Jamaican Caving Notes

Pennhouse Shelter-1

May 8, 2005 - 12:00-12:30 EST

District: Thornton

Parish: St Elizabeth

WGS84 L/L: 18 11 53.3, 77 42 41.1

JAD69: 174631 E, 171786 N

JAD2001: 674742 E, 672075 N

Altitude: 160m WGS84

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

Type: Shelter

Accessibility: Walk-in

Depth: 0

Length: 13m

Explorers: JCO - 2005

Survey: None

JU Ref: N/A

Entrance size: 7m W x 4m H

Entrance aspect: 0 deg true

Vegetation in general locale: Farm, bush

Vegetation at entrance: Farm

Rock type: Yellow limestone

Bedding: Moderate

Jointing: Moderate

Speleothems: Stals

Palaeo resources: Breccia

Archaeo resources: Potsherds

Hydrology: Dry

Siltation: N/A

Sink: N/A

Rising: N/A

Stream passage with surface activity: N/A

Stream passage without surface activity: N/A

Dark zone: 0%

Climate: Warm, dry.

Bats: 0

Bat guano: N/A

Guano mining: N/A

Guano condition: N/A

Eleutherodactylus cundalli: None

Neoditomyia farri: None

Amblypygids: None

Periplaneta americana: None

Cave crickets: None

Sesarma: None

Other species: None. No dark-zone.

Visitation: Occasional

Speleothem damage: None

Graffiti: None

Garbage: None

Ownership: Private

Protection: None

Vulnerability: Medium. Potsherds and breccia present. Pottery might be slave yabba pot.

Pennhouse Shelter-1

May 8, 2005

Team: Stewart, Conolley

Notes: RS Stewart

This is a medium-sized shelter cave found around the hill from Welsch Ratbat and Penthouse. It was shown to us by Ricardo Schoburgh, and Mikial Campbell.

Breccia is present, in a horizontal band about 2m up the wall.

Ivor found potsherds, but thought there might be a glaze indicating that it was part of a yabba pot, and thus from slave-times, rather than left by Taino.

The entire cave is in the twilight zone - there is no bat-roost, and no cave inverts. It is open, and at outside ambient conditions, to the extent that there weren't E. cundalli present, although the hill above is rather bushy and should be supplying appropriate habitat.

We are listing the cave with a medium vulnerability because of the breccia and the potsherds. There is no immediate threat.