[Texascavers] FW: The Dirty Little Secret About CoQ10
While an infomercial, these are interesting and informative facts that I felt beneficial for all cavers and their families to know. I have been taking a statin drug for several years and only recently learned of the importance of also taking CoQ10. Always open to comments or corrections. Fritz From: [http://news.newsmax.com/images/46087/newsmax_health_500.jpg] Dear Newsmax Reader: Please find below a special message from our sponsoring advertiser, Joshua Corn, Editor-in-Chief of the Live In The Now newsletter. He has some important information to share with you. Thank you. Newsmax.comhttp://Newsmax.com EXCLUSIVE SPECIAL REPORT - The Dirty Little Secret About CoQ10 Dear Health Conscious Reader, Are you one of the tens of millions of Americans who suffer every day from vague symptoms such as low energy, cloudy thinking, chronic muscle pain or joint discomfort? You could embark on a wild goose chase of doctors, pharmaceutical drugs and other therapies in an attempt to remedy your mystery illness. Or you might just chalk it up to getting older and accept it. But before you do that, you should know that the solution to your problems could be as simple as correcting a nutritional deficiency that severely compromises heart function, and sadly affects the majority of people over age 45. [1] Unfortunately, few doctors fully understand the nature of this deficiency and how it affects heart function. And no surprise - the big pharmaceutical companies have actually gone out of their way to suppress research on it. My name is Joshua Corn and I am the Editor-in-Chief of the Live in the Now newsletter - one of the fastest growing natural health publications in the nation. I am also CEO of Stop Aging Now, a company that has been making premium grade supplements since 1995. My passion for natural health always drives me to seek the truth and to educate people on alternative solutions that are both safe and effective. Please keep reading, because once again, we're revealing a simple, natural remedy that can change your life forever. Remember That Your Heart Is Your Engine I like to think about it this way. Your heart works day in and day out to bring crucial oxygen and nutrients to literally every cell in your body, especially your brain cells. It is essentially the engine that is powering your entire body, and on average it needs to beat about 100,000 times a day to get its job done. [2] That means it will beat billions of times over the course of your life. Sounds like a lot of work and strain on the heart muscles? It is, which is why taking care of your heart and keeping it strong is the key to a healthy heart and a long life. What Fuels Your Heart? [http://news.newsmax.com/images/46087/heart-fuel.jpg]Your heart is fueled by something called CoEnzyme Q10. You may have heard of CoQ10 before, but it's important to understand why this nutrient is so critical to your body function. CoQ10 is a cellular energy booster and powerful antioxidant and it is an essential part of your body's energy-producing process. CoQ10 is found throughout your body, but is most highly concentrated in heart muscles because of high energy demands there. When your heart has the high levels of CoQ10 it needs, it works like a charm. But when levels get low, your heart strains to do its job, and ultimately your entire body suffers. [3] Suboptimal heart function can result in mystery illnesses such as fatigue, pain and decreases in mental functions, just to name a few. Why Take Supplemental CoQ10? According to leading experts who are on the cutting edge of natural health, it's critical to supplement with CoQ10 as you age. After the age of 30, natural levels of CoQ10 begin to diminish. By the age of 50, your CoQ10 levels may be too low to support optimal heart function. [4] By age 70, your levels can become so low they can actually accelerate aging. [5] Your age aside, further loss of CoQ10 is caused by stress, illness or the use of certain medications such as statins. In fact, the WORST culprit is statin drugs. [6] It is now estimated that 1 in 3 adults over 50 take a statin. Meanwhile, few doctors warn their patients that by taking a statin to help their heart, they are in fact slowly draining their heart of the very fuel it needs for optimal health. In my opinion this is a shame, since so many people's heart health is being needlessly jeopardized at the hands of their own doctors. ABOUT JOSHUA CORN, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF [http://news.newsmax.com/images/46087/josh-corn-headshot3.jpg]Joshua Corn, Editor-in-Chief of the Live in the Now newsletter, is a health freedom advocate who's been involved in the natural health movement for over 15 years. He's always been dedicated to promoting health, vitality, longevity and natural living. Josh is currently writing a book on natural remedies and is gearing up to launch the Live in the Now radio show. In
[Texascavers] robots to explore Martian lava tubes
More power to anyone who can hitch himself to NASA's planetary program for money to build toys. (Why does that sound familiar?) But descending into a lava tube would not be a good way to investigate Martian geology, because all you get to see is the inside of one lava flow or so. If you want to see a cross section of Martain history, you need somewhere there is stratigraphy, like a canyon or crater wall. -- Mixon Forgive your enemies . . . after they are hanged. You may reply to the address this message came from, but for long-term use, save: Personal: bmi...@alumni.uchicago.edu AMCS: edi...@amcs-pubs.org or sa...@amcs-pubs.org - Visit our website: http://texascavers.com To unsubscribe, e-mail: texascavers-unsubscr...@texascavers.com For additional commands, e-mail: texascavers-h...@texascavers.com
[Texascavers] Fwd: Meander PVC - combi
Hi, This - sadly - is saying that Meander has decided not to try and resume the manufacturing of their PVC suits. (I think some of their manufacturing equipment burned down earlier?) Cheers, David Original Message Subject:Meander PVC - combi Date: Tue, 28 Aug 2012 19:07:35 +0200 From: netopyr neto...@arbenz.ch To: speleo Liste suisse Liste spel�o speleo...@speleo.ch Liebe Freunde, nun ist es definitiv so weit : Das Meander PVC Kombi ist Geschichte. Eine Alternative ist nicht in Sicht. (Allerdings hat es noch einzelne St�cke am Lager, so ziemlich die letzten.) Hier die offizielle Mitteilung, die heute per e-mail kam I am so sorry to inform you, that we finally decided to end production of CRIOU PVC coveralls. The _main_ reason is the old, always problematic technology in welding process. .. With my best regards, Gustav Chers Amis, �a y est - les combis PVC de Meander ne sont plus fabriqu�s. Pour l'instant il n'y a pas d'alternative. (Par contre il en a encore quelgues pi�ces en stock - plus ou moins les derniers) ici le m�ssage officiel, re�u aujourd'hui par e-mail: I am so sorry to inform you, that we finally decided to end production of CRIOU PVC coveralls. The _main_ reason is the old, always problematic technology in welding process. .. With my best regards, Gustav beste Gr�sse, Thomas meilleur saluts, Thomas - Visit our website: http://texascavers.com To unsubscribe, e-mail: texascavers-unsubscr...@texascavers.com For additional commands, e-mail: texascavers-h...@texascavers.com
