Gunung Karst bercerita

Pohon jati berbaris memagari gunung yang penuh dengan lubang-lubang karies,

terbentuk dari kesabaran air mengikis dan membentuk sel-sel kehidupan,

darinya banyak tercipta kasih sayang sesama manusia,

tolong-tolong jangan hancurkan aku,

 ingatlah aku turut membuat cinta kasih diantara kalian.

andaikan aku dihancurkan tidaklah ada lagi kasih sayang itu,

 maka sayangilah aku...

mai warman (Renungan basecamp gua cokro)

Hang son doong is not the world's largest cave

In early 2009 from the British cave explorers come to Vietnam and find the biggest cave in the world, according to them that the cave was bigger than the Mulu caves are located on the island of Borneo. But the facts found that the largest cave in the world still in Borneo island, the Deer cave are still in a series system of Mulu caves, the map can be seen from the comparison between the Deer cave and cave Hang son doong. As a comparison the largest part of the cave is a doline surface and cross-sectional area.

History of the discovery of Deer Cave

Initially in 1961 an adventurer named walker through the woods and swamps in the northwest island of Borneo, and found the mouth of the cave is not too wide. it is covered by rock debris and try to enter it but found a very large chamber.

In 1978 a group of cave crawler from UK (BCRA) comes back into the cave and the first mapping in the cave, and found the results incredible. The length of the cave is more than 2 km and a width of 174m and 122m high for one passage. This discovery makes the biggest cave in the world record for 31 years and the record was finally defeated by the discovery of a Hang son doong cave that has a length of 5 km and a width of 150m and 200m high.

Published since the discovery of the cave Hang son doong world's largest, in the same year 2009 the scientists of the Hoffman Institute of Western Kentucky University, did a survey back in the Deer cave with high accuracy measurement using digital tools and found remarkable results. Deer cave in fact still holds the record for the largest cave in the world with a length of 4100m and 226m high in the main chamber and 174m wide.

Author : mai warman
source : http://www.mulucaves.org

Are you Nyctophobia or Claustrophobia?

We first discuss the meaning of Claustrophobia and Nyctophobia, claustrophobia is a fear of enclosed spaces. Usually classified as an anxiety disorder (anxiety disorder) and often lead to panic attacks (panic attack). Nyctophobia means fear of the dark. Symptoms of sufferers are breathing fast, irregular heartbeat, sweating and nausea. This fear is impacting on quality of life. Like the fear on the other, fear of darkness is a protective mechanism of the subconscious mind. Not all people with Claustrophobia and Nyctophobia know if they got it.

What if this syndrome attack caver? I think it unlikely because of the ground state of an explorer like it wanted to be in a cramped and dark space, and whether the disease will not attack caver? It is also certainly possible. Because the definition of phobia according to wikipedia is taurama that makes us fear the nadir point and always thought of as an accident during a search of the cave. Caver of this disease also have a chance but at a reasonable threshold.

I also have a few diseases that is afraid of the dark Nyctophobia a new place, like a new one entered the cave. My way to overcome the fear that the "adjustment" that is turning off a headlamp or light source over time and does not move with your eyes open, and then try to feel around me was dark, silent or sound of running water and wind blowing through the cave tunnel. The way I did it managed to overcome my fear of the dark.

Overcoming the fear of phobias such phenomena are fighting or adjustment, it was hard but not impossible, for example a baby who starts walking always fall but that does not mean do not dare try it again and imagine if we did not dare try to run when the baby can we not will be able to walk.

written : Mai Warman

Beware the bat

The crawler or researchers entering the cave where the cave is the habitat of bats most widely advised to wear masks, because the guano / bat droppings can cause transmission of the disease Histoplasmosis /Histoplasma spores out of the guano that dries.

  

Biological aspects:        Histoplasma capsulatum is a dimorphicfungus that grows as colonies on sabouraud filaments room temperature and grown as yeast at 37 ° C. Form in the hosttissues is generally yeast. Having budding. Small spores that canpenetrate the walls of the alveoli. This fungus is found in thedroppings of birds, bats, and birds, as well as the content of birds/ poultry and caves. Infection spreads through spores are inhaledwhile breathing, and can not be transmitted from an infected person. This fungus can grow in the bloodstream of people withdamaged immune systems, after growing in the blood, the infection can spread to the lungs, skin, and sometimes on other body parts.

Pathogenesis: If infected with spores of this fungus can cause a mild form of flu symptoms are mild, and developed with a variety of symptoms, including fatigue, fever, shortness of breath, dry cough, headache, loss of appetite, sore joints and muscles, and chills. If the spores are spread to other organs will cause swelling of the liver, spleen, and lymph nodes. The initial symptoms of this fungal infection like pneumonia. When breathing, the patient may also feel chest pain, especially if there has been inflammation of the pleura.

