No. 69 April 2015 Union Internationale de Spéléologie (UIS) Commission on Volcanic Caves e-NEWSLETTER No. 69 - April 2015 Contents 17th International Symposium on Vulcanospeleology........ 3 Vietnam Volcanic Cave Survey........................................... 11 Lava caves in Argentina.....................................................13 Provisional Report 16th Symposium of the Commission on Volcanic Caves.............................................................. 14 Publications Received........................................................ 15 Iceland Eruption (December 2014).................................... 16 The Commission on Volcanic Caves Newsletter has been published quarterly since December 22, 1993. http://www.uis-speleo.org/ The Newsletter is available free of charge to all members of the commission, and to others who are interested in lava caves. http://www.vulcanospeleology.org MISSION STATEMENT The U.I.S. Commission on Volcanic Caves encourages exploration and scientific investigation of volcanic caves, and hosts the International U.I.S. COMMISSION Symposium on Vulcanospeleology ON VOLCANIC CAVES about every two years. Honorary Chairman William R. Halliday, M.D. [email protected] Chairman Jan-Paul van der Pas [email protected] Web Master John Pint [email protected] Editorial Staff Jan-Paul van der Pas [email protected] COVER PHOTO Harry Marinakis, M.D. An active eruption during the 1969- [email protected] 1971 Mauna Ulu eruption of Kilauea Volcano, Hawai’i Volcanoes National Additional Staff Park, Hawai’i. Photo by J.B. Judd, John Brush October 21, 1970. Photo is courtesy of [email protected] the U.S Geological Survey (U.S.G.S). You are invited to the 17th International Symposium on Vulcanospeleology Ocean View Community Center Big Island, Hawai'i, U.S.A. February 6-12, 2016 Optional Field Trip February 13, 2016 Photo courtesy of the U.S.G.S. Hawaiian Volcano Observatory 17th International Symposium on Vulcanospeleology Aloha from our mid-Pacific Polynesian worthwhile. island. The small band of cavers on the Big Island of Hawai'i, together with Since the symposium is 10 months a larger group of regular visitors, away, plans can, and probably will, welcome you to attend the next change. There will be updated Symposium of Vulcanspeleology on information about accommodations, Hawaii in 2016. pre- and post-symposium activities, and cave trips offered during the It will be the 25th anniversary of the symposium. We are giving you last time the symposium was held in enough information now so you can Hawai'i. In the past 25 years there decide whether to attend and when to have been some momentous arrive and leave. discoveries here and we hope that many vulcanspeleologists will make If Ocean View is covered in lava, the the effort to see the world class lava symposium is off! tubes and other volcanic features (active and dormant) on the Big Ann Bosted Island. We, the organizers, will do all [email protected] we can to make your long trip very Google Maps KonaGoogle Airport maps (KOA) > Ocean View: 1 hour 30 minute drive on a winding 2-lane road Hilo Airport (ITO) > Ocean View: 2 hour drive on a 2-lane highway Google Maps LIMIT ON NUMBER OF ATTENDEES mean that if you are planning to attend, you should register soon to avoid At the Galapagos symposium, when we disappointment. proposed holding the next symposium in Hawai'i, we said that we would have Since there is a limit, we ask that only to limit the number or attendees to those who plan to attend most talks make the Ocean View venue workable and/or most cave trips should register. and affordable. If you are traveling with a companion After careful consideration, we have set who is not interested in the limit at 80 attendees. As far as we vulcanspeleology, perhaps you should know, no symposium has had more than encourage him or her to not register 80 attendees, so hopefully this will not and to pursue other activities. inconvenience anyone. However, it does SCHEDULE IN BRIEF (Subject to change) SYMPOSIUM FEES Saturday Feb. 6 Registration & The cost for the symposium is estimated welcome party serving pupu's to be about $350 (subject to change) (Hawaiian finger food), beer, wine, soft and includes: drinks. 