Re: [Texascavers] Fwd: Meander PVC - combi
Ouch... Does anyone know of a good replacement? Mine has patches on top of patches (quite literally!). I found one that I'll be able to borrow from a friend who rarely uses it, but I would like to find a replacement for mine. - Fofo On 28/08/12 17:24, David Ochel wrote: Hi, This - sadly - is saying that Meander has decided not to try and resume the manufacturing of their PVC suits. (I think some of their manufacturing equipment burned down earlier?) Cheers, David Original Message Subject:Meander PVC - combi Date: Tue, 28 Aug 2012 19:07:35 +0200 From: netopyr neto...@arbenz.ch To: speleo Liste suisse Liste spel�o speleo...@speleo.ch Liebe Freunde, nun ist es definitiv so weit : Das Meander PVC Kombi ist Geschichte. Eine Alternative ist nicht in Sicht. (Allerdings hat es noch einzelne St�cke am Lager, so ziemlich die letzten.) Hier die offizielle Mitteilung, die heute per e-mail kam I am so sorry to inform you, that we finally decided to end production of CRIOU PVC coveralls. The _main_ reason is the old, always problematic technology in welding process. .. With my best regards, Gustav Chers Amis, �a y est - les combis PVC de Meander ne sont plus fabriqu�s. Pour l'instant il n'y a pas d'alternative. (Par contre il en a encore quelgues pi�ces en stock - plus ou moins les derniers) ici le m�ssage officiel, re�u aujourd'hui par e-mail: I am so sorry to inform you, that we finally decided to end production of CRIOU PVC coveralls. The _main_ reason is the old, always problematic technology in welding process. .. With my best regards, Gustav beste Gr�sse, Thomas meilleur saluts, Thomas - Visit our website: http://texascavers.com To unsubscribe, e-mail: texascavers-unsubscr...@texascavers.com For additional commands, e-mail: texascavers-h...@texascavers.com - Visit our website: http://texascavers.com To unsubscribe, e-mail: texascavers-unsubscr...@texascavers.com For additional commands, e-mail: texascavers-h...@texascavers.com
texascavers Digest 29 Aug 2012 03:22:25 -0000 Issue 1618
texascavers Digest 29 Aug 2012 03:22:25 - Issue 1618 Topics (messages 20635 through 20645): Re: More about carbide caving 20635 by: Mark Minton UT Grotto Meeting - Wed August 29th 20636 by: Gary Franklin Caving over Labor Day 20637 by: vivbone.att.net Robots to Go Spelunking in Martian Caves? 20638 by: Lee H. Skinner 20639 by: Gill Edigar Re: DistoX X2 Whatever. 20640 by: S S Re: The Dirty Little Secret About CoQ10 20641 by: Fritz Holt robots to explore Martian lava tubes 20642 by: Mixon Bill Re: Meander PVC - combi 20643 by: David Ochel 20644 by: Fofo 20645 by: Mark Minton Administrivia: To subscribe to the digest, e-mail: texascavers-digest-subscr...@texascavers.com To unsubscribe from the digest, e-mail: texascavers-digest-unsubscr...@texascavers.com To post to the list, e-mail: texascavers@texascavers.com -- ---BeginMessage--- Unless something in the lamp catalyzes the decomposition of hydrogen peroxide, that would do no good. (Iron works well.) In any event, 3% hydrogen peroxide is probably too dilute to have much effect. Interesting idea, though. With an oxy-acetylene lamp you could cut through cave gates! ;-) Mark At 11:37 PM 8/24/2012, Don Cooper wrote: I tried using 3% H2O2 in my carbide generator for a while, thinking a little oxygen might make the light a little brighter. -WaV Please reply to mmin...@caver.net Permanent email address is mmin...@illinoisalumni.org ---End Message--- ---BeginMessage--- Howdy Caver, You are cordially invited to attend the next UT Grotto meeting Wednesday August 29th from 7:45PM- 9:00PM University of Texas Campus in 2.48 Painter Hall (156 West 24th Street, Austin TX 78712) http://www.utexas.edu/maps/main/buildings/pai.html Ellie Watson will present - The Ongoing Re-survey of Logan's Cave Ellie is a hardcore international caver recently transplanted from the Bexar Grotto to Austin. She has worked toward the re-survey of a great cave with a 24.8 meter dome room and will share some great photos as well as the aspects of a local project that was close enough to include weeknight trips. Bryce Smith will start the program with a short talk - Gypsum Caves in the Panhandle Bryce is a relatively new caver who participated in Jim Kennedy's trip to panhandle to seek out and survey gypsum caves. Come out for the fun and fellowship in Austin Texas and check out the adventures of these young cavers. For information on Underground Texas Grotto activities, please see www.utgrotto.org Officer contact, trip reports, event calendar, and new caver training links to beginner trips or vertical rope training are available. Before the meeting, take advantage of Sao Paulo www.saopaulos.net for happy hour specials. This area is the best place to park and meet folks walking over to the meeting. Then after the official meeting, we continue with the decades long tradition to reconvene for burgers, beer, and tall tales of caving at Posse East. www.posse-east.com The UT Grotto Program calendar is wide open and needs you, the caver with photos and a story to share about your adventures, scientific research, or something else really cool. Contact me. Sincerely, Gary Franklin UT Grotto Vice Chair Program Organizer 512-585-6057 caver.g...@gmail.com ellie watson ellie.tho...@gmail.com bryce smith bag...@facebook.com ---End Message--- ---BeginMessage--- Who's got a good cave trip planned for this weekend? Unexpectedly, I have the 3 day weekend off. I need to go caving. -Vivian Loftin ---End Message--- ---BeginMessage--- Discovery news article: http://tinyurl.com/8jkgvbx Now can't you imagine a bunch of robots exploring leads in Lechuguilla? :-) Lee Skinner ---End Message--- ---BeginMessage--- I'm not sure that the dreamers have a complete grasp on it all, Lee. But they should get something, at least, for dreaming. --Ediger On Mon, Aug 27, 2012 at 8:57 PM, Lee H. Skinner skin...@thuntek.net wrote: Discovery news article: http://tinyurl.com/8jkgvbx Now can't you imagine a bunch of robots exploring leads in Lechuguilla? :-) Lee Skinner - Visit our website: http://texascavers.com To unsubscribe, e-mail: texascavers-unsubscr...@texascavers.com For additional commands, e-mail: texascavers-h...@texascavers.com ---End Message--- ---BeginMessage--- I got a response from a couple people who are working on a board for the Leica DX and the newest model. The boards are still in development but they should have a release here in the next 6 months. I'm so excited for my surveyor of one-- Sent from my HP TouchPadOn Aug 26, 2012 7:39 PM, Mark Minton mmin...@caver.net wrote: This idea of paperless caving has been around for quite a while. In addition to the Swiss site cited below,
[SWR] What are these weird Antarctic pits?
