Geltenbach cave
The Geltenbach cave is located in the Gastern Valley near Kandersteg in the canton of Bern in Switzerland .
Headwaters
On the south face of the Gastern Valley, at an altitude of 1564 m in warm weather, the Geltenbach emerges from the middle of a 300 m high vertical rock face. It is a layer source ; a Malmkalk bend closed towards the west serves as a water collector and is underlaid by layers of marl that are difficult to penetrate . The accessible cave areas are part of a karst system on the southern slope of the lower Gastern valley. The source area is likely to be on the northern slopes of the Tatlishorn.
Water flow
The karst system fills up after heavy rainfall in the catchment area or when the snow melts. The inflowing water accumulates inside. It rises and the Geltenbachfall becomes active as an overflow. After longer drying times, this takes longer because the underground system has to fill up first. The small waterfalls, also known as tears, to the right of the Geltenbach are heralds for the awakening of the main falls. Since they are deeper, they jump in front of the Geltenbach Falls and provide water for several days after it has dried up.
History of exploration
1978/79
In November 1978, six Kandersteg mountain guides tried for the first time to reach the cave entrance, which was difficult to access; however, they failed because of the fragile rock and inadequate equipment. A year later they made another attempt and reached the portal on October 14, 1979 after six days. In a laborious process, three smaller lakes were secured with ropes, siphons were emptied with hoses and the cave was measured. In the winter of 1979 they came across a siphon (today fire brigade siphon) after about 400 meters, which they could not conquer.
In the same year Peter Forrer, Christian Küenzi, Hellmut Stoller and Peter Wandfluh reached a large siphon 720 meters inside the mountain that could not be conquered. When the doctor and mountain guide Peter Forrer had a fatal accident on Nanga Parbat in 1982 , those who remained broke off their research activities.
1989 to 1993
Ten years later, in the summer of 1989, cave explorers from Bern resumed their work. First, climbing specialists had to overcome the heavily overhanging and brittle 60-meter-high north face again because the previously installed steel cables had broken. An iron girder was attached to the cave entrance, which protruded into the valley and to which a rope was attached. The cave was measured again, the 45 meter long and 3 meter deep siphon could not be conquered this time either; nor if it is visited by divers from the Swiss Society for Speleology SGH. In March 1990, diving specialist Philippe Roullier managed to overcome the siphon that was later named after him. In 1991/92 further, sometimes diving attempts followed, which were sometimes unsuccessful due to too much water. In addition to surveying work, an attempt was made to blow up the ceiling over the first siphon.
After 2011
Since 2011, the Geltenbach cave has been researched and documented again in winter by the “Crazy Cavers” research group led by Hansueli Kallen from Kandersteg. It is planned to install a measuring system with which the water levels of the siphons can be monitored.
By winter 2016/17, 2995 meters of corridors were measured in the cave, which lead from the entrance to the southern flanks of the Lower Tatelishorn. However, the expansion of the system is far greater. The height and width of the corridor, which leads almost directly to the south, are between 1.5 and 3 meters. After about 350 meters, a junction leads away half-right, but ends after 190 meters. The total difference in altitude is around 50 meters.
Web links
literature
- Gerber, M., Philippe Roullier: Geltenbachhöhle, anciennes et nouvelles explorations / historical and new exploration in the Geltenbachhöhle, "Stalactite" - journal of the Swiss Society for Speleology, 40th year - issue 1 (1990), pp. 14-17.
Individual evidence
- ↑ Berner Zeitung, October 8, 2019
- ↑ Mountain fever
- ↑ Martin Gerber, Philippe Rouiller: Geltenbach cave , anciennes et nouvelles explorations / historical and new exploration in the Geltenbach cave . In: Stalactite . Journal of the Swiss Society for Speleology. tape 40 , no. 1 , 1990, ISSN 0038-9226 , DNB 012918849 , p. 12-17 .
- ^ TV report in "Schweiz aktuell" from February 2, 2017
- ↑ Aarelauf.ch
Coordinates: 46 ° 27 '24 " N , 7 ° 39' 57" E ; CH1903: six hundred seventeen thousand four hundred and fifty-five / 145072