Jamaican Caving Notes

Big Well Cave

May 4, 2005 - 16:00-17:30 EST

District: Accompong

Parish: St Elizabeth

WGS84 L/L: 18 14 07.0; 77 45 37.6 (Main ent)

JAD69: 169461 E, 175917 N

JAD2001:  669572 E, 676206 N

Altitude: 415m WGS84

Accuracy: +/- 10m horizontal; +/- 15m vertical

Type: Stream passage

Accessibility: Walk-in

Depth: 0m

Length: 107m

Explorers: NSS - 1985-86

Survey: NSS - 1985-86

JU Ref: Text - pg 93; Map - pg 94

Entrance size: 3m W x 3m H

Entrance aspect: 330 deg true (Main ent)

Vegetation in general locale: Farm

Vegetation at entrance: Farm

Rock type: Yellow - White Limestone junction

Bedding: Moderate

Jointing: Moderate

Speleothems: Stals, helictites

Palaeo resources: None

Archaeo resources: None

Hydrology: Wet

Siltation: Moderate

Sink: N/A

Rising: N/A

Stream passage with surface activity: N/A

Stream passage without surface activity: Moderate flow

Dark zone: 80%.

Climate: Cool, humid.

Bats: <500 - None seen

Bat guano: Little

Guano mining: Historic

Guano condition: No accumulation

Eleutherodactylus cundalli: None

Neoditomyia farri: None

Amblypygids: Some

Periplaneta americana: Some

Cave crickets: None seen

Sesarma: Some

Other species: Araneae, Nesticidae fam

Visitation: Frequent (Water source)

Speleothem damage: None

Graffiti: None

Garbage: None

Ownership: Forestry Reserve

Protection: None

Vulnerability: Medium. Siltation is occurring from cultivation in the catchment area.

Big Well Cave

May 4, 2005

Team: Stewart, Conolley

Notes: RS Stewart

Main Entrance: WGS84 - 18 14" 07.0" N, 77 45' 37.6" W; Alt: 415; Accuracy: +/- 10m; Aspect: 330 deg true
West Entrance: WGS84 - 18 14' 06.7" N, 77 45' 37.8" W; Alt: 415; Accuracy: +/- 10m; Aspect: 330 deg true
Banana Field Sink Entrance: WGS84 - 18 14' 05.6" N, 77 45' 36.8" W; Alt: 425; Accuracy: +/- 5m; Aspect: 180 deg true

This cave will be found easily by using the positions given above, and is 1250m at 330 deg true from the Accompong square. The Banana Field Sink Entrance position is particularly good (10 satellites, and WAAS), but the others will also get you there. We are calling the "Main Entrance" the one that people use to get water.

It will be noted in the table above that we have not listed the cave as either a sink or a rising, although it is hydrologically active. The cave gives access to part of an underground river that outside of flood times does not have an active sink, or rising - the cave is merely a window to a small river that has no surface activity.

Sesarma verleyi are present, and a leg was collected, with DNA analysis on that specimen, along with others, still underway by Dr Schubart.

We saw no bats, but we believe that this cave is an occasional roost for Artibeus. There is not enough dark-zone to make it suitable for other Chiropteran species. No accumulations of guano were present, but much of the floor is underwater. Faeces that would be found on dry sections may not last long, due to the presence of invasive roaches.

Amblypygids, phrynus spp, and one species of cave-adapted spider, were seen, which suggests to us that there is at least some use by Artibeus.

We didn't see any Cave crickets, but it is possible that there are a few (presence of Amblypygids suggests this).

No E. cundalli were noted, probably reflecting the lack of bush outside of the cave. It is surrounded by farmland.

The morphology is jointed, with a couple of jogs that show this well. The cross-section in these parts is typical meander stream-passage. The Banana Field Sink Entrance is a collapse into the stream passage. The passage is high enough (~6m), and loses water fast enough at the downstream end (near the Main Entrance end) that we saw no sign of it having flooded to the roof in the past.

We are listing this site with a medium vulnerability because there is a fair amount of siltation happening from wherever the sink for the cave is located. The land-use is mostly agriculture for a great distance in the upstream direction. It should be noted that in Accompong, like most other farming districts, agricultural chemicals are commonly used, and the run-off is possibly contaminating the "spring" near the Main Entrance where people draw water.