Xunaan Ha

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Sistema Xunaan Ha

November 21, 2008: Alain Pocobelli and Hans Kaspersetz begin remapping the downstream sector of the system Xunaan Ha, originally explored by a French team. Add those to their data collected over time by Bil Phillips.

April 23, 2009: Measurements of existing guidelines as the explorations conducted by Alain and Hans lead to a total of 2095.2 meters in the downstream section.

May 05, 2009: Alessandro Reato and Mauro Bordignon carry out re-mapping of the guideline laid by a French team in the cenote Chan CHemuyil Sur (196.4 meters) and begin a series of explorations in the same cenote for a total of 1099.1 meters.

May 13, 2009: Chan Chemuyil Sur is connected with a dry cave, probably part of the system Tixik K'una.

May 27, 2009: Remapping the Cenote X-Cacel by Alessandro Reato on existing guidelines for a total of 155.6 meters.

May 28, 2009: Further explorations by A. Reato and M. Bordignon per un totale di 355.1 metri. Bordignon for a total of 355.1 meters.

May 30, 2009: Located a passage in the downstream section of Xunaan Ha that opens in the direction of Chan Chemuyil Sur. Further exploration in the X-Cacela. Total of 344.5 meters.

July 31, 2009: They made a careful study of all possible points of push, and the calculation of the different time of arrival on site. Mauro Bordignon enters from the cenote Xunaan Ha and is able to move further towards the exploration of Chan Chemuyil Sur; Alessandro Reato comes from Chan Chemuyil Sur and found the opening of a chimney on top of a collapsing material. I due sistemi vengono connessi da un passaggio di 160.9 metri. The two systems are connected by a passage of 160.9 meters.

August 09, 2009: Alessandro Reato and Mauro Bordignon connect over two different routes systems Chan Chemuyil Sur (formerly attached to Xunaan Ha) and X-Cacel, coming from two different entrances. Total passages explored: 344.4 meters.

August 15, 2009: Alessandro Reato, Mauro Bordignonand Alain Pocobelli begin the remapping of existing guidelines in the upstream section of the system Xunaan Ha. Some End Of Line are pushed beyond the explorations made by the French team for a total of 1531.5 meters.

August 20, 2009: Alternating remapping of existing lines (506.6 meters) and exploration of new passages (637.2 meters). Is found an access to what will become a new and completely unexplored section.

August 25, 2009: Continue remapping of existing lines (121 meters) and the guidelines of the main duct of the upstream sector that measure alone 1477 meters. The maximum distance reached from the entrance is 2058 meters. Further exploration continues in various sectors for a total of 437 meters and in the new section are explored 686 meters of new passages to find another cenote named Murcielago's House.

September 01, 2009: From datas provided by Robbie Schmittner be taught some explorations into the system Paloma, whose entrance is very close to the end of the upstream section of the system Xunaan Ha for a total of 316 meters.

September 02, 2009: Has been found the connection between the system Palomita and the system Xunaan Ha.

September 04, 2009: Start of the exploration of the cenote Xunaan Ha 2 (pending the final name, 245 metres) and simultaneously finds the connections between the Palomita (formerly Xunaan Ha) and the Pitch system, of which there is no precise information regard to the extension.

September 06, 2009: continuing the explorations in the system Xunaan Ha (573 meters).

September 11, 2009: Exploration of the upstream sector of the cenote Xunaan Ha 2 (298 meters) until the connection is found with the system Xunaan Ha.The Xunaan Ha system to date is measuring 12,675 meters and is tenth in the list of larger systems of the Riviera Maya although there are still many steps to be measured up-stream side of the field.

September 13, 2009: Continuing the explorations between cenotes Xunaan Ha and Xunaan Ha 2 (315 meters).

September 20, 2009: It is located the main passage up-stream of the new section and is explored farly in the northwest direction (994 meters) and one of the passage down-stream towards the south-east for a total of 1938 meters.

September 30, 2009: Exploration began in the side passageways to find possible connections and to determine the width of the section of the system for a total of 1892 meters of new passages.

October 10, 2009: Seeking new and closer access are explored other 1197 meters of new passages.

In the subsequent two days are closed some circuits left over for a total of 245 meters.

October 14, 2009: Given the proximity of the up-stream area exploration resumed in the cenote Paloma. Over the next five days are remapped 294 meters of existing lines and explored 529 meters of new passages.

October 25, 2009: Found an interesting passage down-stream in the Northeast direction with heavy flow that moves toward the up-stream section of Hol Kin (ex Xunaan has 2).

It is also connected to the up-stream of the cenote Palomita, which also became part of the system Xunaan Ha.

Resurveyed 245 meters of existing lines and explored 712 meters of new passages.

At the date of October 25 the total extension of the system Xunaan He is 20928th meters, which are missing data from several side passages between cenotes Xunaan Ha and Palomita, as well as the whole area of cenote Pitch.

October 30, 2009: the Hol Kin upstream section is pushed for a total of 340 meters, but the two branches explored lead one to a locked room and the other in a keyhole.

November 10, 2009: further tryes to the northeast into a large bedding plane to find connections with an existing system in that direction for a total of 186 meters of new passages explored.

November 20, 2009: the exploration continues in the downstream of Xunaan Ha to check the connection with the Templo system. There is approached with difficulty, the passages are very small, for a total of 230 meters.

