then washes dorm throyqh the uoleanic rocks. In many cases narshes and streans drain down through these thaw sinks nhere they percolate into the underlying volcanfc rocks" (ibid. p 56). Geology of the Imruk Lake Area Bedrock Q~ost Jim lava f7otr q~anillelava flow 'OGOSJlng volcan~cs 0~muru): vo~cantcs a~u~ru~volcanfcs Q~kta~tmesrone C,~thtrrocks f MScd on "Geologic Map of the Imruk e Lake Area, Alaska", USGS Bullettn 1147-C Plate 1. A very thorough artfcle by Hopkins (194?) talks about thm lakes and thaw sinks in thf s area. He defined thaw sinks as '~!05td aepresslons with subteran@an drainage; be1 feved to have orlgf mated as t3aw lakes'~ttopkins. 1949, p 119). These sinks exist mainly to the fact that 50 to 80 percent of perenlally frozen 111ts eonslst of ice while the nomal poroslty of the silt when not frozen 1s only 20 to 30 percent (Ibfd. p 1221. Than lakes often occur on these surfaces because the water cannot sink through the sofl when it Is ftozen and there is very poor drainage. fhese lakes thaw the fee $ledges where mst of the ice is stored; then. with successive smers. nelt Ice ucdges aaacent to the lake and qr~aurllyexpand the lake. "In places the banks are undertut by cavernous openings at water level. extendlng 10-15 feet hotlmntally beneath the banks" Iibid. p 125). Maybe \re should call thtn 'Than Caves'. As the lakes expand they my invade an area uhere the ice wdges reach all the way through the silt to rubble below. Men these ice wedges melt, the water drains through the MI hole jnto the rubble and ptmable busalt below. "The watershed of smle of the sinks is PimTted by the wall5 of the sinks themselves, but other sinks receive the dralnage of one or nore streams having discharges of several second-feet' (ibld. p 129). Lava tuks and colla se dr essfons. me Lost Jin lava flon, thc Gosling volcanics. and -occaslmy 5 tkavbeeol lapse depresstons where lava tuber underneath have caved in. An obifque photograph of the Lost Jtn flm in Hopkins' report IHopklns, 1P53. p 6% sshm~s a dlstfnct I lne of collapse sjnks visible In the picture for at least tm mlcs. Hookins refers to It as the 'great lava tube" and says Its total length was origfnally at least twelve nlles libid. p 70). mete are mny other cokldpst srnks on the Lost Jfn flow. s~ntof trhlch hare caves up to a hundret! feet long . these caws atc a11 In the Lost Jfn flow because the Intense frost action has closed any entrances fn older flws IHopklns, 1961). Dtalna e and sub-1 ava caves. The dtalnagc of the younger lava flows is quite Interesting: there t s dirtIesurface wat-nd the only mjor stream are usually those that cross narrm portlons of tt,e flmi5. "Except For the Wxapaga River, the Canlille flm contains no surface streans; drai nagc 1s entirely subsurface, SMll rrreuns merge frrm the base of the flow In several places. indicating that subsurface drainage is concentrated chiefly in nlnormburied valleys in the silt mantle on the overlying fmuruk volcanics" (Hapkins, 1063 p 681. The younger volcanic rocks evr dentl; contat n cons1 derabl e ground water perched on the SIP t nantle that couers the underyy ing Inuruk voleanics: the ground &later seems to mve rather freely In courses detemlned by the burled topography on the sllt. it reappears at the surface as mall cleat streans In the places where the buried valleys eqe frnn beneath the younger lava flows" (Ib4d. p 93). Sone of thls water could have cmfron thaw sinks as described above. The Noxapaga Rlvtr crosses the Canille lrva flon In a series of rapids whlle large streams percolate through the Lost Jln lava flow fn severs1 places rtittmut pondjng on the upstream ride. Hopkins