Hi Lee SWR list, You may be interested to hear I will be using flying robots to explore the ice caves on Mt Erebus this December as part of my PhD project at New Mexico Tech. I am currently testing an xAircraft X650 frame with the open-source ArduPilotMega 2 flight controller. I hope to purchase a Hokyo lidar which I will either mount on the xAircraft frame, or if I can find sufficient funding ($12,500) I would like to purchase the Ascending Technologies SLAM Pelican system. My current research is on Erebus but I would of course use this system in traditional karst as well. I've done plenty of traditional cave surveying, and some cave lidar surveying, and think that quadcopter-mounted lidar systems are a great solution, and the technology is here already. I have an old blog post here: http://www.diydrones.com/xn/detail/705844:BlogPost:839613 Feel free to get in touch with me if you are interested, or have suggestions for further funding sources. Cheers, Aaron A question for you as an Antarctic speleological researcher: Larry Fish brought my attention in May to bizarre features visible in Google Earth--two huge holes in rough-looking black terrain with patchy snow and ice near the coast of East Antarctica. The larger one (about 300 feet across!) is at 66d 33' 11.77 S, 99d 50' 21.33 E; the smaller one (about 100 feet across) is at 66d 36' 12.57 S, 99d 43' 12.36 E. The latter one looks to have some dark-colored, curving hood-like structure, with a raised margin, arching over half of the opening (or at least gives that illusion when viewed without stereo capability). The other may have a shell of ice along the right side, with a gap between that and the rock. My first thought was volcanic fumaroles, with emerging fumes interacting with subzero surface air to form cryokarstic equivalents of rimmed vents, like the ice towers made by this process on Mt. Erebus. But this area with the apparent pits is in Queen Mary Land, near the Bunger Hills, a quarter of the way around the continent's margin from the Mt. Erebus volcanic zone, in terrain mapped as very ancient Precambrian with some younger overlying sediments. This would seem to preclude volcanic venting. There's been some science done in the Bunger Hills, but I've no idea whether anyone has ever looked at these pits up close. Whatever these holes are, they are shown as at only about 500 feet elevation, so they presumably can't go deeper than that without going below sea level. My only other guess is that the chaotic-looking black landscape is not bedrock but stony glacial drift, and that the pits might conceivably be where massive chunks of ice have disappeared from underneath a permafrost-stabilized rubble surface. But, with the sole exception of the round pits in volcanic rock on Mars, these are the most alien-looking cave mouths I've ever seen, and could be right out of H. P. Lovecraft. I wondered whether you might have any insights about these remarkable features, or know any experts on Antarctic geomorphology who could at least tell us what the black host material actually is, and what processes in that environment could account for such cavities. --Donald Davis ___ SWR mailing list s...@caver.net http://lists.caver.net/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/swr ___ This list is provided free as a courtesy of CAVERNET
Re: [SWR] What are these weird Antarctic pits?
Hi Aaron, Donald has certainly pointed out some strange openings in Antarctica- perhaps you can explain these. Looknig at them on Google Earth, they are most impressive. In addition to LIDAR surveying, can you take and transmit images of the features that your quadcopter is flying over? Can you do thermal imaging, to look for temperature variations as you fly over these features? What is the maximum distance range between where you're controlling it and the quadcopter? What's its elevation range; i.e., how high can it fly? I ask these questions because there are several apparently deep, large diameter openings on the northeast rift zone of Mauna Loa in Hawai`i that we'd like to know more about: are they deep crevices, evacuated magma chambers, or open vertical volcanic conduits? Are they active? Given their location on the NE rift zone, I doubt that they're skylights into lava tubes. Two of these openings are shown on the attached images. The first (Mauna Loa pit 1) is at elev. 9250' and has a diameter of 90'. The second (Mauna Loa pit 2), is at elev. 11,470' and is 95 feet across. Both of these are 3-4 miles from the nearest road and given the rough terrain, we have not hiked up to either one. If you can bring your equipment out to Hawai'i and can control it from several miles away, then we'd be happy to help you out. I have a permit to do lava cave studies in the Mauna Loa Forest Reserve, which is where these features are located, and can try to make whatever arrangements are needed to get you set up, should you have an opportunity to travel to Hawai`i. Good luck in Antarctica, Doug Medville On 8/28/2012 3:37 PM, DONALD G. DAVIS wrote: Hi Lee SWR list, You may be interested to hear I will be using flying robots to explore the ice caves on Mt Erebus this December as part of my PhD project at New Mexico Tech. I am currently testing an xAircraft X650 frame with the open-source ArduPilotMega 2 flight controller. I hope to purchase a Hokyo lidar which I will either mount on the xAircraft frame, or if I can find sufficient funding ($12,500) I would like to purchase the Ascending Technologies SLAM Pelican system. My current research is on Erebus but I would of course use this system in traditional karst as well. I've done plenty of traditional cave surveying, and some cave lidar surveying, and think that quadcopter-mounted lidar systems are a great solution, and the technology is here already. I have an old blog post here: http://www.diydrones.com/xn/detail/705844:BlogPost:839613 Feel free to get in touch with me if you are interested, or have suggestions for further funding sources. Cheers, Aaron A question for you as an Antarctic speleological researcher: Larry Fish brought my attention in May to bizarre features visible in Google Earth--two huge holes in rough-looking black terrain with patchy snow and ice near the coast of East Antarctica. The larger one (about 300 feet across!) is at 66d 33' 11.77 S, 99d 50' 21.33 E; the smaller one (about 100 feet across) is at 66d 36' 12.57 S, 99d 43' 12.36 E. The latter one looks to have some dark-colored, curving hood-like structure, with a raised margin, arching over half of the opening (or at least gives that illusion when viewed without stereo capability). The other may have a shell of ice along the right side, with a gap between that and the rock. My first thought was volcanic fumaroles, with emerging fumes interacting with subzero surface air to form cryokarstic equivalents of rimmed vents, like the ice towers made by this process on Mt. Erebus. But this area with the apparent pits is in Queen Mary Land, near the Bunger Hills, a quarter of the way around the continent's margin from the Mt. Erebus volcanic zone, in terrain mapped as very ancient Precambrian with some younger overlying sediments. This would seem to preclude volcanic venting. There's been some science done in the Bunger Hills, but I've no idea whether anyone has ever looked at these pits up close. Whatever these holes are, they are shown as at only about 500 feet elevation, so they presumably can't go deeper than that without going below sea level. My only other guess is that the chaotic-looking black landscape is not bedrock but stony glacial drift, and that the pits might conceivably be where massive chunks of ice have disappeared from underneath a permafrost-stabilized rubble surface. But, with the sole exception of the round pits in volcanic rock on Mars, these are the most alien-looking cave mouths I've ever seen, and could be right out of H. P. Lovecraft. I wondered whether you might have any insights about these remarkable features, or know any experts on Antarctic geomorphology who could at least tell us what the black host material actually is, and what processes in that environment could account for such cavities. --Donald Davis
