Gouffre Berger
Encyclopedia
The Gouffre Berger is a French cave
discovered on 24 May 1953, by Joseph Berger, Bouvet, Ruiz de Arcaute and Marc Jouffray. From 1953 to 1963, it was regarded as the deepest cave in the world at -1122 m, relinquishing this title to the previous contender, Pierre Saint Martin in 1964, after further exploration. The Gouffre Berger is now ranked 28th of the deepest caves in the world, and the 4th in France
.
To return from the bottom of the cave back to the surface can take between 15 and 30 hours, without long breaks. In 1967, Ken Pearce, a metallurgy
teacher from Britain, descended with the Pegasus caving club team from Nottingham UK, organised and led by Peter Watkinson, and along with a 40 metres (131.2 ft) dive, reached a depth of 1133 metres (3,717.2 ft). They emerged after 13 days underground, having set a new world record at the time.
In 1968, B Leger and J Dubois reached a depth of -1141 m. This record was held until July 1982, when Patrick Penez attained -1191 m. In recent years there have been six fatalities in this cave, five due to water. During a storm or heavy rain, the Gouffre Berger can become a dangerous trap, and the water levels rise very quickly. In 1996, Englishwoman Nicole Dollimore and Hungarian
Istvan Torda died due to violent flooding in the cave.
of Engins
high on the Vercors Plateau
. In June 2001, the commune lifted a two-year ban on exploring this cave.
45°13′9"N 5°36′16"E
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...
discovered on 24 May 1953, by Joseph Berger, Bouvet, Ruiz de Arcaute and Marc Jouffray. From 1953 to 1963, it was regarded as the deepest cave in the world at -1122 m, relinquishing this title to the previous contender, Pierre Saint Martin in 1964, after further exploration. The Gouffre Berger is now ranked 28th of the deepest caves in the world, and the 4th in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
.
To return from the bottom of the cave back to the surface can take between 15 and 30 hours, without long breaks. In 1967, Ken Pearce, a metallurgy
Metallurgy
Metallurgy is a domain of materials science that studies the physical and chemical behavior of metallic elements, their intermetallic compounds, and their mixtures, which are called alloys. It is also the technology of metals: the way in which science is applied to their practical use...
teacher from Britain, descended with the Pegasus caving club team from Nottingham UK, organised and led by Peter Watkinson, and along with a 40 metres (131.2 ft) dive, reached a depth of 1133 metres (3,717.2 ft). They emerged after 13 days underground, having set a new world record at the time.
In 1968, B Leger and J Dubois reached a depth of -1141 m. This record was held until July 1982, when Patrick Penez attained -1191 m. In recent years there have been six fatalities in this cave, five due to water. During a storm or heavy rain, the Gouffre Berger can become a dangerous trap, and the water levels rise very quickly. In 1996, Englishwoman Nicole Dollimore and Hungarian
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
Istvan Torda died due to violent flooding in the cave.
Location
The entrance is within the communeCommunes of France
The commune is the lowest level of administrative division in the French Republic. French communes are roughly equivalent to incorporated municipalities or villages in the United States or Gemeinden in Germany...
of Engins
Engins
Engins is a commune in the Isère department in south-eastern France.-See also:*Communes of the Isère department*Parc naturel régional du Vercors...
high on the Vercors Plateau
Vercors Plateau
The Vercors is a range of plateaux and mountains in the départements of Isère and Drôme in the French Prealps. It lies west of the Dauphiné Alps, from which it is separated by the rivers Drac and Isère...
. In June 2001, the commune lifted a two-year ban on exploring this cave.
- Co-ordinates: Lambert III : x=856.630; y=3329,440; z=1460
External links
- Website of Comité Départementale de Spéléologie de l'Isère
- Access details, history and survey of cave
- Interclubs Berger 2006
- Gouffre Berger at Troglophil.de
45°13′9"N 5°36′16"E