Life cycle (in the human body): Growth of fungi, namely on the surface of moist soil and feces contain many birds, bats, or chicken. Infection occurs by inhalation of spores, especially mikrokonidia, spores small enough to reach the alveoli on inhalation, which then continues with budding forms. With continued time, granuloma reaction occurs. Perkijuan necrosis or calcification can mimic tuberculosis. Dissemination of transients can leave calcified granulomas in the spleen. In adults, rounded mass or scar tissue with or without central calcification may persist in the lungs, called histoplasmoma. It can also be formed pulmonary infiltrates and hilar gland enlargement. When infection occurs with a large number of spores then there is a picture that is similar to tuberculosis miliaris. These infections usually heal with or without leaving perkapuran in the lung. In some circumstances, can take place progressively until the part or the whole lung, deseminata, with or without a history of acute primary pulmonary histoplasmosis, potentially fatal to the cause of death. Infection can cause a reaction both times network more robust, giving rise to cavities or kaverna with symptoms of coughing up blood.


source: 
http://www.microbeworld.org
http://pmj.bmj.com/content/86/1017/443.extract
http://www.healthcentral.com

The pioneer of the studies on karst landforms and Caves

Xu Xiake was a traveler and geographer of the Ming Dynasty. Travel Notes of Xu Xiake, his travel diary, is the earliest travel notes of China recording detailed geographical environment of regions he had travelled, and the world's earliest book recording the Karst landform and making detailed investigation into the cause of formation.Xu Xiake began to travel when he was 22 years old and his footprints had covered almost half of China till 1639, the year before his death (1640).

During his study on nature, he recorded detailed tourism experiences, study results and what he had learned every day. He survey about 300 caves alone and noted down their structures. Shapes, stretching directions and various types of spleothems. The travel notes recorded the author's traveling observation results about geography, hydrology, geology and botany in detail. In particular, the section covering detailed recordation and study on the Karst landform was advanced worldwide at that time. In addition, the travel note is a valuable work on history and ethnology, for it also covered wars between clans, living conditions of local people, local customs, and the distribution of the ethnic minorities. The travel note, which enjoys a graceful style of writing and a high literary level, is praised as "a wonderful book in the whole history" and regarded as one of the top 100 books having exerted great influence on China.

Reference :
http://history.cultural-china.com

Yuan Daoxian. 1991. Karst of china. Geological publishing  house. Beijing. China    

Caver go green

written : Mai warman

Activity of a caver certainly not far from the belly of the earth activities away from the light, no light man could not move thus supporting tools necessary to move within the bowels of the earth that produces its own light source, by then because it requires the flashlight / torch main supporting tool in the move in in the cave of darkness.

To turn on the flashlight would require a source of energy / power and it can be obtained from the batteries and batteries that use a minimum of two flashlight batteries and when the light / flashlight brighter longer want can be more than 2, the activity within the cave minimal time spent 2 hours and for 2 hours The flashlight will light up because in the cave. After activity in the cave, we use batteries that have been saved and reused until they run out and when we are old activity in the cave, the batteries may be discharged immediately after we get out of the cave.

Has it ever occurred to us batteries are depleted, we will use for what? certainly we have no choice but to discard these batteries, if a caver only once on the move in a cave? certainly not, a caver will for the rest of his life "on the move in the cave" and during the activity during the course we also use batteries and batteries for it also are depleted we discard.

for many years "our activity in the cave" when we accumulate a complete battery life is, how many hundred batteries that can pollute the earth, perhaps one person is enough for the biggest contributors to waste on earth. caver unfortunately it is not only one on this earth!

What is the danger of used batteries ?

Waste batteries not only causes pollution but also endanger the natural resources they contain heavy metals and corrosive electrolyte into the battery power source, such as lead, mercury, nickel, cadmium, lithium, silver, zinc and manganese.

In the action of microorganisms, inorganic mercury can be transformed into methylmercury, fish congregate in the body which is then consumed by humans. Methylmercury can enter brain cells and have serious consequences such as damage to the nervous system that can make people mad or even cause death. While cadmium batteries can contaminate soil and water, which eventually enter the human body causing liver and kidney damage, can also cause soft bones or severe bone defects. In addition, cadmium can cause chronic poisoning and be a factor causing emphysema (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease that involves damage to air sacs in the lungs), osteomalacia (softening of bones), anemia (lack of blood), also create paralysis in the human body.

Excretion of lead is also the most difficult in the human body and can interfere with kidney function and the function reproduksi.Jika battery waste mixed with other solid waste, from time to time harmful content therein can contaminate water and soil, which then threatened the life of fish, plants, environmental destruction and indirectly threaten human health.

Managing garbage used batteries ?

Should the old battery waste is managed specifically and separately from other garbage. Existing technology is the B3 waste will be dumped in the soil that already contains other chemicals to be neutralized and destroyed so as not to pollute the environment.

