mojotrout
Jr. Member
- Jan 21, 2013
- 28
- 8
- Detector(s) used
- Tesoro, Minelab
- Primary Interest:
- All Treasure Hunting
greetings,
What a great story, thanks for sharing with us all. I have a few comments and suggestions --take them as you will. I am a wildlife biologist by training, with years of bat work, so I am familiar with caves and mines. I also do quite a bit of archeology work, although I am no expert on aboriginal cultures in the TN area. So here are some of my observations--
--Most of the formations in the cave are likely a result of hydrological forces over time. Keep in mind water flow in a limestone formation will change volume and course as it slowly erodes and deposits materials. Areas that are currently much higher than the stream bed might be inundated during spring run-off or earlier in the cave's formation. I dont see anything structural in the photos that look man-made. Im no expert however.
--you should be careful, for sure, but natural caves are usually structurally sound (mines are a whole different ball game). Your biggest threats in these things are getting stuck, falling down a vertical opening, or getting exposed to dangerous gases seeping into the cave.
--If you wish to "map" the cave's depth, get a large roll of string/cord and tie one end to something at the opening and place the spool on your belt. This will allow you to measure how far into the cave you go (measure the length of string that unrolls as you travel into the cave). One can also use a laser rangefinder to measure height and width of the cave, but that might be a bit cumbersome and expensive. The string can also help you find your way back if you start finding intersections in the tunnels...
--I doubt you have to worry about critters anymore. Like another poster said, your continued presence there over the past several weeks is more than enough to keep any dangerous mammal away.
--The presence of bats often (but not always) suggests that there is another opening to the cave. It would be more telling if bats were present during the winter though (try not to disturb them too much during winter though--it is very bad for them to be "awoken" during hibernation and TN has several endangered bat species). Bats need constant cool temps in order to regulate their metabolism both daily and seasonally. Caves that lack airflow (only one entrance) usually get too hot for bats to do this. Again, this isnt real important to them in summer, but it is crucial in winter. In any event, lots of bats generally means you might have another entrance/exit to this cavity.
--dont use propane/butane lanterns in a cave. If air flow is not adequate, you could asphyxiate yourself.
--If there was significant long term Native American activity in this cave, you would see signs of this in the form of: smoke stains from fires on the ceiling near the mouth of the cave; lithic material (small to medium-sized flakes of rocks produced as a by-product of tool making) located in the habitable areas of the cave. I realize the water/flooding would move much of this material to the downhill area of the cave opening, but repeated use over time means these same flood waters should be uncovering older lithic materials previously buried. I think your trespasser was digging "test-pits" looking for NA tools and artifacts. The areas most likely to turn up these items would be along the walls, away from spaces that would provide the "common" area or sleeping area of the cave. After all, who wants to sleep/stand/hang out in an area littered with sharp stone fragments and other litter? NA-occupied caves often have a midden or two (trash dump) that you will find broken tools, unused or broken bones and other waste materials. Im not convinced that the one pic you showed of a stone tool is actually a man-made object, but there are people much more experienced than me with the material culture of NA peoples in your area. Id ask them (I believe there is a forum on TNet).
--Regarding the etchings: Im stumped! They are cool though! Has there been much military activity in your area (civil war, indian wars, etc)? Decades ago, I found a cave on the WV side of Potomac River near Harper's Ferry that had some etchings and a few initials and dates from 1863 and 1864. We thought perhaps some civil war soldiers were using it as a hideout or just a dry place to stay. Maybe that is where your graffiti came from?
--Any photos of any artifacts, fossils, or wildlife (those lizards and bats!) would be welcomed!
Anyway, those are my thoughts. I hope they add something to this very interesting and very exciting thread!
Cheers
What a great story, thanks for sharing with us all. I have a few comments and suggestions --take them as you will. I am a wildlife biologist by training, with years of bat work, so I am familiar with caves and mines. I also do quite a bit of archeology work, although I am no expert on aboriginal cultures in the TN area. So here are some of my observations--
--Most of the formations in the cave are likely a result of hydrological forces over time. Keep in mind water flow in a limestone formation will change volume and course as it slowly erodes and deposits materials. Areas that are currently much higher than the stream bed might be inundated during spring run-off or earlier in the cave's formation. I dont see anything structural in the photos that look man-made. Im no expert however.
--you should be careful, for sure, but natural caves are usually structurally sound (mines are a whole different ball game). Your biggest threats in these things are getting stuck, falling down a vertical opening, or getting exposed to dangerous gases seeping into the cave.
--If you wish to "map" the cave's depth, get a large roll of string/cord and tie one end to something at the opening and place the spool on your belt. This will allow you to measure how far into the cave you go (measure the length of string that unrolls as you travel into the cave). One can also use a laser rangefinder to measure height and width of the cave, but that might be a bit cumbersome and expensive. The string can also help you find your way back if you start finding intersections in the tunnels...
--I doubt you have to worry about critters anymore. Like another poster said, your continued presence there over the past several weeks is more than enough to keep any dangerous mammal away.
--The presence of bats often (but not always) suggests that there is another opening to the cave. It would be more telling if bats were present during the winter though (try not to disturb them too much during winter though--it is very bad for them to be "awoken" during hibernation and TN has several endangered bat species). Bats need constant cool temps in order to regulate their metabolism both daily and seasonally. Caves that lack airflow (only one entrance) usually get too hot for bats to do this. Again, this isnt real important to them in summer, but it is crucial in winter. In any event, lots of bats generally means you might have another entrance/exit to this cavity.
--dont use propane/butane lanterns in a cave. If air flow is not adequate, you could asphyxiate yourself.
--If there was significant long term Native American activity in this cave, you would see signs of this in the form of: smoke stains from fires on the ceiling near the mouth of the cave; lithic material (small to medium-sized flakes of rocks produced as a by-product of tool making) located in the habitable areas of the cave. I realize the water/flooding would move much of this material to the downhill area of the cave opening, but repeated use over time means these same flood waters should be uncovering older lithic materials previously buried. I think your trespasser was digging "test-pits" looking for NA tools and artifacts. The areas most likely to turn up these items would be along the walls, away from spaces that would provide the "common" area or sleeping area of the cave. After all, who wants to sleep/stand/hang out in an area littered with sharp stone fragments and other litter? NA-occupied caves often have a midden or two (trash dump) that you will find broken tools, unused or broken bones and other waste materials. Im not convinced that the one pic you showed of a stone tool is actually a man-made object, but there are people much more experienced than me with the material culture of NA peoples in your area. Id ask them (I believe there is a forum on TNet).
--Regarding the etchings: Im stumped! They are cool though! Has there been much military activity in your area (civil war, indian wars, etc)? Decades ago, I found a cave on the WV side of Potomac River near Harper's Ferry that had some etchings and a few initials and dates from 1863 and 1864. We thought perhaps some civil war soldiers were using it as a hideout or just a dry place to stay. Maybe that is where your graffiti came from?
--Any photos of any artifacts, fossils, or wildlife (those lizards and bats!) would be welcomed!
Anyway, those are my thoughts. I hope they add something to this very interesting and very exciting thread!
Cheers