L.S.D. DISCOVERIES.

In order to give a more complete picture of the area of LUSS exploration the following is compiled from the French caving Club L.S.D. The caves explored by them are prefixed with FT and are largely centred around the Valdominguero Area.

  • Area of French exploration.

    VALDOMINGUERO AREA.


    FT51. -10m. Entrance 5m by 2m - Stops at permanent snowpatch.
    FT52. -10m. Large collapse along a fault. Ends in choke.
    FT53. -8m. Stops at choke.
    FT54. -8m. Stops at snowpatch.
    FT55. -16m. Stops at snowpatch.
    FT56. -10m. Stops at snowpatch.
    FT57. -15m. Stops at snowpatch.
    FT58. -12m. Stops at rock collapse.
    FT59. -18m. Tight entrance. Stops at impenetratable squeeze.
    FT60. -9m. Oval entrance 7m by 4m. Seupsat snow and rock blockage.
    FT61. -2m. Cave entrance in large crack.
    FT62. -21m. Boomerang shaped entrance. Ends in snow and rock
    FT63. -1Om. Entrance pitch is in surface meander, emerging at the bottom of ?
    FT64. -35m. Presence of snowpatch at -6m. Inclined pitch into boulder collapse.
    FT65. -8m. Stops at choke.
    FT66. -6m. Stops at choke.
    FT67. -30m. Stops in tight meander, blocked by rocks. P20 (?) with sound coming from beyond.
    FT68. -7m. Entrance fault, stops at choke.
    FT69. -10m. Tight entrance from the surface was not descended. Does not appear to go anywhere.
    FT70. -30m. After two narrow parts it stops at impenetrable meander.
    FT71. -8m. Stops at snowpatch.
    FT72. -13m. Stops at snow and rock blockage.
    FT73. -7m. As above.
    FT75. -8m. Meander from surface is stopped by blocks.
    FT76. -30m. Entrance in large fault. Stops at tight passage obstructed by rocks.
    FT77. -15m. 2 entrances looking onto large passage of 2m. Stops at rock blockage.
    FT78. ? Entrance in crushed and complex zone. Obstructed?
    FT79. -14m. Stops at narrow passage (5cm).
    FT80. -5m. Blocked at -5 by snowpatch. Drilled to -1Om ?
    FT81. -35m. Entrance in doline, then R2, R3, P5, P10, P7. Stops at impenetrable passage. At -20 two pitches reaching a depth of -35m.
    FT82. -15m. Pitch in fault. Snowplug.
    FT83. -20m. As above.
    FT84. -25m. Stops at snowpatch.
    FT85. -15m. As above.
    FT86. -10m. Pitch diameter 2m ends at snowpatch.
    FT87. -8m. Pitch 10 by 2, ends in snowplug.
    FT88. -10m. Entrance along 30 degree angle.
    FT90. about -10m. Not descended.Entrance in dolines 5 by 5. Snow at the bottom.
    FT91. about -10m. Not descended. Fault with snowplug.
    FT92. -8m. Fault entrance 2 by 6m. Chokes.

    MAZARRASA MINE AREA.


    FT8. -15m. Entrance 4m by 5m, blocked by rock and snow.
    FT9. -10m. Entrance 4m by 2m. stops at snowPatch.

    POZO HASTA LUEGO SYSTEM.


    FT10. Entrance 5 by 2, Presence of snow. Continues into the Casetin Mine at -1Om.
    Casetin. Continuation of FT10.
    FT11. Junction at -10m with FT10 through the sbowpatch. Enormous triangular entrance 7m by 6m, into a small system of mines, joining with FT12.
    FT12. Reached from the bottom, at -15m the first pitch is descended for 10m, to snow and rocks. A second pitch is parallel with drop in FT14.
    FT14. -166m. Principal entrance of Pozo Hasta Luego.
  • Survey of FT14.
    FT13. Oval entrance 2m by 1.5m. Vocal connection with FT14 at -6m through the small mine qalleries.
    FT14. Mine qalleries descendeding at 4g degrees to rejoin FT14 at the bottom of the first pitch.
    FT15. -12m. Entrance 3.5m by 1.5m. Shaft in fault, with 3 or 4 smaller shafts downhill (entering at -3 and -6m) Obstructed by rockfall.

    POZO DEL CASTILLO SYSTEM.


