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Jamaican Caving Notes |
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Swansea Cave
February 13, 2010 |
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District: Worthy Park |
Parish: St Catherine |
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WGS84 L/L: 18 10 30.6, 77 09 32.7 (third collapse) |
JAD2001: 733169 E, 669395 N |
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JAD69: 233058 E, 169106 N |
Altitude: 385m WGS84 |
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Accuracy: +/- 5m horizontal; +/- 10m vertical |
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Type: Dry passage |
Accessibility: Walk-in |
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Depth: N/A |
Length: 1,170m |
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Explorers: GSD - 1960, Leeds - 1963 |
Survey: GSD; Leeds - 1963 |
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JU Ref: pg 351 |
JU Map: pg 352 |
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Entrance size: 12m W, 10m H |
Entrance aspect: 110 |
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Vegetation in general locale: Forest/sugar cane |
Vegetation at entrance: Scrub |
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Geology: White limestone |
Bedding: Strong |
Jointing: Poor |
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Speleothems: Stals |
Palaeo resources: None seen |
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Archaeo resources: None seen |
Hydrology: Dry |
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Dark zone: >95%. |
Climate: 23 deg C, dry. |
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Bats: <10,000 |
Bat guano: Some |
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Guano mining: Occasional |
Guano condition: Compact, fresh/fluff |
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Visitation: Occasional |
Speleothem damage: None |
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Graffiti: Some |
Trash: Little |
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Ownership: Private (Worthy Park) |
Protection: None |
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Vulnerability: High |
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Swansea Cave
Swansea Cave was first visited by the JCO on Feb 10, 2010, with the assistance of Eric Garrick as recon for a NEPA bat capture and release project. The cave was not entered at the time. A return visit for exploration and assessment took place on Feb 13.February 13, 2010 Team: RS Stewart, J Pauel, A Haiduk, Donavan, Kingman Notes: RS Stewart The cave has four entrances: main, first collapse, second collapse, and third collapse. The position given above is for the third collapse, which is difficult to reach overland. We are reserving the position for the main entrance due to the sensitive nature of the site. 
Speleoperipatus speleus at Swansea. Photo: J Pauel.
Click for full resolution. Physically, the cave consists of one long fossil stream passage carved into strongly bedded white limestone, except for short sections, up to the third collapse. The poorly-bedded sections are made up of a softer white limestone, and include the collapses. In places, the passage is filled almost to the roof with old silt, possibly deposited during the "hyper flood" events postulated by McFarlane and Lundberg to have occured during the late Sangamonian age. At any rate, it does not appear to be recent and associated with deforestation during colonial times, although this is speculative and in need of research. In the main roosting areas the passage is about 4-5 metres high. The width is mostly over 10m throughout except for the extension beyond the third collapse, which is narrower, generally quite low, and made up of softer, more soluble limestone with many formations. The invertebrate component includes relatively low numbers of the invasive roach P. americana, cave crickets, amblypygids, G. cavernicola, and most notably, the Onychophoran, Speleoperipatus speleus, described by Dr Stewart Peck from four specimens found in Pedro Great Cave in 1972, which is 5km to the west. The author of this report must mention that he has been searching for more of this very rare critter for the last decade, and is very pleased to have finally found one (confirmed by Dr Peck). It was, of course, not collected. A return will be made to Swansea, Pedro, and other sites in northwest Worthy Park in an attempt to determine current numbers.
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