Nohoch Nah Chich
Encyclopedia
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 kilometres (5 mi) inland from the coast. It is located 16.5 kilometres (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) 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 kilometres (3.7 mi) from the coast, and 2.8 kilometres (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 kilometres (37.3 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 kilometres (41.6 mi) when it was connected into and subsumed into the 14 kilometres (8.7 mi) longer Sistema Sac Actun by the Sac Actun Exploration Team (SAET). This portion of the system is now called the "Nohoch Nah Chich Historical section", where with 71.6 metres (234.9 ft) also the greatest depth of the entire system was reached at "The Blue Abyss".
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
and Yucatec Maya meaning "Giant Birdcage System") is an extensive water filled cave
Cave
A cave or cavern is a natural underground space large enough for a human to enter. The term applies to natural cavities some part of which is in total darkness. The word cave also includes smaller spaces like rock shelters, sea caves, and grottos.Speleology is the science of exploration and study...
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 kilometres (5 mi) inland from the coast. It is located 16.5 kilometres (10.3 mi) south of Akumal
Akumal
Akumal is a small beach-front tourist resort community south of Cancún, between the towns of Playa del Carmen and Tulum. It is located in Tulum Municipality in the state of Quintana Roo, Mexico...
(Quintana Roo
Quintana Roo
Quintana Roo officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Quintana Roo is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 10 municipalities and its capital city is Chetumal....
, Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
).
For more than ten years the system was extensively explored by dedicated cave divers
Cave diving
Cave diving is a type of technical diving in which specialized equipment is used to enable the exploration of caves which are at least partially filled with water. In the United Kingdom it is an extension of the more common sport of caving, and in the United States an extension of the more common...
starting from Cenote
Cenote
A cenote is a deep natural pit, or sinkhole, characteristic of Mexico and Central America, resulting from the collapse of limestone bedrock that exposes groundwater underneath...
Nohoch Nah Chich (20°17.92′N 87°24.22′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
Speleology
Speleology is the scientific study of caves and other karst features, their make-up, structure, physical properties, history, life forms, and the processes by which they form and change over time...
efforts were logistically supported, with contributions in the fields of karst
KARST
Kilometer-square Area Radio Synthesis Telescope is a Chinese telescope project to which FAST is a forerunner. KARST is a set of large spherical reflectors on karst landforms, which are bowlshaped limestone sinkholes named after the Kras region in Slovenia and Northern Italy. It will consist of...
hydrogeology
Hydrogeology
Hydrogeology is the area of geology that deals with the distribution and movement of groundwater in the soil and rocks of the Earth's crust, . The term geohydrology is often used interchangeably...
, water chemistry
Chemistry
Chemistry is the science of matter, especially its chemical reactions, but also its composition, structure and properties. Chemistry is concerned with atoms and their interactions with other atoms, and particularly with the properties of chemical bonds....
, microbiology
Microbiology
Microbiology is the study of microorganisms, which are defined as any microscopic organism that comprises either a single cell , cell clusters or no cell at all . This includes eukaryotes, such as fungi and protists, and prokaryotes...
, ecology
Ecology
Ecology is the scientific study of the relations that living organisms have with respect to each other and their natural environment. Variables of interest to ecologists include the composition, distribution, amount , number, and changing states of organisms within and among ecosystems...
, and archaeology
Underwater archaeology
Underwater archaeology is archaeology practised underwater. As with all other branches of archaeology it evolved from its roots in pre-history and in the classical era to include sites from the historical and industrial eras...
.
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 kilometres (3.7 mi) from the coast, and 2.8 kilometres (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 kilometres (37.3 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 kilometres (41.6 mi) when it was connected into and subsumed into the 14 kilometres (8.7 mi) longer Sistema Sac Actun by the Sac Actun Exploration Team (SAET). This portion of the system is now called the "Nohoch Nah Chich Historical section", where with 71.6 metres (234.9 ft) also the greatest depth of the entire system was reached at "The Blue Abyss".