Beyond the Deep
Beyond the Deep

Author: William Stone

Publisher: Grand Central Publishing

Published: 2010-05-30

Total Pages: 368

ISBN-13: 9780446561273

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The Huautla in Mexico is the deepest cave in the Western Hemisphere, possibly the world. Shafts reach skyscraper-depths, caverns are stadium-sized, and sudden floods can drown divers in an instant. With a two-decade obsession, William Stone and his 44-member team entered the sinkhole at Sotano de San Augustin. The first camp settled 2,328 feet below ground in a cavern where headlamps couldn't even illuminate the walls and ceiling. The second camp teetered precariously above an underground canyon where two subterranean rivers collided. But beyond that lay the unknown territory -- a flooded corridor that had blocked all previous comers, claimed a diver's life, and drove the rest of the team back. Except for William Stone and Barbara am Ende, who forged on for 18 more days, with no hope of rescue, to set the record for the deepest cave dive in the Western Hemisphere.

Blind Descent
Blind Descent

Author: James M. Tabor

Publisher: Random House Trade Paperbacks

Published: 2011-02-15

Total Pages: 322

ISBN-13: 0812979494

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“Heart-stopping and relentlessly gripping. Tabor takes us on an odyssey into unfathomable worlds beneath us, and into the hearts of rare explorers who will do anything to get there first.”—Robert Kurson, author of ShadowDivers In 2004, two great scientist-explorers attempted to find the bottom of the world. American Bill Stone took on the vast, deadly Cheve Cave in southern Mexico. Ukrainian Alexander Klimchouk targeted Krubera, a freezing nightmare of a supercave in the war-torn former Soviet republic of Georgia. Both men spent months almost two vertical miles deep, contending with thousand-foot drops, raging whitewater rivers, monstrous waterfalls, mile-long belly crawls, and the psychological horrors produced by weeks in absolute darkness, beyond all hope of rescue. Based on his unprecedented access to logs and journals as well as hours of personal interviews, James Tabor has crafted a thrilling exploration of man’s timeless urge to discover—and of two extraordinary men whose pursuit of greatness led them to the heights of triumph and the depths of tragedy. Blind Descent is an unforgettable addition to the classic literature of true-life adventure, and a testament to human survival and endurance. “Holds the reader to his seat, containing dangers aplenty with deadly falls, killer microbes, sudden burial, asphyxiation, claustrophobia, anxiety, and hallucinations far underneath the ground in a lightless world. Using a pulse-pounding narrative, this is tense real-life adventure pitting two master cavers mirroring the cold war with very uncommonly high stakes.”—Publishers Weekly (starred review) “A fascinating and informative introduction to the sport of cave diving, as well as a dramatic portrayal of a significant man-vs.-nature conflict. . . . What counts is Tabor’s knack for maximizing dramatic potential, while also managing to be informative and attentive to the major personalities associated with the most important cave explorations of the last two decades.”—Kirkus Reviews Includes a 16-pg black and white insert

Škocjanske jame 1920-1940
Škocjanske jame 1920-1940

Author: Trevor Shaw

Publisher: Založba ZRC

Published: 2018-09-01

Total Pages: 187

ISBN-13: 9610500501

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Škocjanske jame imajo bogato zgodovino. V tej knjigi je obravnavan le sorazmerno kratek čas med obema svetovnima vojnama, ko je Avstrija območje predala Italiji. Večji del Škocjanskih jam je bil raziskan pred letom 1914, zato je bil glavni cilj jamo razviti v turistično znamenitost. Jame so obiskovali že prej, a v 20. in 30. letih so si prizadevali urediti turistične poti skoz jame, z novimi mostovi in stezami, a tudi novim predorom do površja. Da bi vse to uskladili z italijanskimi zakoni, je povzročalo težave, zato so z odprtjem odlašali do leta 1923. Ob tem so jame še dodatno raziskali, premerili in o njih objavili sveže znanstvene razprave. Poročali so tudi o malo poznani usodni nesreči. Skozi celotno obdobje so posamezni vodniki, raziskovalci in upravniki napisali zelo človeško in razburljivo zgodbo. Kar knjigo dela še posebej pomembno, je izjemen prispevek italijanskih arhivov in zgodovinarjev.