November 30, 2009: the resurvey of existing lines in up-stream Xunaan Ha continues for a total of 2231 meters, and are discovered new passages for a total of 1055 meters.

Currently the system Xunaan Ha is the sixth largest cave system in the state of Quintana Roo and the eighth in all of Mexico.

December 14, 2009: In an attempt to find the connection with the cenote Templo are conducted exploration of new passages in the southern sector of the downstream for a total of 372 meters. Passages are very small and tortuous.

December 31, 2009: It is carried out (and almost finished) the resurvey of existing lines (295 meters) and are explored 1215 meters of new passages. Those lead to a further new section richly decorated with numerous stalactites and stalagmites.

January 10, 2010: It is finished the resurvey of existing lines, adding the last 182 meters, while the new section are explored for 837 meters of new passages. The decorations are outstanding as well as quantity as quality. On the bottom are 2 pieces of charred wood, which suggests that there is the possibility of finding a new cenote.

Currently the system Xunaan Ha consists of 27844 meters of underwater passages. It is the fifth largest underwater cave system in the Mexican state of Quintana Roo and the sixth of the world.

January 20, 2010: Continuing the work in the area of the connection between Palomita and the cenote Pitch; are resurveyed 151 meters of existing lines and explored 528 meters of new passages, including further by-pass between the downstream end of the Pitch with the area of the Chamber of Secrets..

February 15, 2010: studies in the evolution of the water in the area downstream of the cenote Xunaan Ha it is noticed an anomaly in the depth and direction of flow. All this leads to the discovery of a new passage to another cenote. n this cenote start an exploration carried out by Marike Jasper in 2003 as reported by the marker on the line.

Jim Coke of Quintana Roo Speleological Survey confirms that it is in possession of data Marike but not the location of the cenote Cenote Boy baptized at that time.

Starting from the line of Marike is explored a new passage (357 meters) into a sublayer until to get through a chimney in a dry cave that is located along the main direction of dry cave Tixik K'una. The distance as the crow flies to the western end of Cenote Chan Chemuyil Norte is just 60 meters.

March 20, 2010: In the past month there was the meeting between Philippe Brunet, Alessandro Reato and Mauro Bordignon. Philippe and his team was the first explorer over the systems Xunaan Ha, Paloma, Chan Chemuyil Sur and Pitch.

Continues then the remapping of the line placed by the team of Philippe until we get to the cenotes Abismo and (finally) Pitch for a total of 824 meters.

Unfortunately we are not allowed entry to those cenote by the landowner, thus continuing with the exploration and mapping becomes particularly complicated because of the forced passage with bulky equipment through a number of restrictions entering from the cenote Palomita .

01 April 2010: With the use of scooters and distributing bottles along the path to achieve we can resurvey the existing lines in the up-stream of the cenote Pitch, but coming from far away cenote Palomita. Although an emergency exit in the middle, the maximum distance reached from the entry point was 10564 feet and 6121 feet are added to the system.
The goal now is to find another cenote that allows us to enter the upstream of the cenote Pitch.

07 April 2010: Meanwhile on the other side of the system we repeatedly attempt connections with neighboring caves.
Unfortunately, the duit that seemed to head to Chan Chemuyil Norte branches in many very small passages, winding toward the end of Chan Chemuyil Sur.
Remains to discover where it comes from the water flowing in the duit of Chan Chemuyil Norte.

In the north section of Hol Kin begin some diving in a cenote named Renzo, the same name of the land owner.
Lying west of the coastline of the Pleistocene water collides with a "wall" of compact materials and the flow is diverted to the North.
We resurvey a part of an existing line in the downstream section (511 feet), just north direction, but the area of interest to us is the south side, where it comes the water from Hol Kin section. Here are explored 1316 feet of new passages, at hte beginning quite easy and promising but it all boils down to a barrage of restrictions where only the versatility of the side-mount configuration allows us to continue to pass.

April 18, 2010: Continue connection attempts: Mauro Bordignon dedicated to Chan Chemuyil Norte and explore some new passages (406 feet) but unfortunately all the ducts seem to close in on Chan Chemuyil Sur.

Alessandro Reato is concentrated in the area of the cenote Renzo: coming from Hol Kin, 925 meters from the entrance, in a first dive identifies, after two attempts, a lead in the right direction (for a total of 479 feet of new passages explored).

In a second dive, adding 725 feet of new explored passages, manages to come close to the upstream section of the cenote Renzo. The distance as the crow flies between the two systems is only 88 feet.

In a third dive, coming from the cenote Renzo and forcing a serie of restrictions, extends the exploration of another 196 feet.
The duct diverts southward without meeting the cave coming from Hol Kin, but the distance as the crow flies is only 15 feet.

May 31, 2010: Last month focus efforts to try to connect Xunaan Ha system with Renzo Cenote but it seems that the caves make fun of us. Are explored other 749 feet from the system Xunaan Ha and 758 feet from the Cenote Renzo.
According to data mapping detected the distance between the two caves is less than 3 feet. Of course we must take into account a certain amount of accumulated error, but as we have been able to verify where possible, this margin is always less than 1%.
We are thus confronted with a series of fractures in the material where we can see the water flowing through the two systems but which lack the physical ability to move.
Caused by the small size of the ducts the slightest movement causes loss of visibility, almost completely, so we are confident that other passages have yet to explore.

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