Jamaican Caving Notes

Saucy River Cave

May 4, 2005 - 9:30-11:30 EST

District: Accompong

Parish: Trelawny

WGS84 L/L: 18 15 02.2; 77 44 35.3

JAD69: 171298 E, 177607 N

JAD2001: 671409 E, 677896 N

Altitude: 310m WGS84

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

Type: Stream passage

Accessibility: Scramble

Depth: 3m

Length: >50m

Explorers: NSS - 1986

Survey: N/A

JU Ref: Text - pg 327; Map - none

Entrance size: 2m W x 1m H

Entrance aspect: 0 deg true

Vegetation in general locale: Bush, meadow

Vegetation at entrance: Meadow

Rock type: Yellow - White Limestone junction

Bedding: Moderate

Jointing: Moderate

Speleothems: None

Palaeo resources: None

Archaeo resources: None

Hydrology: Wet

Siltation: Moderate

Sink: Active

Rising: N/A

Stream passage with surface activity: Minor flow

Stream passage without surface activity: N/A

Dark zone: 50%.

Climate: Cool, humid.

Bats: None

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: Some

Other species: Velliidae fam

Visitation: None

Speleothem damage: None

Graffiti: None

Garbage: None

Ownership: Forestry Reserve

Protection: None

Vulnerability: Low.

Saucy River Cave

May 4, 2005

Team: Stewart, Conolley

Notes: RS Stewart

We are not sure that we had the right site for this cave, or if we had a different one in the same cockpit bottom. NSS only partially explored the cave, and produced no map. We visited it with a "guide" who insisted that we had the right one, but his word is not to be trusted.

What we found was an active stream passage that could be entered at various locations through small collapses, but was small and muddy in much of it. It was taking water that ultimately fed into a bouldery sink beneath a low hill.

No Sesarma were observed, or bats, and the only trog inverts were Velliidae (small water striders).

Siltation is moderate.