New indoor cave training in Farciennes, Belgium

Saturday 30 november from 10 am to 6 pm the new indoor cave training area at the tower of Roton, Farciennes can be visited for the first time. This new facility is rigged and maintained by the grotto Les Suspendus. You can train on different routes: over 600 meters of rope is rigged. Starting January 2014 the training hall will be open to insured cavers 2 friday's a month.

Greater Noctule Bat First Time Detected In Belgium

Greater Noctule bat (Nyctalus lasiopterus)

During a study of migratoy bats near the Belgian coastline held from april to mid-may,  scientists were able  to record  for the first time sounds of the Greater Noctule Bat in Belgium.

The Greater Noctule bat (Nyctalus lasiopterus) is a rare mammal found in Europe, West Asia, and North Africa. It is the largest and least studied bat in Europe with a wingspan of up to 46 centimeters and is one of the few bat species to feed on passerine birds. Greater Noctule bat is the only bat species to hunt birds on the wings rather than when roosting.

The nearest sighting in Europe was one in Paris in 2009.

With this discovery the total count of different bat species that can be found in Belgium is 22:

(Note: By clicking on the Dutch name you go to the Dutch wikipedia page, for English speakers click on the scientific name between brackets)

• Grote hoefijzerneus  (Rhinolophus ferrumequinum) 
• Kleine hoefijzerneus (Rhinolophus hipposideros)
• Gewone baardvleermuis (Myotis mystacinus)
• Brandts vleermuis (Myotis brandtii)
• Watervleermuis (Myotis daubentonii)
• Franjestaart (Myotis nattereri)
• Ingekorven vleermuis (Myotis emarginatus)
• Meervleermuis (Myotis dasycneme)
• Vale vleermuis (Myotis myotis)
• Bechsteins vleermuis (Myotis bechsteinii)
• Bruine grootoorvleermuis (Plecotus auritus)
• Grijze grootoorvleermuis (Plecotus austriacus)
• Gewone dwergvleermuis (Pipistrellus pipistrellus)
• Kleine dwergvleermuis (Pipistrellus pygmaeus)
• Ruige dwergvleermuis (Pipistrellus nathusii)
• Laatvlieger (Eptesicus serotinus)
• Noordse vleermuis (Eptesicus nilssonii)
• Tweekleurige vleermuis (Vespertilio murinus)
• Rosse vleermuis (Nyctalus noctula)
• Bosvleermuis (Nyctalus leisleri)
• Grote rosse vleermuis (Nyctalus lasiopterus)
• Mopsvleermuis (Barbastella barbastellus)

Belgian Diver Dies During Cave Dive Initiation in Anhée

Alexandre Chowdhry, a forty years old diver from Bredene died this weekend during a cave dive initiation in the "Trou du Diable" (Devils hole) in Anhée, Belgium. The exact cause of the incident is still unknown.

The man was part of a larger group (13 persons) from open water dive school Coral from De Haan. The dive trip into the cave (actually an old submerged Blue Limestone mine) was part of an adventurous weekend organised by the dive school but supervised by local cave divers.

Not far from the entrance at a depth of 4 meters Alexandre signaled the "No-air" signal. His buddies who thought there was some problem with his equipment were able to pass a regulator to him, but after inhaling only once he stopped breathing and his body went numb.

His comrades were able to bring him back to the surface where they started CPR untill the emergency services took over. An ambulance took him to the nearby hospital in Mont-Godinne where he died from the results of a cardiac arrest.

The mine is a popular training spot amongst cave divers due to the large tunnels and good visibility, though there seems to be some discussions wether or not it was completely legal to dive there as access was forbidden for a while when some other cave diver died due to falling rocks a few years ago.

Source: Nieuwsblad , De Standaard, RTL

Groupon Offer: Grotte de la Merveilleuse

Belgian show cave "Grote de la Merveilleuse" (Cave of Wonders, Dinant) is giving a 50% reduction for a 2 person pass through Groupon.

Click here to see the offer in detail or check out the cave at their official site.

The 8.2 ka event: is it registered in Belgian speleothems?

Time-series of the Père Noël stalagmite

A new paper by S. Verheyden, , E. Keppens, M. Van Strydonck and Y. Quinif titled "The 8.2 ka event: is it registered in Belgian speleothems?" is published in the latest issue of the Speleogenesis Journal.

Abstract
The petrographic, isotopic and chemical changes occurring around 8.2 ka in two stalagmites, one from the Père Noël cave (Han-sur-lesse, Belgium) and one from the Hotton cave (nearby Marche-en-Famenne, Belgium) are presented.

The Père Noël stalagmite presents a particularly dense grey compact calcite around 8.2 ka, while the Hotton stalagmite presents a deposition hiatus of ca 1100 years. Besides the macroscopic aspect of the stalagmites, changes in their isotopic (δ18O and δ13С) composition and in their chemical (Sr/Ca, Mg/Ca) composition are observed. Regarding the early start and the duration of the climate deterioration, it is impossible to link the onset of the observed wet phase in the studied speleothems as directly related to the so-called 8.2 ka event. 