[Texascavers] robots to explore Martian lava tubes
More power to anyone who can hitch himself to NASA's planetary program for money to build toys. (Why does that sound familiar?) But descending into a lava tube would not be a good way to investigate Martian geology, because all you get to see is the inside of one lava flow or so. If you want to see a cross section of Martain history, you need somewhere there is stratigraphy, like a canyon or crater wall. -- Mixon Forgive your enemies . . . after they are hanged. You may reply to the address this message came from, but for long-term use, save: Personal: bmi...@alumni.uchicago.edu AMCS: edi...@amcs-pubs.org or sa...@amcs-pubs.org - Visit our website: http://texascavers.com To unsubscribe, e-mail: texascavers-unsubscr...@texascavers.com For additional commands, e-mail: texascavers-h...@texascavers.com
[Texascavers] Fwd: Meander PVC - combi
Hi, This - sadly - is saying that Meander has decided not to try and resume the manufacturing of their PVC suits. (I think some of their manufacturing equipment burned down earlier?) Cheers, David Original Message Subject:Meander PVC - combi List-Post: texascavers@texascavers.com Date: Tue, 28 Aug 2012 19:07:35 +0200 From: netopyr neto...@arbenz.ch To: speleo Liste suisse Liste spel�o speleo...@speleo.ch Liebe Freunde, nun ist es definitiv so weit : Das Meander PVC Kombi ist Geschichte. Eine Alternative ist nicht in Sicht. (Allerdings hat es noch einzelne St�cke am Lager, so ziemlich die letzten.) Hier die offizielle Mitteilung, die heute per e-mail kam I am so sorry to inform you, that we finally decided to end production of CRIOU PVC coveralls. The _main_ reason is the old, always problematic technology in welding process. .. With my best regards, Gustav Chers Amis, �a y est - les combis PVC de Meander ne sont plus fabriqu�s. Pour l'instant il n'y a pas d'alternative. (Par contre il en a encore quelgues pi�ces en stock - plus ou moins les derniers) ici le m�ssage officiel, re�u aujourd'hui par e-mail: I am so sorry to inform you, that we finally decided to end production of CRIOU PVC coveralls. The _main_ reason is the old, always problematic technology in welding process. .. With my best regards, Gustav beste Gr�sse, Thomas meilleur saluts, Thomas - Visit our website: http://texascavers.com To unsubscribe, e-mail: texascavers-unsubscr...@texascavers.com For additional commands, e-mail: texascavers-h...@texascavers.com
Re: [Texascavers] Fwd: Meander PVC - combi
Ouch... Does anyone know of a good replacement? Mine has patches on top of patches (quite literally!). I found one that I'll be able to borrow from a friend who rarely uses it, but I would like to find a replacement for mine. - Fofo On 28/08/12 17:24, David Ochel wrote: Hi, This - sadly - is saying that Meander has decided not to try and resume the manufacturing of their PVC suits. (I think some of their manufacturing equipment burned down earlier?) Cheers, David Original Message Subject:Meander PVC - combi Date: Tue, 28 Aug 2012 19:07:35 +0200 From: netopyr neto...@arbenz.ch To: speleo Liste suisse Liste spel�o speleo...@speleo.ch Liebe Freunde, nun ist es definitiv so weit : Das Meander PVC Kombi ist Geschichte. Eine Alternative ist nicht in Sicht. (Allerdings hat es noch einzelne St�cke am Lager, so ziemlich die letzten.) Hier die offizielle Mitteilung, die heute per e-mail kam I am so sorry to inform you, that we finally decided to end production of CRIOU PVC coveralls. The _main_ reason is the old, always problematic technology in welding process. .. With my best regards, Gustav Chers Amis, �a y est - les combis PVC de Meander ne sont plus fabriqu�s. Pour l'instant il n'y a pas d'alternative. (Par contre il en a encore quelgues pi�ces en stock - plus ou moins les derniers) ici le m�ssage officiel, re�u aujourd'hui par e-mail: I am so sorry to inform you, that we finally decided to end production of CRIOU PVC coveralls. The _main_ reason is the old, always problematic technology in welding process. .. With my best regards, Gustav beste Gr�sse, Thomas meilleur saluts, Thomas - Visit our website: http://texascavers.com To unsubscribe, e-mail: texascavers-unsubscr...@texascavers.com For additional commands, e-mail: texascavers-h...@texascavers.com - Visit our website: http://texascavers.com To unsubscribe, e-mail: texascavers-unsubscr...@texascavers.com For additional commands, e-mail: texascavers-h...@texascavers.com
Re: [Texascavers] Fwd: Meander PVC - combi
I bought a spare Meander PVC suit a couple of years ago as soon as I heard they were to be discontinued. As I understand it, the main reason for their disappearance is a general European ban on PVC for environmental/health reasons. In any event, I do not know of a suitable alternative. :-( Mark At 08:29 PM 8/28/2012, Fofo wrote: Ouch... Does anyone know of a good replacement? Mine has patches on top of patches (quite literally!). I found one that I'll be able to borrow from a friend who rarely uses it, but I would like to find a replacement for mine. - Fofo On 28/08/12 17:24, David Ochel wrote: Hi, This - sadly - is saying that Meander has decided not to try and resume the manufacturing of their PVC suits. (I think some of their manufacturing equipment burned down earlier?) Cheers, David Original Message Subject:Meander PVC - combi Date: Tue, 28 Aug 2012 19:07:35 +0200 From: netopyr neto...@arbenz.ch To: speleo Liste suisse Liste speléo speleo...@speleo.ch Liebe Freunde, nun ist es definitiv so weit : Das Meander PVC Kombi ist Geschichte. Eine Alternative ist nicht in Sicht. (Allerdings hat es noch einzelne Stücke am Lager, so ziemlich die letzten.) Hier die offizielle Mitteilung, die heute per e-mail kam I am so sorry to inform you, that we finally decided to end production of CRIOU PVC coveralls. The _main_ reason is the old, always problematic technology in welding process. .. With my best regards, Gustav Chers Amis, ça y est - les combis PVC de Meander ne sont plus fabriqués. Pour l'instant il n'y a pas d'alternative. (Par contre il en a encore quelgues pièces en stock - plus ou moins les derniers) ici le méssage officiel, reçu aujourd'hui par e-mail: I am so sorry to inform you, that we finally decided to end production of CRIOU PVC coveralls. The _main_ reason is the old, always problematic technology in welding process. .. With my best regards, Gustav Please reply to mmin...@caver.net Permanent email address is mmin...@illinoisalumni.org - Visit our website: http://texascavers.com To unsubscribe, e-mail: texascavers-unsubscr...@texascavers.com For additional commands, e-mail: texascavers-h...@texascavers.com
[SWR] What are these weird Antarctic pits?