The Search for the Deepest Hole in the World
The Search for the Deepest Hole in the World

Author: Van Watson

Publisher:

Published: 2021

Total Pages: 248

ISBN-13: 9780958358439

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"Back in 1968, an auspicious meeting was held in a Takaka Hill woolshed between Van Watson, an impetuous young Waitomo caver, and ex-British caver Julia James, 'a lady tornado', who was lecturing in chemistry at the University of Sydney. Van and Jules discovered a mutual interest in a quest to find the deepest hole (cave) in the world ... their quest focussed on the marble massifs of Mt Arthur and Mt Owen, in the South Island of NZ, with a series of recces and annual Xmas expeditions ... Following rumours in 1970 of very thick limestone beds in the Lavani Valley region of PNG, with the potential for a world depth record cave ... this book is Van's narrative of how the trip was conceived 47 years ago, plus a selection of tales from those still on their perches, how they viewed the 1973 expedition and what they went on to achieve. Paul Caffyn has tied it all together with his "better than average" photographs and snuck in a few chapters of his own" --Back cover.

The Conservation of Cave 85 at the Mogao Grottoes, Dunhuang
The Conservation of Cave 85 at the Mogao Grottoes, Dunhuang

Author: Neville Agnew

Publisher: Getty Publications

Published: 2014-02-01

Total Pages: 476

ISBN-13: 1606061577

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The Mogao Grottoes, a World Heritage Site in northwestern China, are located along the ancient caravan routes—collectively known as the Silk Road—that once linked China with the West. Founded by a Buddhist monk in the late fourth century, Mogao flourished over the following millennium, as monks, local rulers, and travelers commissioned hundreds of cave temples cut into a mile-long rock cliff and adorned them with vibrant murals. More than 490 decorated grottoes remain, containing thousands of sculptures and some 45,000 square meters of wall paintings, making Mogao one of the world’s most significant sites of Buddhist art. In 1997 the Getty Conservation Institute, which had been working with the Dunhuang Academy since 1989, began a case study using the Late–Tang dynasty Cave 85 to develop a methodology that would stabilize the deteriorating wall paintings. This abundantly illustrated volume is the definitive report on the project, which was completed in 2010.

Blind Descent
Blind Descent

Author: James M. Tabor

Publisher: Hachette UK

Published: 2011-07-28

Total Pages: 266

ISBN-13: 1849018596

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The deepest cave on earth was a prize that had remained unclaimed for centuries, long after every other ultimate discovery had been made. This is the story of the men and women who risked everything to find it, earning their place in history beside the likes of Peary, Amundsen, Hillary, and Armstrong. In 2004, two great scientist-explorers attempted to find the bottom of the world. Bold, American Bill Stone was committed to the vast Cheve Cave, located in southern Mexico and deadly even by supercave standards. On the other side of the globe, legendary Ukrainian explorer Alexander Klimchouk - Stone's opposite in temperament and style - had targeted Krubera, a freezing nightmare of a supercave in the Republic of Georgia. Blind Descent explores both the brightest and darkest aspects of the timeless human urge to discover - to be first. It is also a thrilling epic about a pursuit that makes even extreme mountaineering and ocean exploration pale by comparison. These supercavers spent months in multiple camps almost two vertical miles deep and many more miles from their caves' exits. They had to contend with thousand-foot drops, deadly flooded tunnels, raging whitewater rivers, monstrous waterfalls, mile-long belly crawls, and much more. Perhaps even worse were the psychological horrors produced by weeks plunged into absolute, perpetual darkness, beyond all hope of rescue, including a particularly insidious derangement called 'The Rapture'. Blind Descent is a testament to human survival and endurance - and to two extraordinary men whose relentless pursuit of greatness led them to heights of triumph and depths of tragedy neither could have imagined.

Exploring Caves
Exploring Caves

Author: Rebecca Felix

Publisher: ABDO Publishing Company

Published: 2014-01-01

Total Pages: 146

ISBN-13: 1629680451

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Throughout history, people have always explored new frontiers. Adventure, fame, and scientific discovery have all driven humans to forge into the unknown. This title examines the exploration of caves. Easy-to-read, engaging text takes readers into the world's deepest caves, examines the explorers who journeyed to these dark, dangerous chambers, and traces the development of the technology and techniques that made this exploration possible. Well-placed sidebars, vivid photos, helpful maps, and a glossary enhance readers' understanding of the topic. Additional features include a table of contents, a selected bibliography, source notes, and an index, plus a timeline and essential facts. Aligned to Common Core Standards and correlated to state standards. Essential Library is an imprint of Abdo Publishing, a division of ABDO.