suggests that the rapids nay be a later stage of the undergmund flow \there *rest actlon due to the laq~volume of water has broken down the rock uhere the water once flomd through or under It. Like :he tanille, all drainage In the Lost J1m is sub-surface. "FTfnor tributaries of the Kurftrln River, whose valleys have been Invaded by tongues of the Lost J~KIflow, msnder ' thmugn' the lava In several places. hl11 akcs are drmd at the upstrean narglns of the lava tongue ~n a ferr places. but nore cmnly the streanr percolate through the flov wlthout ~pondlng" Iibld, p 71 1. In s0r.e places pseudo-karst brindws @xist such as the one three nfles east of tosl lng Corn where an area of silt Covered Imuruk volcamcs Is surrounded by Gosl lng volcanicr. A strean runs out fron under the GosT ing at one eiid of the wl nWa?d runs under It agaln at tbe other r?nd libid. p 62 1. cikertlse. "Pa11 clear streans flwing across islands' of Imruk volcanlcs wlthln the Lost Jin flow and 5inilar streans headfng in areas of Inuruk volcanics an6 disappccring beneath the margins of the Lost Jim flmr suggest. agaln, that subsurface drainage fs concentrated chfefly in burled valleys in the 511 t nantle an the Inuruk volcanics" (ib-id. p 71 ). Mether any places where this occurs are enfer~bte land can thence be ttmtd caves) or not is unclear although smof the stream are ~vidently of fair size. Does all of thf s Men thee are caves under the mrre recent lrva F1m where the sf1 t has been washed away? Are there many lavr tubes in the Lost dln Lava Flow? Art there extensive Ifmestone or rbarble caves in the area7 It's hard to say uithout checking. tbpklns. D. f4., 1949, 'Thaw Lakes and ma11 Slnks in the Imruk Cake Area, §wardl Peninsula, Alaska' in Journal of Geology , Y. 57 p 1 19-1 31 . Hopkins, 0. H.; 1961, Personal letter to WiJlian R. Halllday. Hopktns. D. 1.1.. 1963. Geology of the Inuruk Cake area, 5nrard Peninsula, dlnsta: U.5. Geol. Survey Bull. 1141-C, 101p. Hudson, T., 1V7, Geologic nap of Sward Peninsula. Alaska: U.S. Geol. Survey Open File Report 77-7064. !ffff, Alice. 1475, "The Trail Creek Caves - A Short Cook" in The Alaskan Cave?, Yo1 2, W0 2, p 12. Ihffit. F. H., InOri, The Fairhaven gold placers, %ward Peninsula, Alaska: U.S. kol. Survey Bull. 247, 79. Sainsburf. C. L., 19?t. balogic Hap of the Bendeleben l:Zt0,000 Madrangle. Serard Peninsula, Alaska, The Hapnckers, Anchorage. AK, :lp. CALL FOR MKACAW INFIRMATION Since 'I haw pranised to present a talk on Caves of Alaska at the NSS Convention in Bend Orqon next swr (see the Call for Papers on the covet), 1 need sme help in collecting material. I nil1 mostly have to talk abut cave ptential meaning limestone deposits, lava flows, and places to look for caves kause not all that many caves are known. What I would hike to be able to say is 2xsw many caves are known and wkre they are. I need everyone's help to collect this infomation. Please send me a list of eve caw you know in Alaska (address below). Ibn't assune IlT= now of thor where they are. I need to km whetkrer its a mot or hwn cave, its location, size, and any other particulars you feel are important. Limestone, glacier, lava tube, seacave, or talus caves ate all xceptable, even frost. pockets if they ate large enough. The mote people that respond means a lqer, more canplete list. I'm also interest& if you have any good cave slides or prints, Caves are hard enough to find in Alaska, but pictures of th are even rarer, Tell m what you have and 121 contact you if I feel I may need th. Rich Ha11 Glacier Grotto The Alaskan Cawr Richard Hall, Editor 4607 Klondike Court kcborage , Maska 99504 NWS - DATED MArnIAL