Sistema Nohoch Nah Chich
| Sistema Nohoch Nah Chich | |
|---|---|
  Sistema Nohoch Nah Chich Location in Mexico | |
| Location | Tulum Municipality, Quintana Roo, Mexico |
| Depth | 71.6 meters (235 ft) |
| Length | 67 kilometers (42 mi) |
| Discovery | November 26, 1987 |
| Geology | Limestone |
| Entrances | 36 Cenotes |
| Difficulty | Advanced cave diving |
| Cave survey | CEDAM, SAET |
Sistema Nohoch Nah Chich (from Spanish and Yucatec Maya meaning "Giant Birdcage System") is an extensive water filled cave system connected with the Caribbean Sea via a coastal spring called a variety of names, including Casa Cenote for the restaurant located nearby, but also Cenote Manati, or Cenote Tankah. The explored cave system extends to approximately 8 kilometers (5.0 mi) inland from the coast. It is located 16.5 kilometers (10.3 mi) south of Akumal (Quintana Roo, Mexico).
For more than ten years the system was extensively explored by dedicated cave divers starting from Cenote Nohoch Nah Chich (20°17.92′N 87°24.22′W / 20.29867°N 87.40367°W) in 1987. Mike Madden of CEDAM Dive Center established the CEDAM Cave Diving Team principally to conduct annual exploration projects to focus on cave exploration, while a number of cave research efforts were logistically supported, with contributions in the fields of karst hydrogeology, water chemistry, microbiology, ecology, and archaeology.
The technique of establishing jungle exploration camps at newly found cenotes and cave entrances was developed and refined during many cave exploration projects, thus allowing cave diving exploration effort to continue more efficiently at the edges of the known cave. The main camp of exploration became Cenote "Far Point Station", located 6 kilometers (3.7 mi) from the coast, and 2.8 kilometers (1.7 mi) further inland than Main Base Camp situated at the main Nohoch Nah Chich Cenote entrance.
During the Nohoch 1997 expedition the 60 kilometers (37 mi) of total explored cave passage mark was surpassed. In early 2007, Nohoch Nah Chich included 36 cenotes and had a recorded length of 67 kilometers (42 mi) when it was connected into and subsumed into the 14 kilometers (8.7 mi) longer Sistema Sac Actun by the Sac Actun Exploration Team (SAET).[1][2] This portion of the system is now called the "Nohoch Nah Chich Historical section", where with 71.6 meters (235 ft) also the greatest depth of the entire system was reached at "The Blue Abyss".
See also
References
- ^ John Roach (March 5, 2007). "World's Longest Underground River Discovered in Mexico". National Geographic News. National Geographic. Retrieved January 14, 2011.
- ^ Quintana Roo Speleological Survey
- Steve Gerrard (2000). The Cenotes of the Riviera Maya. ISBN 0-9677412-0-3. online Version. Retrieved January 14, 2011.
