Jamaican Caving Notes

Pennhouse Shelter-3

May 8, 2005 - 13:00-13:30 EST

District: Thornton

Parish: St Elizabeth

WGS84 L/L: 18 11 52.3, 77 42 32.7

JAD69: 174878 E, 171754 N

JAD2001: 674988 E, 672043 N

Altitude: 160m WGS84

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

Type: Shelter to a stream

Accessibility: Walk-in

Depth: 3m

Length: 20m

Explorers: JCO - 2005

Survey: None

JU Ref: N/A

Entrance size: 5m W x 3m H

Entrance aspect: 195 deg true

Vegetation in general locale: Farm, bush

Vegetation at entrance: Farm

Rock type: Yellow limestone

Bedding: Moderate

Jointing: Moderate

Speleothems: Stals

Palaeo resources: None

Archaeo resources: None

Hydrology: Wet

Siltation: Heavy

Sink: Dry

Rising: N/A

Stream passage with surface activity: Minor flow

Stream passage without surface activity: N/A

Dark zone: 0%

Climate: Warm, semi-humid.

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 seen

Other species: None. No dark-zone.

Visitation: Occasional

Speleothem damage: None

Graffiti: None

Garbage: None

Ownership: Private

Protection: None

Vulnerability: Low.

Pennhouse Shelter-3

May 8, 2005

Team: Stewart, Conolley

Notes: RS Stewart

This is the most interesting of the three Pennhouse shelter caves. A shelter chamber, with a wide entrance, cuts down at the back to intersect a flowing stream that can be seen in gaps between rocks, and holes in mud, on either side of the chamber. It looks like the entrance takes water in heavy rains - it's low on the side of the glade, and there is a streambed of sorts leading to it.

We didn't see any Sesarma, but the parts of the stream that were visible were limited.

Farming takes place not far from the entrance, and in the general area, causing thick deposits of mud in the lower sections of the chamber. It is hard to tell if a passage could be entered if there were no siltation. A few hours with a shovel might reveal something.

We're listing the cave with a low vulnerability, although siltation is somewhat of a concern.