If the shoe fits . . . . Ron
_____ From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] Sent: Saturday, October 31, 2009 8:22 AM To: [email protected] Cc: [email protected]; [email protected] Subject: [Texascavers] Statuesque Cavers There is one of Xu Xiake (pronounced Shoe She-ah-kur) in front of the Institute of Karst Geology in Guilin, China. Xu lived from 1587-1641 CE during the Ming Dynasty and studied caves and karst for more than 30 years in 1600's. This was the same time that the Plymouth and Jamestown Colonies were being established in North America. Xu traveled more than 5,000 km, surveyed 300 caves by himself, and wrote 600,000 words accurately describing the karst of China. In 1637, Xu Xiake surveyed 88 caves at Guilin. He made very detailed descriptions which included the direction of the cave entrance, configuration and length of the cave, as well as solutional and depositional features within the cave. In his description of Seven-Star Cave he stated that "there were eight or nine caves with floor as flat as a playing ground which provided a space for hundreds of people". I'd call Xu both a caver and a karst scientist. DirtDoc
