Sump (cave)

Two sectional diagrams illustrating the concept of a sump. Diagram "A" illustrates a U-shaped passage with water filling the rounded bottom section, blocking the dry passage either side. Diagram "B" shows a passage blocked similarly by a sump, but on one side the water level is being held back by a natural dam, with dry passage continuing beyond, below the water level of the sump.
Sumps often block access to "dry" passage beyond them. Diagram B shows a "perched" sump" which could be siphoned to lower the water level.

Sump or siphon is a term used in caving to describe a passage in a cave that is submerged under water. A sump may be static, with no inward or outward flow, or active, with continuous through-flow. Static sumps may also be connected underwater to active stream passage. When short in length, a sump may be called a duck.

Exploration past a sump

Diving

Short sumps may be passed simply by holding one's breath while ducking through the submerged section (for example Sump 1 in Swildon's Hole). This is known as "free diving" and can only be attempted if the sump is known to be short and not technically difficult (e.g. constricted or requiring navigation). Longer and more technically difficult sumps can only be passed by cave diving (as happened repeatedly in the exploration of Krubera Cave).

Draining

When practical, a sump can also be drained using buckets, pumps or siphons. Pumping the water away requires the inward flow of water into the sump to be less than the rate at which the pump empties it, as well as a suitable place to collect the emptied water. Upstream sumps have been successfully emptied using hoses to siphon water out of them, such as at the Sinkhole Dersios during exploration in 2005. The water was sent deeper into the sinkhole and the emptied sumps revealed virgin passage behind them. During a rescue from beyond a downstream sump at Sarkhos Cave in 2002, water was pumped upstream into a dam constructed a few metres above the flooded passage.

Some manuals also mention the use of explosives or other forms of force to empty sumps, but the ecological damage done to the fragile cave environment usually rules out the use of such methods.

See also

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