1. Renting the Ocean View community Sunday Feb. 7 - Talks at the OV center for the talks, providing tea, Community Center, with lunch coffee and lunch on the days of the provided and dinner at other locations. talks (Thursday & Saturday). Monday Feb. 8 - Field trips in Ocean 2. The "Welcome" party. View area. Dinner provided 3. Tuesday evening dinner at the Park. Tuesday Feb. 9 - Field trips in Volcano area, dinner in Volcanoes National 4. Providing 3 dinners at 3 different OV Park, slide show in the Park locations on 3 of the 4 nights in the above schedule. On the 4th night Wednesday Feb. 10 - Field trips in attendees can choose where to eat. Ocean View area. Dinner provided 5. The "Farewell" party. Thursday Feb. 11 - Talks at the OV Community Center, with lunch 6. Appropriate incidentals, such as provided and dinner at other locations. paperwork and the cost of publishing the proceedings electronically. Friday Feb. 12 - Field trips in Ocean View area. Farewell dinner party in evening. Saturday Feb. 13 - Optional extra field trip. Cost of this trip is not included in the symposium fee. It will cover the cost of renting a bus for the group, lunch, and other incidentals. SYMPOSIUM FEES DO NOT INCLUDE: TRANSPORTATION 1. Accommodations. This can range Each attendee must have access to a from cheap camping to more deluxe rental car. We encourage sharing to vacation rental. The average cost will be keep down the costs. We advise sharing about $250 per person assuming with attendees who are also sharing double occupancy. your living space. You can rent cars at both the Kailua-Kona and Hilo 2. Transportation. airports. You cannot rent vehicles in Ocean View. Reserve your rental cars 3. Breakfasts and one dinner. now! 4. Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park You will need to drive everywhere entrance fee ($10 per vehicle). during the symposium. You will not need 4-wheel drive, but if you are 5. Harry Schick's tour of Kazumura offered a Jeep for little or no extra Cave during the symposium. charge, take it. 6. All other field trips are led by unpaid Please do not consider attending the volunteers.. symposium without access to a car. Do not attempt to drive across 'a'a lava in passenger cars GETTING TO OCEAN VIEW ORGANIZERS The Big Island's two airports are equally There are a few cavers living in Ocean convenient to Ocean View. There are View who are willing to put this event direct flights to both Kailua-Kona (KOA) together. They are Peter & Ann Bosted, and Hilo (ITO) from many cities on the Ric Elhard & Rose Herrera, and John & mainland. If you are flying from other Mary Wilson. Stephan Kempe, who lives countries, you will likely have to fly in Germany and has attended most of the through Honolulu and you may have to symposia, will be heavily involved and he spend a night in the big city. From takes responsibility for organizing the Honolulu you can fly to either Hilo or papers and proceedings and keeping us Kailua-Kona. Both airports have car all in line. Hilo caver, Steve Smith, rental facilities. We prefer Kailua-Kona Volcano volcanologist, Jack Lockwood and as it is on the dry side of the island, it cave biologist Fred Stone of Kurtistown stays open longer and is generally will all be supporting. We are counting cheaper. on a huge number of cavers, who regularly cave on the island, to volunteer AIR QUALITY & HEALTH ISSUES to lead field trips and help with the running of the symposium. When the prevailing Trade Winds blow, the town of Ocean View is down wind of THE CAVES the island's active caldera called Halema'uma'u, which has been spewing The Big Island of Hawai'i is home to world a plume of sulfur dioxide for about the class lava caves and many of them are in last 6 years. People who suffer from the Ocean View area. These amazing bad asthma or other respiratory lava caves are the primary reason for problems should consider not attending holding the symposium in Ocean View. If the symposium. you go to Bob Gulden's web site, you will see how heavily Hawaiian lava tubes http://health.hawaii.gov/cab/files/2015 feature in his list of the world's /02/kilauea_vog_faq-january- longest. Here is the link: 2015b.pdf http://www.caverbob.com/lava.htm ACCOMMODATIONS in Ocean View for an average cost of about $250, assuming double occupancy Each attendee will be responsible for and a willingness to share large family finding a place to stay and paying for homes with multiple bedrooms. In it. We will provide a list of possible addition there are professional Bed and places and prices. If you come, you Breakfasts, plus camping in yurts or must choose a place that you like and permanently parked camper vans. Again, pay for it independently of the we are encouraging attendees to share. It symposium organizers. will save money and improve your social life. The exception is camping. The owner of the campground, a caver, Andreas MISCELLANEOUS Pflitsch, asked us to manage it, by arranging the bookings and collecting We will announce when the symposium the fees. If you wish to camp in a yurt, web site is ready for registration. please e-mail [email protected] to make arrangements. If you change your e-mail address, please inform [email protected] We are still finalizing a few of the details, so we will send out a circular More detailed information about Ocean devoted exclusively to lodging.