Media Centre

20 August 2010

Students' expedition uncovers over 100 new caves

Over 100 new caves have been discovered on the Greek Island of Crete, thanks to students from the University of Sheffield's Speleological Society.

15 members of the Society visited the White Mountains of Crete in order to discover and record new caves. A total of 139 new caves were recorded which included 10 caves over 50m deep. The deepest of these was Pandora´s Pot which stretched 170.9m below the earth.

The team has conducted a number of trips to the region since the 1980s and have been the first humans to pioneer the network of caves within Mavri Laki Valley in the White Mountains of Crete. The team were also joined this year by members from the Greek caving clubs of SPOK and SELAS.

Cave exploration involves firstly marking the cave entrance and recording its GPS co-ordinates on a log sheet. For small caves, the team then descend by free-climbing or a wire ladder, and measure the depth using a tape measure. For larger caves, bolts were drilled into the limestone walls and ropes rigged for the team to descend using Single Rope Technique (SRT).

These larger caves were surveyed using compass and clinometers, in addition to a tape measure in order to give greater accuracy. The caves of Crete are very different in nature to English caves; they are very sharp and often end where frost shattered rocks block any further paths forward.

Rosie Hadfield, a member of the Speleological Society, said: "This year´s discoveries have increased knowledge of the Mavri Laki Valley, which will be recorded in the form of a journal available to all interested. It is clear from this expedition that there is still potential to explore a great deal of unchartered land in the Mavri Laki region and potential for further expeditions by the University´s Speleological Society."

Notes for Editors: The expedition was sponsored by the University of Sheffield Alumni Foundation, the Ghar Parau Foundation, JDS Bothy Shelters, Beast Products, and Mark Wright Training LTD.

For further information please contact: Lauren Anderson, Media Relations Officer, on 0114 2221046 or email l.h.anderson@sheffield.ac.uk

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