Hi Lee SWR list, You may be interested to hear I will be using flying robots to explore the ice caves on Mt Erebus this December as part of my PhD project at New Mexico Tech. I am currently testing an xAircraft X650 frame with the open-source ArduPilotMega 2 flight controller. I hope to purchase a Hokyo lidar which I will either mount on the xAircraft frame, or if I can find sufficient funding ($12,500) I would like to purchase the Ascending Technologies SLAM Pelican system. My current research is on Erebus but I would of course use this system in traditional karst as well. I've done plenty of traditional cave surveying, and some cave lidar surveying, and think that quadcopter-mounted lidar systems are a great solution, and the technology is here already. I have an old blog post here: http://www.diydrones.com/xn/detail/705844:BlogPost:839613 Feel free to get in touch with me if you are interested, or have suggestions for further funding sources. Cheers, Aaron A question for you as an Antarctic speleological researcher: Larry Fish brought my attention in May to bizarre features visible in Google Earth--two huge holes in rough-looking black terrain with patchy snow and ice near the coast of East Antarctica. The larger one (about 300 feet across!) is at 66d 33' 11.77 S, 99d 50' 21.33 E; the smaller one (about 100 feet across) is at 66d 36' 12.57 S, 99d 43' 12.36 E. The latter one looks to have some dark-colored, curving hood-like structure, with a raised margin, arching over half of the opening (or at least gives that illusion when viewed without stereo capability). The other may have a shell of ice along the right side, with a gap between that and the rock. My first thought was volcanic fumaroles, with emerging fumes interacting with subzero surface air to form cryokarstic equivalents of rimmed vents, like the ice towers made by this process on Mt. Erebus. But this area with the apparent pits is in Queen Mary Land, near the Bunger Hills, a quarter of the way around the continent's margin from the Mt. Erebus volcanic zone, in terrain mapped as very ancient Precambrian with some younger overlying sediments. This would seem to preclude volcanic venting. There's been some science done in the Bunger Hills, but I've no idea whether anyone has ever looked at these pits up close. Whatever these holes are, they are shown as at only about 500 feet elevation, so they presumably can't go deeper than that without going below sea level. My only other guess is that the chaotic-looking black landscape is not bedrock but stony glacial drift, and that the pits might conceivably be where massive chunks of ice have disappeared from underneath a permafrost-stabilized rubble surface. But, with the sole exception of the round pits in volcanic rock on Mars, these are the most alien-looking cave mouths I've ever seen, and could be right out of H. P. Lovecraft. I wondered whether you might have any insights about these remarkable features, or know any experts on Antarctic geomorphology who could at least tell us what the black host material actually is, and what processes in that environment could account for such cavities. --Donald Davis ___ SWR mailing list s...@caver.net http://lists.caver.net/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/swr ___ This list is provided free as a courtesy of CAVERNET
[Texascavers] FW: The Dirty Little Secret About CoQ10
While an infomercial, these are interesting and informative facts that I felt beneficial for all cavers and their families to know. I have been taking a statin drug for several years and only recently learned of the importance of also taking CoQ10. Always open to comments or corrections. Fritz From: [http://news.newsmax.com/images/46087/newsmax_health_500.jpg] Dear Newsmax Reader: Please find below a special message from our sponsoring advertiser, Joshua Corn, Editor-in-Chief of the Live In The Now newsletter. He has some important information to share with you. Thank you. Newsmax.comhttp://Newsmax.com EXCLUSIVE SPECIAL REPORT - The Dirty Little Secret About CoQ10 Dear Health Conscious Reader, Are you one of the tens of millions of Americans who suffer every day from vague symptoms such as low energy, cloudy thinking, chronic muscle pain or joint discomfort? You could embark on a wild goose chase of doctors, pharmaceutical drugs and other therapies in an attempt to remedy your mystery illness. Or you might just chalk it up to getting older and accept it. But before you do that, you should know that the solution to your problems could be as simple as correcting a nutritional deficiency that severely compromises heart function, and sadly affects the majority of people over age 45. [1] Unfortunately, few doctors fully understand the nature of this deficiency and how it affects heart function. And no surprise - the big pharmaceutical companies have actually gone out of their way to suppress research on it. My name is Joshua Corn and I am the Editor-in-Chief of the Live in the Now newsletter - one of the fastest growing natural health publications in the nation. I am also CEO of Stop Aging Now, a company that has been making premium grade supplements since 1995. My passion for natural health always drives me to seek the truth and to educate people on alternative solutions that are both safe and effective. Please keep reading, because once again, we're revealing a simple, natural remedy that can change your life forever. Remember That Your Heart Is Your Engine I like to think about it this way. Your heart works day in and day out to bring crucial oxygen and nutrients to literally every cell in your body, especially your brain cells. It is essentially the engine that is powering your entire body, and on average it needs to beat about 100,000 times a day to get its job done. [2] That means it will beat billions of times over the course of your life. Sounds like a lot of work and strain on the heart muscles? It is, which is why taking care of your heart and keeping it strong is the key to a healthy heart and a long life. What Fuels Your Heart? [http://news.newsmax.com/images/46087/heart-fuel.jpg]Your heart is fueled by something called CoEnzyme Q10. You may have heard of CoQ10 before, but it's important to understand why this nutrient is so critical to your body function. CoQ10 is a cellular energy booster and powerful antioxidant and it is an essential part of your body's energy-producing process. CoQ10 is found throughout your body, but is most highly concentrated in heart muscles because of high energy demands there. When