Call for 2007 Calendar Photos

Speleo Projects is now accepting submissions of quality caving photographs for publication in our 2007 Caving Calendar, and possibly other publications.

**** DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSIONS: MARCH 15, 2006 ****

Guidelines and a submission form may be downloaded from our web page, http://www.speleoprojects.com

For more information or questions, please contact me at sue@speleoprojects.com

Caves of California Parks Yield Tiny Discoveries

The Crystal Cave millipede on roots in the Rapunzels Canyon
section of the cave. This animal is very likely a new
species from the Striariidae family.

Sequoia National Park in California may be famous for its massive trees, but some very tiny creatures that live there are also making news. Biologists have discovered new species of spiders, millipedes, and other critters deep in the underground caves of the park.

So far, reports Sasha Khokha of member station KQED, scientists have discovered 27 new species in caves throughout Central California, at Sequoia and at Kings Canyon National Park. They found creatures so tiny they couldn't pick them up with tweezers. Some had to be collected on the delicate ends of a paintbrush.

The spiders and centipedes were pickled and shipped off to taxonomists all around the world. The experts have confirmed that while these little creatures may be close to relatives above ground, they've adapted into completely different species. Now, the next task is to give all of them names.

This new species of pseudoscorpion lives in Walk Softly Cave, which also contains a bat colony. These eye-less animals are predators that hunt in the complete darkness of the cave.

World's longest salt cave

Expedition news:
A team of Czech cavers have extended Tri Nahacu Cave to over 6 km, making it the world's
longest cave formed in salt!  It has exceeded the  former longest salt cave - Malham in Israel - 5685 m.

The cave is located  in Iran - island Queshm in Hormus - the name means "Cave of three nudes" often abbreviated to 3N-cave, as the first explorers were naked the first time they explored the cave as there is a large and deep salty lake at entrance. The Czechs were able to  connect The Big ponor cave to the 3N cave.

The expedition will return to the Czech Republic on 9 February.

Source: Pavel Bosak, Prague

Details: http://aktualne.centrum.cz/domaci/zajimavosti-a-veda/clanek.phtml?id=53343

Click below for more images and a survey of the 3N cave system in Iran.

Book: Underworld by Catherine MacPhail

Underworld by Catherine MacPhail

Product Details:
ISBN: 1582349975
Format: Hardcover, 284pp
Pub. Date: July 2005
Publisher: Bloomsbury USA
Barnes & Noble Sales Rank: 250,925
Age Range: 5 to 12

FROM THE PUBLISHER
A school trip goes disastrously wrong when five troubled high school students find themselves trapped in an underground cave. Their best chance of escape is to stay together. But when a member of the group disappears, their hope of finding a way out starts to fade. Does one of the remaining four know more than he or she is letting on, or is there something evil lurking in the caves?

FROM THE CRITICS
With its breathtaking hills and crashing waves, the remote Scottish island is hauntingly beautiful. To five social outcasts, however, it is their worst nightmare. In hopes of reforming these teenagers, their school administration has handpicked them to participate in an educational two-week trip to the island. For the reluctant crew, it promises to be a miserable time for all. But even Axel, arguably the most troubled of the group, could not have foreseen the disaster waiting to befall them. The night before a caving expedition, the gravelly cook regales them with the Legend of the Great Worm that roams the dark tunnels. Although they laugh at her, there is an undercurrent of fear at her words. When the outing ends abruptly with a rockslide that traps the teens in the tunnels with their teacher gravely injured, their bravado crumbles. Bickering escalates into fighting, and the group splits into two factions. Now they must not only battle the unknown dangers of the underground, but they must also face secret fears within themselves.

Suspenseful and mysterious, this tale of making choices and survival will fascinate young adult readers. Although set in Scotland, the archetypal characters-bully, liar, punk, prankster, and showoff-are universal and well developed. Although the ending is a bit anticlimactic, it retains enough adventurous flavor to keep one guessing as to what is real and what is only a figment of imagination. Fans of mystery with a blend of
unreality will enjoy this quick read.

Available from Amazon.