Hi!
Hmm... Wow, I guess there could be a flood of answers. OK, here are my
comments:
> 1. In a long tunnel - c. 6’ wide x c. 8’ high; about a quarter of a
> mile in length - can a sensitive person detect changes in air pressure,
> humidity, and smells, the deeper in and down you travel in this tunnel?
The pressure gradient in the atmosphere is not big enough to feel it
when merely walking through a passage and getting deeper into a cave.
Changes in humidity and smell, yes, you can feel those (but they are not
necessarily related to changes in depth).
> 2. Can you feel air moving in such a long tunnel that leads to an air
> shaft?
Yes -- if there's air movement. That is, a tunnel leading to a pit open
to the surface doesn't necessarily have airflow through it.
> 3. If you hover over an air shaft on the surface, can you feel/detect
> air movement going in or out?
Yes (again, if there is air movement).
> 4. If you are in a cave, tunnel, or cavern for up to three days, do you
> lose track of time?
> Could a person go to sleep for several hours and wake up, thinking
> it must be morning?
Yes, because you lack any indication of whether or not it is day or
night. Without watches and in a cave, people tend to still adopt a
roughly 24-hr cycle, of about 12 hrs or activity/12 hrs of rest, but the
"day" _could_ start at, say, 3 am, and since you don't have anything to
tell you that, you go happily about your business.
> 5. What significant developments can a person experience in long term
> caving?
Hmm... Great friends and cool stories? :)
I'm not sure I understand the question. Is it like, what could be the
effects of extremely long stays in caves? Or more like what happens when
someone caves often and has been doing it for a long time?
Under the total darkness and (sometimes) silence of a cave, some
people's brain may start providing their own stimulus via visual or
auditory hallucinations, but I guess there is some adaptation to it,
because cavers routinely spend weeks underground while exploring hard
caves without any problems (but in those cases there are plenty of
stimuli around, like other cavers).
- Fofo
Mark Alman wrote, on 22/6/09 14:51:
Hey, Robert.
I'm no expert, but, I will post your message to CaveTex, where folks
much more intelligent, experienced, and educated than I can, hopefully,
help.
OK, y'all, time to dazzle Robert with your collective brilliance!
Thanks and good luck on your story!
Mark
------------------------------------------------------------------------
*From:* Robert Graham <r...@localaccess.com>
*To:* chair...@cavetexas.org
*Sent:* Monday, June 22, 2009 1:39:32 PM
*Subject:* cave/cavern questions
Hello.
I'm co-writing a sci-fi adventure story, and would like to ask for help
on several questions (that I can think of now, anyway) concerning
tunnels and caverns.
My characters are now in one of a series of caverns and will be
traveling through them for up to 25 miles. The caverns are both natural
and man-made, deliberately designed and connected for underground
transportation. Two of the group of four have calcium carbide lamps
fixed to their helmets.
1. In a long tunnel - c. 6’ wide x c. 8’ high; about a quarter of a
mile in length - can a sensitive person detect changes in air pressure,
humidity, and smells, the deeper in and down you travel in this tunnel?
2. Can you feel air moving in such a long tunnel that leads to an air
shaft?
3. If you hover over an air shaft on the surface, can you feel/detect
air movement going in or out?
4. If you are in a cave, tunnel, or cavern for up to three days, do you
lose track of time?
Could a person go to sleep for several hours and wake up, thinking
it must be morning?
5. What significant developments can a person experience in long term
caving?
If you are not in a position to respond, can you direct me to someone
who can?
Thanks for any help.
Robert Graham
Warshington state, USA
or
46º 28' 28" North
122º 56' 44" West
http://seventhorder.c-corp.net/
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