In terms of the impact of hazards to life and the lives of our ecosystem, but when we try to think from an economic point of how much the batteries that we buy as long as we continue to move? In compare when we use rechargeable batteries (rechargeable), but surely there who think rechargeable batteries that's one expensive batteries when compared to disposable batteries. If you want to compare the price of a rechargeable battery can be exchanged for six one-time disposable battery / non-rechargeable (okay) but not the rechargeable battery can only be used 6 times but can be used over and over and no batteries are discarded when the battery runs out because it continues to be recharged.

The reason that we make may not be the only one, but certainly no reason how again when our expedition for days and days and away from a power source for charging the batteries! Perhaps the answer as long as there is no intention to keep the environment is not only talking of course all that could, by the way during our time preparing for the expedition collected / bought by one by one rechargeable battery which is estimated during our expedition. From now caver should also think about the impact of both the waste batteries after the first impact the safety caver in the caves.

What action do Caver to reduce the environmental impact of waste used batteries?

1.      Using rechargeable batteries

2.     Collect all hazardous waste materials in a particular place, such a special place to accommodate the temporary hazardous waste

3. When the manager came to pick up trash they should also already have the awareness to not mix hazardous waste with other waste

4.   After that the B3 waste will be sent to the B3 waste handlers who already meet the standards.

Do you knot figure of 8 that correct?

The ‘figure 8’ is the most widely-used caving knot, and rightly so. It is significantly stronger than the simple overhand knot (which can be as weak as 30%), is relatively easy to tie and will untie without too much effort even after loading. If tied on the bight it forms a single fixed-length loop, if tied in the end of a rope it forms a simple stopper knot. It can however be misused with dramatic consequences and is often abused by rescue professionals who lack the cavers’ critical eye for safety. The figure 8 is included here for specific applications only – riggers should by habit use the stronger figure 9 knot for all rescue loads.

How to tie

The figure 8 is simple at first impression, and tying it is trivial – simply an overhand knot with a half-turn before passing the rope through the twist. The problem is that the figure 8 can be tied backwards, resulting in a loss of up to 10% of the strength. Surprisingly few people know this, so you can guarantee that at least 50% of the knots you will encounter are incorrect. Look carefully at the picture and follow the standing part up into the knot – you can see it appears at the top

of the knot, turning above the tail end. This is correct. If you get the knot wrong (by making the first twist in the wrong direction) then the standing part appears below the tail end. Under load, the standing part can them take up a much smaller radius bend as the tail end isn’t there to act as an obstruction. This simple change to the order of the ropes can take up to 10% off the knot strength, though in tests it can be difficult to prove this reliably. A backwards figure 8 is also far harder to untie after loading – if you get a jammed knot you can bet that it will be the wrong way round.

Applications

Forming a loop in the end of a rope is the obvious application. Always make sure the tail end is at least 50cm long, and tie a stopper knot (a single figure 8) at the end to stop anyone abseiling on the tail. If you tie a figure 8 in a long bight of rope then you get two equal loops and one short tail loop. This has the advantage over the other 2-loop knots (bowlines) that there is no slipping between the loops, even under extreme tension.

A figure 8 on the bight does however use a great deal of length and can be a large and unwieldy knot to tie. A simple figure 8 at the end of a rope as a stopper knot should always be used in preference to an overhand knot, as the latter can unroll if hit by a high-speed descent. Stopper knots must have at least 30cm of tail and be tied fairly loosely. Some teams use another figure 8 loop knot in the bottom of ropes, as it makes clipping on another length much faster. The problem is that a loop is more likely to snag when hauling ropes back in. Joining two rope ends together by a rethreaded figure 8 (RF8) is a common alternative to a double-fisherman as it can be formed from the stopper knot. To create a rethreaded figure 8 simply tie a loose single figure 8 in one tail, leaving at least 50cm of end rope. Taking the end of the second rope, pass this back through the knot, parallel to the first rope. Dress and set the knot and make sure the two short tails are still at least 50cm long. This rethread can be used to form a very large single loop on a rope or to join two ropes mid-pitch. If used for mid-pitch knots then the lower tail (the one hanging down) should be at least 100cm long and have a single figure-8 end loop tied into it as a safety attachment point for passing the knot under SRT. 

Another common alternative is to create a small figure-8 end loop on each rope and simply clip them together with a maillon or karabiner. This has the advantage of creating an instant safety attachment point and being very easy to separate, even under the weight of the rope. The disadvantage is that the entire knot becomes larger, so passing it under SRT can be more difficult for novices. The choice between a rethreaded knot with looped tails and a krabjoined pair of loops is one for the rigger on scene and depends predominantly on the use for the rope (hauling, SRT or handlining). Provided the issue of SRT knot-passing is acceptable, a krab-joined rope is far better for rescue as it can be disconnected every time. A tight rethreaded knot may be slow (or impossible) to separate.


Life on a line (Dr.D.F.Merchant)