your heart has the high levels of CoQ10 it needs, it works like a charm. But when levels get low, your heart strains to do its job, and ultimately your entire body suffers. [3] Suboptimal heart function can result in mystery illnesses such as fatigue, pain and decreases in mental functions, just to name a few. Why Take Supplemental CoQ10? According to leading experts who are on the cutting edge of natural health, it's critical to supplement with CoQ10 as you age. After the age of 30, natural levels of CoQ10 begin to diminish. By the age of 50, your CoQ10 levels may be too low to support optimal heart function. [4] By age 70, your levels can become so low they can actually accelerate aging. [5] Your age aside, further loss of CoQ10 is caused by stress, illness or the use of certain medications such as statins. In fact, the WORST culprit is statin drugs. [6] It is now estimated that 1 in 3 adults over 50 take a statin. Meanwhile, few doctors warn their patients that by taking a statin to help their heart, they are in fact slowly draining their heart of the very fuel it needs for optimal health. In my opinion this is a shame, since so many people's heart health is being needlessly jeopardized at the hands of their own doctors. ABOUT JOSHUA CORN, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF [http://news.newsmax.com/images/46087/josh-corn-headshot3.jpg]Joshua Corn, Editor-in-Chief of the Live in the Now newsletter, is a health freedom advocate who's been involved in the natural health movement for over 15 years. He's always been dedicated to promoting health, vitality, longevity and natural living. Josh is currently writing a book on natural remedies and is gearing up to launch the Live in the Now radio show. In
[Texascavers] robots to explore Martian lava tubes
More power to anyone who can hitch himself to NASA's planetary program for money to build toys. (Why does that sound familiar?) But descending into a lava tube would not be a good way to investigate Martian geology, because all you get to see is the inside of one lava flow or so. If you want to see a cross section of Martain history, you need somewhere there is stratigraphy, like a canyon or crater wall. -- Mixon Forgive your enemies . . . after they are hanged. You may reply to the address this message came from, but for long-term use, save: Personal: bmi...@alumni.uchicago.edu AMCS: edi...@amcs-pubs.org or sa...@amcs-pubs.org - Visit our website: http://texascavers.com To unsubscribe, e-mail: texascavers-unsubscr...@texascavers.com For additional commands, e-mail: texascavers-h...@texascavers.com
[Texascavers] Fwd: Meander PVC - combi
Hi, This - sadly - is saying that Meander has decided not to try and resume the manufacturing of their PVC suits. (I think some of their manufacturing equipment burned down earlier?) Cheers, David Original Message Subject:Meander PVC - combi List-Post: texascavers@texascavers.com Date: Tue, 28 Aug 2012 19:07:35 +0200 From: netopyr neto...@arbenz.ch To: speleo Liste suisse Liste spel�o speleo...@speleo.ch Liebe Freunde, nun ist es definitiv so weit : Das Meander PVC Kombi ist Geschichte. Eine Alternative ist nicht in Sicht. (Allerdings hat es noch einzelne St�cke am Lager, so ziemlich die letzten.) Hier die offizielle Mitteilung, die heute per e-mail kam I am so sorry to inform you, that we finally decided to end production of CRIOU PVC coveralls. The _main_ reason is the old, always problematic technology in welding process. .. With my best regards, Gustav Chers Amis, �a y est - les combis PVC de Meander ne sont plus fabriqu�s. Pour l'instant il n'y a pas d'alternative. (Par contre il en a encore quelgues pi�ces en stock - plus ou moins les derniers) ici le m�ssage officiel, re�u aujourd'hui par e-mail: I am so sorry to inform you, that we finally decided to end production of CRIOU PVC coveralls. The _main_ reason is the old, always problematic technology in welding process. .. With my best regards, Gustav beste Gr�sse, Thomas meilleur saluts, Thomas - Visit our website: http://texascavers.com To unsubscribe, e-mail: texascavers-unsubscr...@texascavers.com For additional commands, e-mail: texascavers-h...@texascavers.com
Re: [Texascavers] Fwd: Meander PVC - combi
Ouch... Does anyone know of a good replacement? Mine has patches on top of patches (quite literally!). I found one that I'll be able to borrow from a friend who rarely uses it, but I would like to find a replacement for mine. - Fofo On 28/08/12 17:24, David Ochel wrote: Hi, This - sadly - is saying that Meander has decided not to try and resume the manufacturing of their PVC suits. (I think some of their manufacturing equipment burned down earlier?) Cheers, David Original Message Subject:Meander PVC - combi Date: Tue, 28 Aug 2012 19:07:35 +0200 From: netopyr neto...@arbenz.ch To: speleo Liste suisse Liste spel�o speleo...@speleo.ch Liebe Freunde, nun ist es definitiv so weit : Das Meander PVC Kombi ist Geschichte. Eine Alternative ist nicht in Sicht. (Allerdings hat es noch einzelne St�cke am Lager, so ziemlich die letzten.) Hier die offizielle Mitteilung, die heute per e-mail kam I am so sorry to inform you, that we finally decided to end production of CRIOU PVC coveralls. The _main_ reason is the old, always problematic technology in welding process. .. With my best regards, Gustav Chers Amis, �a y est - les combis PVC de Meander ne sont plus fabriqu�s. Pour l'instant il n'y a pas d'alternative. (Par contre il en a encore quelgues pi�ces en stock - plus ou moins les derniers) ici le m�ssage officiel, re�u aujourd'hui par e-mail: I am so sorry to inform you, that we finally decided to end production of CRIOU PVC coveralls. The _main_ reason is the old, always problematic technology in welding process. .. With my best regards, Gustav beste Gr�sse, Thomas meilleur saluts, Thomas - Visit our website: http://texascavers.com To unsubscribe, e-mail: texascavers-unsubscr...@texascavers.com For additional commands, e-mail: texascavers-h...@texascavers.com - Visit our website: http://texascavers.com To unsubscribe, e-mail: texascavers-unsubscr...@texascavers.com For additional commands, e-mail: texascavers-h...@texascavers.com
Re: [Texascavers] Fwd: Meander PVC - combi
