asscciation for mexican cave studies box 7672 ut station austin ...

La Sistema Purificacidn: a theory and a goalbyPeter SprouseAs these trip reports and accompanying line plots imply, the cave potentialis immense. At this point, if Brinco and Infiemillo were connected the combinedsystem would be around 800 meters deep. The passage length required fora connection between the two, now 5.2 km and 4.1 km respectively, could be anywherefrom two kilometers to ten. The downstream and downwind passage inBrinco is currently.heading nearly due south and doesn't appear to be likelyto change trend any time soon. Geomorphic evidence suggests it could maintainthis trend for up to 15 km to the south. Additionally, the major likely resur-.gences located 10 and 20 km to the north of Infiemillo amount'to a poten~ia~linear extent of 20 - 40 km. In comparison, the current linear extent of theworld's longest cave, The Flint Mammoth Cave ~ystem·cf Kencucky (length297 km) is around 10 km. The potential for density' 'of pas::>age development in thePurificacion system is probably similar to Flint Mammoth. Yet the potentialfor vertical development is some 20 times greater. From the springs of theRio Purificacion to the high karst of Rancho Nuevo is a vertical gain of over2000 meters. It is interesting to note that thus far there has heen no verti­~al work involved, with the notable exception of the ropework required to getup into the cliffside entrance to Infiemilfo.So we are indeed embarking on a project of immense potential that couldproduce the world's deepest and longest cave, although its realization admittedlymay take many decades: All survey data is now computerized and storedon permanent file at the University of Texas and line plots similar to theones used here will be used to show the continuing development of the system.Meanwhile a serious program of study and survey will continue in the fieldthe likes of which has not been seen in Mexican speleology.27