    T145. -293m. Pozo del Castillo.
    FT16. Castillo III Entrance 3 by 3 leading to P20. At less than 10 a snowplug has come down on the left hand side of a P40 that rejoins T145. At -5 on the P40 is a winch platform. At -15m a system of mines connects to Segura 1 (Castillo V). At -20 a series of mine qalleries has a connection with the crawls in T145 (around 706m) One of the mines goes back up 30m to a natural crawl 50cm by 30cm reconnecting with the mines in Segura 2 (Castillo IV). FT16 has a vocal connection with FT17 at -12m.
    FT17. Castillo II, large entrance 10m by 8m, to pitch of 20m
    FT32. -7m. Oval entrance 3m by 2m, obstructed by blocks.
    FT33. -16m. Entrance 5m by 2m, inclined pitch of 70 degrees, obstructed by blocks.
    FT34. -9m. Pitch in fault, entrance 3m by 1m, narrows before being blocked by snow and rock.
    FT35. -12m. 3 entrances (1m, 1.5m and 2m), connects by slide to flat bottom, full of rock collapse.
    FT36. -18m. 2 entrances (1m and 2m by 0.8m) A climb of 6m to -8m leads to a departure from the path, narrow bit to -18 stopping at a boulder choke.

    POZO COMPROMISSO SYSTEM.


    FT39 -180m Pozo Compromisso.
  • Survey of Pozo Compromisso.
    FT40 Junction with FT39 to snowlevel at -40m.
    Pozo Rosario Junction at -30 with FT39.
    FT41 -12m Completly hollowed by miners, blocked.
    FT42 -30m Shaft on Mouches Peruviennes (?). Mine shaft. Snow along side of P20. P10 not descended due to lack of equipment.
    FT43 -30m Gigantic entrance. P30 to small galleries to an opening above a P20, not descended, lot of collapse from rotten mine workings. Draughts strongly.
    FT44 Not descended because it was too dangerous. Junction with FT43, blocked by recent collapse. T143 -25m Entrance 3m in diameter, only explored to -25m. draughts strongly. See LUSS description.
    FT46 -70m Not descended, joins to FT45 and Aurelia.
    FT45 -50m 2 entrances to natural P45 rejoining the mine. At the bottom 4 routes to mines. - galleries around 200m, highly dangerous, with 2 pitches filled with rotten mine material. - the gallery stops after about 60m, the route is throunh a trap door in the floor to a P5 not descended, stopping at a gigantic fault going to FT46.
    Aurelia - The fourth gallery is 300m and the entrance is marked Aurelia. FT47 Rock Shelter.
    T144 or Rosario. See LUSS description.
    FT48 Crater of loose stones, lookinq out onto gallery,too dangerous to descend.
    FT49 -70m Enormous mine entrance with snowpatch (P15). Looks onto chamber with many passages leading back to surface. Side of romm is natural P30 (15 by 4) with snowpatch at bottom, links by descent of 15m in passage of 1m 20 which is obstructed by mine debris already explored by SEII (marked slab at the bottom).
    Mine L Flooded mine.
    Mine O Flooded mine
    Mine P Flooded mine.
    V Bis Flooded mine.
    Ines System of galleries about 200m long cross-cutting natural passage.
    El Queso Mine with small metal cart, about 600m cross-cutting natural passage.

    RAMAZOSA ZONE.


    FT2 -18m Pitch 10 by 2, stops at snow and rock.
    FT3 -6m Stops at choke.
    FT4 -40m Pretty circular pitch, obstructed by snow along one side, the other way becomes impenetrable.
    FT5 -14m Blocked by snow.
    FT6 -8m Blocked by snow.
    FT25 -15m Oval entrance 3 by 2, obstructed by snow on one side, passage becomes impenetrable. .
    FT26 -45 2 entrances (1.5 and 3m) joining at -1Om, presence of snow at -10m. At -42m a small passage, diameter 50cm slopes down at 45 degrees, to a bou]der obstruction. A parallel pitch to -30m stops at blockage.
    FT27 -8m Entrance in snow, plugged by rocks.
    FT28 -14m On the slope of Pico del Boro, entrance in fault 10 by 2, presence of snow, stopping at rocks. At -7m a passage of 5m leads on to a pitch of 7m, at the bottom of which leads to calcite rock.

    OTHER AREAS.


    FT30 -6m Entrance 3 by 1.5m, blocked by rock.
    FT31 -9m Entrance in crack 1.5m by 0.5m, blocked by rock.
    FT37 -10m Entrance is 3m in diameter, blocked by snowMarked M.80.2 to be descended in the summer.
    FT38 -52m Entrance 2m in diameter. 8m to a slope of 45 degrees. Next is a slide on snow to apitch which is blocked by snow at the bottom.
    FT89 -9m Blocked by snow and rock.
    FT1 -6m 3-m above the Valdominquero Lake is a hole 50cm in diameter.
    FT7 -12m 100m above the camp is a hole 8m by 8m, blocked by snow.
    LUSS@lancaster.ac.uk