There are a lot of qualified people that could answer these questions, feel free to subscribe to our mailing list Robert and post your questions and you'll get a lot of comments. Best technical consultants you'll find :)
Charles On Mon, Jun 22, 2009 at 6:02 PM, Fofo<gonza...@msu.edu> wrote: > 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/ >> > > --------------------------------------------------------------------- > Visit our website: http://texascavers.com > To unsubscribe, e-mail: texascavers-unsubscr...@texascavers.com > For additional commands, e-mail: texascavers-h...@texascavers.com > >