I bought a spare Meander PVC suit a couple of years ago as soon as I heard they were to be discontinued. As I understand it, the main reason for their disappearance is a general European ban on PVC for environmental/health reasons. In any event, I do not know of a suitable alternative. :-( Mark At 08:29 PM 8/28/2012, Fofo wrote: Ouch... Does anyone know of a good replacement? Mine has patches on top of patches (quite literally!). I found one that I'll be able to borrow from a friend who rarely uses it, but I would like to find a replacement for mine. - Fofo On 28/08/12 17:24, David Ochel wrote: Hi, This - sadly - is saying that Meander has decided not to try and resume the manufacturing of their PVC suits. (I think some of their manufacturing equipment burned down earlier?) Cheers, David Original Message Subject:Meander PVC - combi Date: Tue, 28 Aug 2012 19:07:35 +0200 From: netopyr neto...@arbenz.ch To: speleo Liste suisse Liste speléo speleo...@speleo.ch Liebe Freunde, nun ist es definitiv so weit : Das Meander PVC Kombi ist Geschichte. Eine Alternative ist nicht in Sicht. (Allerdings hat es noch einzelne Stücke am Lager, so ziemlich die letzten.) Hier die offizielle Mitteilung, die heute per e-mail kam I am so sorry to inform you, that we finally decided to end production of CRIOU PVC coveralls. The _main_ reason is the old, always problematic technology in welding process. .. With my best regards, Gustav Chers Amis, ça y est - les combis PVC de Meander ne sont plus fabriqués. Pour l'instant il n'y a pas d'alternative. (Par contre il en a encore quelgues pièces en stock - plus ou moins les derniers) ici le méssage officiel, reçu aujourd'hui par e-mail: I am so sorry to inform you, that we finally decided to end production of CRIOU PVC coveralls. The _main_ reason is the old, always problematic technology in welding process. .. With my best regards, Gustav Please reply to mmin...@caver.net Permanent email address is mmin...@illinoisalumni.org - Visit our website: http://texascavers.com To unsubscribe, e-mail: texascavers-unsubscr...@texascavers.com For additional commands, e-mail: texascavers-h...@texascavers.com
texascavers Digest 29 Aug 2012 03:22:25 -0000 Issue 1618
texascavers Digest 29 Aug 2012 03:22:25 - Issue 1618 Topics (messages 20635 through 20645): Re: More about carbide caving 20635 by: Mark Minton UT Grotto Meeting - Wed August 29th 20636 by: Gary Franklin Caving over Labor Day 20637 by: vivbone.att.net Robots to Go Spelunking in Martian Caves? 20638 by: Lee H. Skinner 20639 by: Gill Edigar Re: DistoX X2 Whatever. 20640 by: S S Re: The Dirty Little Secret About CoQ10 20641 by: Fritz Holt robots to explore Martian lava tubes 20642 by: Mixon Bill Re: Meander PVC - combi 20643 by: David Ochel 20644 by: Fofo 20645 by: Mark Minton Administrivia: To subscribe to the digest, e-mail: texascavers-digest-subscr...@texascavers.com To unsubscribe from the digest, e-mail: texascavers-digest-unsubscr...@texascavers.com To post to the list, e-mail: texascavers@texascavers.com -- ---BeginMessage--- Unless something in the lamp catalyzes the decomposition of hydrogen peroxide, that would do no good. (Iron works well.) In any event, 3% hydrogen peroxide is probably too dilute to have much effect. Interesting idea, though. With an oxy-acetylene lamp you could cut through cave gates! ;-) Mark At 11:37 PM 8/24/2012, Don Cooper wrote: I tried using 3% H2O2 in my carbide generator for a while, thinking a little oxygen might make the light a little brighter. -WaV Please reply to mmin...@caver.net Permanent email address is mmin...@illinoisalumni.org ---End Message--- ---BeginMessage--- Howdy Caver, You are cordially invited to attend the next UT Grotto meeting Wednesday August 29th from 7:45PM- 9:00PM University of Texas Campus in 2.48 Painter Hall (156 West 24th Street, Austin TX 78712) http://www.utexas.edu/maps/main/buildings/pai.html Ellie Watson will present - The Ongoing Re-survey of Logan's Cave Ellie is a hardcore international caver recently transplanted from the Bexar Grotto to Austin. She has worked toward the re-survey of a great cave with a 24.8 meter dome room and will share some great photos as well as the aspects of a local project that was close enough to include weeknight trips. Bryce Smith will start the program with a short talk - Gypsum Caves in the Panhandle Bryce is a relatively new caver who participated in Jim Kennedy's trip to panhandle to seek out and survey gypsum caves. Come out for the fun and fellowship in Austin Texas and check out the adventures of these young cavers. For information on Underground Texas Grotto activities, please see www.utgrotto.org Officer contact, trip reports, event calendar, and new caver training links to beginner trips or vertical rope training are available. Before the meeting, take advantage of Sao Paulo www.saopaulos.net for happy hour specials. This area is the best place to park and meet folks walking over to the meeting. Then after the official meeting, we continue with the decades long tradition to reconvene for burgers, beer, and tall tales of caving at Posse East. www.posse-east.com The UT Grotto Program calendar is wide open and needs you, the caver with photos and a story to share about your adventures, scientific research, or something else really cool. Contact me. Sincerely, Gary Franklin UT Grotto Vice Chair Program Organizer 512-585-6057 caver.g...@gmail.com ellie watson ellie.tho...@gmail.com bryce smith bag...@facebook.com ---End Message--- ---BeginMessage--- Who's got a good cave trip planned for this weekend? Unexpectedly, I have the 3 day weekend off. I need to go caving. -Vivian Loftin ---End Message--- ---BeginMessage--- Discovery news article: http://tinyurl.com/8jkgvbx Now can't you imagine a bunch of robots exploring leads in Lechuguilla? :-) Lee Skinner ---End Message--- ---BeginMessage--- I'm not sure that the dreamers have a complete grasp on it all, Lee. But they should get something, at least, for dreaming. --Ediger On Mon, Aug 27, 2012 at 8:57 PM, Lee H. Skinner skin...@thuntek.net wrote: Discovery news article: http://tinyurl.com/8jkgvbx Now can't you imagine a bunch of robots exploring leads in Lechuguilla? :-) Lee Skinner - Visit our website: http://texascavers.com To unsubscribe, e-mail: texascavers-unsubscr...@texascavers.com For additional commands, e-mail: texascavers-h...@texascavers.com ---End Message--- ---BeginMessage--- I got a response from a couple people who are working on a board for the Leica DX and the newest model. The boards are still in development but they should have a release here in the next 6 months. I'm so excited for my surveyor of one-- Sent from my HP TouchPadOn Aug 26, 2012 7:39 PM, Mark Minton mmin...@caver.net wrote: This idea of paperless caving has been around for quite a while. In addition to the Swiss site cited below,
[SWR] What are these weird Antarctic pits?