The question arises if the climate deterioration around 8.2 ka observed in both stalagmites is one among other deteriorations occurring during the early Holocene.

Video: Cleaning Up Rubbish From Nou Moulin

The Nou Moulin cave is located in Rochefort, Belgium.

During heavy rain the nearby river, the Lhomme, finds its way inside the magnificient cave entrance, taking along a lot of plant material and (household) waste.

A specially constructed gate prevents the waste from washing deeper into the cave.

The following video gives a report of a cleaning action removing all the waste from the entrance region;

For more information on the cave visit the exellent blog: http://noumaulin.blogspot.be/

Ghost-Rock Karst Symposium

Underground Lesse (Han-sur-Lesse)

Ghost-Rock Karst Symposium
Different points of view on karstogenesis; Fundamental and applied aspects

Han-sur-Lesse, Belgium
From 7 to 11 October 2012

In the paleokarsts from Hainaut (Belgium), you can find weathering features similar to soil features: an "in situ" limestone weathering with residual weathered-rock ("ghost-rock") that keeps its initial volume. Geological features like chert beds, stratification, and joints filled with calcite veins, remain although they present higher porosity. The weathering follows the joints and moves laterally by weathering fronts which can isolate intact blocks. We have given the name of "ghost-rock" to those features. The morphological expressions of ghost-rocks consist in corridors situated on vertical joints which have conducted aggressive water in a quiet phreatic zone and pseudoendokarstic features totally inserted in the unweathered bedrock.

http://sites.google.com/site/ghostrockkarstsymposium/

Ancient Domesticated Dog Skull Found in Siberian Cave: 33,000 Years Old

The 33,000-year-old skull of a domesticated dog was
extraordinarily well preserved in the Razboinichya cave
in the Altai Mountains of Siberia.

A 33,000-year-old dog skull unearthed in a Siberian mountain cave presents some of the oldest known evidence of dog domestication and, together with an equally ancient find in a cave in Belgium, indicates that modern dogs may be descended from multiple ancestors.

If you think a Chihuahua doesn't have much in common with a Rottweiler, you might be on to something.

An ancient dog skull, preserved in a cave in the Altai Mountains of Siberia for 33,000 years, presents some of the oldest known evidence of dog domestication and, together with equally ancient dog remains from a cave in Belgium, indicates that domestication of dogs may have occurred repeatedly in different geographic locations rather than with a single domestication event.

In other words, man's best friends may have originated from more than one ancient ancestor, contrary to what some DNA evidence previously has indicated.

"Both the Belgian find and the Siberian find are domesticated species based on morphological characteristics," said Greg Hodgins, a researcher at the University of Arizona's Accelerator Mass Spectrometry Laboratory and co-author of the study that reports the find.

Ebook: Les Abîmes by E.A. Martel (Fr)

Édouard-Alfred Martel, the 'father of modern speleology', was a world pioneer of cave exploration, study, and documentation.

Martel explored thousands of caves in his native France and many other countries, popularized the pursuit of cave exploration, introduced the concept of speleology as a distinct area of study, maintained an extensive archive, and in 1895 founded the Société de Spéléologie, the first organization devoted to cave science in the world.

Martel wrote many books and articles about speleology, hydrology and geology, of which Les Abîmes is one of the most famous.

Continue reading to download your copy of this book in which he describes his underground explorations in France, Belgium, Austria and Greece. (Note: It's the original book in French, no translation!)

Cave diving in Belgium: Abime de Nettine

A training dive of the Flemish Cave dive group in the Abime de Nettine

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Belgium Caving Convention 2011

"Speleogical Days 2011" convention from 16th September to 18th September.

Program on Saturday
Participants can arrive as from Friday, September 16 at 17H00. Bring your tent, mattress and sleeping bag!
After a hearty breakfast on Saturday morning as of 7H30 we start the registration for the caves at 08.00. The order of your registration for cave visits is determined by the date of subscription and your payment. First registered AND paid on time will give you the largest and finest selection of caves.

Caves

As always, the finest Ardennes caves are chosen to open up for the visiting cavers.
Following caves are already opened for us, some of which are recently discovered and explored: Grotte de Hotton (non-touristy part), Réseau de Fesnes / Resurgence Lucienne, Grotte de Fonds des Cris, Souffleur de Beauregard, Han sur Lesse, Grotte de la Fosse aux Ours, Chantoir Morville, Chantoir de Rostène, Quarry "De Keel" in Dutch Limburg. The list will of open caves grows continuously and will be a lot longer by September 17.
Groups leave at 10H00 for the visits of the selected caves.

Workshop
There is a workshop provided on Resisitivitysounding for locating caves from the surface. The company Verbeke Deep Sounding provides the specialized equipment and a geologist.

Walking
For the non-cavers, a family-friendly walk in the area will be organized.

Reception and Doemen Award
At 18H00, after visiting the caves, workshop and walk follow a reception and the awarding of the Prize Doemen.

Huge bat colony discovered in house in Zoersel (Belgium)

In a home in Zoersel, Belgium a colony of 414 bats has been discovered.

A colony this large is very rare in Flanders.

The house is located near 400 Ha of nature and forest reserve, which is the ideal hunting area for these bats. The bats are identified as Common Pipistrelle (Pipistrellus pipistrellus).


On average one of these bats eats about 300 insects a night, resulting in 22 million insects a year for the colony (about 500 kg).

The common Pipistrelle is one of the smallest bats in Europe. It is 3.5-4.5 cm long with a wingspan of 19-25 cm. Its brown fur is variable in tone. It is common in woodland and farmland but is also found in towns, where it roosts in lofts and buildings.

In 1999 the Common Pipistrelle was split into two species on the basis of different-frequency echo-location calls. The Common Pipistrelle uses a call of 45 kHz, while the Soprano Pipistrelle echo-locates at 55 kHz. Since the two species were distinguished, a number of other differences, in appearance, habitat and food, have also been discovered.

New Bat Species Detected In Belgium

A new bat species has been detected in the region of Rochefort (Belgium). The Myotis Alcathoe resembles the Myotis brandtii and the Myotis mystacynus, two other bats often found in the area. The species was previously spotted in France and Germany. It's sighting could be confirmed by analysis of the recorded ultrasone signals. 

Source: Nieuwsblad

Marble mine "Les Grands Malades" (Beez, Belgium)

The marble mine "Les Grands Malades" is located in Beez, a small town near Namur (Belgium). There used to be multiple entrances to the mine, but now it's only accessible through a small cave, the "Trou des Charrues".

This weekend we went down this cave and visited the old mine with the "Werkgroep Speleologische Vorming" (WSV) to test some new caving techniques and materials (of which I will report later) and had a meeting about the course program for 2011-2012.

As you can see from the following pictures, stalactites and stalagmites are starting to form everywhere. Multiple pools with cave pearls are being formed and the last remains of the mining activities are being consumed by nature.

Journées 2010 de Spéléologie Scientifique

The JSS 2010, an annual cave science conference organised by the Belgian Caving Federation (UBS) and the Belgian Center for Karst Studies held place in Han-sur-Lesse on 11 and 12 december.

This years main topic was the "VMR". The VMR is a book titled "Les Cavernes et les Rivières Souterraines de la Belgique" published by E. Van Den Broeck, E.A. Martel and E. Rahir in 1910. It's a huge book in two parts that described all the caves and underground rivers in Belgium for the first time on a scientific manner. Up until today it's never been equaled. Though there are many new insights and discoveries it's still a reference book for all who are studying the Belgian underground, whether as a scientist or a caver. As it is quite rare and wanted, the price is skyrocketing (I've seen it go for over 300 EUR). Luckily the book has been completely digitized and will be available somewhere in 2011.

Vleermuizen in winterslaap

In België en Nederland komen zo'n 20 verschillende vleermuizen voor (gladneuzen en hoefijzerneuzen), waarvan een aantal zeer zeldzaam is.

(ↄ) Public domain - Bat on ceiling

Omdat er in de koude wintermaanden amper insecten zijn, houden ze een winterslaap: Hun lichaamstemperatuur daalt tot 5°C en ze vertragen hun ademhaling, hartritme en stofwisseling. Naast steengroeven en holle bomen zijn onze grotten een van de plekken bij uitstek om de winter door te brengen: ze zijn koel en vochtig, en gegarandeerd vorstvrij.

Voor verschillende vleermuissoorten, zoals de ingekorven vleermuis, vormt verstoring en het ongeschikt worden van overwinteringsplaatsen, zoals forten en ijskelder, een belangrijke bedreiging.  Om de populaties niet te verstoren tijdens hun winterslaap, worden volgende grotten voorzien van een extra slot, zodanig dat ze niet toegankelijk zijn van 1 november tot 31 maart:

Adzeux (Chantoir d') Agouloir (Grotte de l') Bebronne (Grotte de) Blaireaux (Trou des) Bohon (Grotte de) Brialmont (Grotte de) Casino (Trou n°2 du) Claminforge (Grotte de) Comblain (Réseaux sauvages de l'Abîme de) Deux Copines (Grotte des) Emotions (Grotte des) Faisan (Trou du) Feuilles (Trou aux) Fonds-de-Forêt (Grottes de) Fontaine de Rivire (Grotte de) Freyr (Grotte de) Géromont Grand Banc (carrière du) Grandchamps (Chantoir de) Heinrichs (Grotte) Maillard (Trou) Manto - Saint Etienne (Réseau) Margaux (Grotte)

Marique (trou) Maye Crevé (Trou du) Monceau (Grotte de ) - (RND) Moneuse (Grotte de) Nou-Maulin (Trou du) Nutons (Grotte du Chantoir des) Palan (Trou du) Pont d'Avignon (Grotte du) Ramioul (Grotte de) Remouchamps (Réseau sauvage de la Grotte de) Riga (Trou) Sarrasins (Trou des) Sècheval (Chantoir de) Surdents (Grotte des) Tchampacane (Grotte de) Trotti-aux-Fosses (Gouffre du) Trou qui Fume Waérimont (Bois de  - Trou de l'Ambre) Walou (Grotte) Wuinant (Trou) Zinc (Trou au)

(Bron: http://www.speleo.be/ubs)