Hi Lee SWR list, You may be interested to hear I will be using flying robots to explore the ice caves on Mt Erebus this December as part of my PhD project at New Mexico Tech. I am currently testing an xAircraft X650 frame with the open-source ArduPilotMega 2 flight controller. I hope to purchase a Hokyo lidar which I will either mount on the xAircraft frame, or if I can find sufficient funding ($12,500) I would like to purchase the Ascending Technologies SLAM Pelican system. My current research is on Erebus but I would of course use this system in traditional karst as well. I've done plenty of traditional cave surveying, and some cave lidar surveying, and think that quadcopter-mounted lidar systems are a great solution, and the technology is here already. I have an old blog post here: http://www.diydrones.com/xn/detail/705844:BlogPost:839613 Feel free to get in touch with me if you are interested, or have suggestions for further funding sources. Cheers, Aaron A question for you as an Antarctic speleological researcher: Larry Fish brought my attention in May to bizarre features visible in Google Earth--two huge holes in rough-looking black terrain with patchy snow and ice near the coast of East Antarctica. The larger one (about 300 feet across!) is at 66d 33' 11.77 S, 99d 50' 21.33 E; the smaller one (about 100 feet across) is at 66d 36' 12.57 S, 99d 43' 12.36 E. The latter one looks to have some dark-colored, curving hood-like structure, with a raised margin, arching over half of the opening (or at least gives that illusion when viewed without stereo capability). The other may have a shell of ice along the right side, with a gap between that and the rock. My first thought was volcanic fumaroles, with emerging fumes interacting with subzero surface air to form cryokarstic equivalents of rimmed vents, like the ice towers made by this process on Mt. Erebus. But this area with the apparent pits is in Queen Mary Land, near the Bunger Hills, a quarter of the way around the continent's margin from the Mt. Erebus volcanic zone, in terrain mapped as very ancient Precambrian with some younger overlying sediments. This would seem to preclude volcanic venting. There's been some science done in the Bunger Hills, but I've no idea whether anyone has ever looked at these pits up close. Whatever these holes are, they are shown as at only about 500 feet elevation, so they presumably can't go deeper than that without going below sea level. My only other guess is that the chaotic-looking black landscape is not bedrock but stony glacial drift, and that the pits might conceivably be where massive chunks of ice have disappeared from underneath a permafrost-stabilized rubble surface. But, with the sole exception of the round pits in volcanic rock on Mars, these are the most alien-looking cave mouths I've ever seen, and could be right out of H. P. Lovecraft. I wondered whether you might have any insights about these remarkable features, or know any experts on Antarctic geomorphology who could at least tell us what the black host material actually is, and what processes in that environment could account for such cavities. --Donald Davis ___ SWR mailing list s...@caver.net http://lists.caver.net/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/swr ___ This list is provided free as a courtesy of CAVERNET
Re: [SWR] What are these weird Antarctic pits?
Hi Aaron, Donald has certainly pointed out some strange openings in Antarctica- perhaps you can explain these. Looknig at them on Google Earth, they are most impressive. In addition to LIDAR surveying, can you take and transmit images of the features that your quadcopter is flying over? Can you do thermal imaging, to look for temperature variations as you fly over these features? What is the maximum distance range between where you're controlling it and the quadcopter? What's its elevation range; i.e., how high can it fly? I ask these questions because there are several apparently deep, large diameter openings on the northeast rift zone of Mauna Loa in Hawai`i that we'd like to know more about: are they deep crevices, evacuated magma chambers, or open vertical volcanic conduits? Are they active? Given their location on the NE rift zone, I doubt that they're skylights into lava tubes. Two of these openings are shown on the attached images. The first (Mauna Loa pit 1) is at elev. 9250' and has a diameter of 90'. The second (Mauna Loa pit 2), is at elev. 11,470' and is 95 feet across. Both of these are 3-4 miles from the nearest road and given the rough terrain, we have not hiked up to either one. If you can bring your equipment out to Hawai'i and can control it from several miles away, then we'd be happy to help you out. I have a permit to do lava cave studies in the Mauna Loa Forest Reserve, which is where these features are located, and can try to make whatever arrangements are needed to get you set up, should you have an opportunity to travel to Hawai`i. Good luck in Antarctica, Doug Medville On 8/28/2012 3:37 PM, DONALD G. DAVIS wrote: Hi Lee SWR list, You may be interested to hear I will be using flying robots to explore the ice caves on Mt Erebus this December as part of my PhD project at New Mexico Tech. I am currently testing an xAircraft X650 frame with the open-source ArduPilotMega 2 flight controller. I hope to purchase a Hokyo lidar which I will either mount on the xAircraft frame, or if I can find sufficient funding ($12,500) I would like to purchase the Ascending Technologies SLAM Pelican system. My current research is on Erebus but I would of course use this system in traditional karst as well. I've done plenty of traditional cave surveying, and some cave lidar surveying, and think that quadcopter-mounted lidar systems are a great solution, and the technology is here already. I have an old blog post here: http://www.diydrones.com/xn/detail/705844:BlogPost:839613 Feel free to get in touch with me if you are interested, or have suggestions for further funding sources. Cheers, Aaron A question for you as an Antarctic speleological researcher: Larry Fish brought my attention in May to bizarre features visible in Google Earth--two huge holes in rough-looking black terrain with patchy snow and ice near the coast of East Antarctica. The larger one (about 300 feet across!) is at 66d 33' 11.77 S, 99d 50' 21.33 E; the smaller one (about 100 feet across) is at 66d 36' 12.57 S, 99d 43' 12.36 E. The latter one looks to have some dark-colored, curving hood-like structure, with a raised margin, arching over half of the opening (or at least gives that illusion when viewed without stereo capability). The other may have a shell of ice along the right side, with a gap between that and the rock. My first thought was volcanic fumaroles, with emerging fumes interacting with subzero surface air to form cryokarstic equivalents of rimmed vents, like the ice towers made by this process on Mt. Erebus. But this area with the apparent pits is in Queen Mary Land, near the Bunger Hills, a quarter of the way around the continent's margin from the Mt. Erebus volcanic zone, in terrain mapped as very ancient Precambrian with some younger overlying sediments. This would seem to preclude volcanic venting. There's been some science done in the Bunger Hills, but I've no idea whether anyone has ever looked at these pits up close. Whatever these holes are, they are shown as at only about 500 feet elevation, so they presumably can't go deeper than that without going below sea level. My only other guess is that the chaotic-looking black landscape is not bedrock but stony glacial drift, and that the pits might conceivably be where massive chunks of ice have disappeared from underneath a permafrost-stabilized rubble surface. But, with the sole exception of the round pits in volcanic rock on Mars, these are the most alien-looking cave mouths I've ever seen, and could be right out of H. P. Lovecraft. I wondered whether you might have any insights about these remarkable features, or know any experts on Antarctic geomorphology who could at least tell us what the black host material actually is, and what processes in that environment could account for such cavities. --Donald Davis
