Igue du Pendant

The pit entrance opens along a north-south joint (3 M x 1.5 M) down to -25 M. The shaft is vertical; its dimensions increase to a width of 7 M and a length of 20 M. The east wall, followed throughout the descent, is scored with large erosion flutes. From -20 to -36 M, one follows a slope of 800 produced by a narrowing of the joint. At -36 M, a step overlooks the bottom of the shaft by 8 M. At -44 M, one emerges into a small chamber (4 M x 2 M) with two continuations: one to the west, the other to the north. The floor is strewn with scree, but the usual scree of the Quercy igues is not found here, as it is regularly swept away by each flood.

West gallery: at the bottom of a gentle slope, a fairly low corridor (0.3 M to 1 M) leads after about fifty metres of crawling into a gallery 7 to 8 M high and 1 M wide. At 70 M from the shaft one meets a chamber (10 M x 10 M) of very irregular shapes, 15 M high. The floor is still strewn with scree and fine sand. An enormous dihedral-shaped block is detached from the wall (20 M x 10 M). At 100 M from the shaft, the shape of the gallery changes completely: the walls open out and one follows a very vast gallery 15 M wide on average and 8 M high; the ceiling is flat, the floor still strewn with scree and bones. The stream bed that until then occupied the whole gallery tends to entrench itself and, after about a hundred metres of slightly steeper slope, gives the gallery a keyhole profile. This section of the gallery extends over 400 M; it is the most interesting zone of the cave. Apparently it must be an ancient fossil cavity, entirely filled with tertiary sandstone and re-excavated by the present system. At 400 M from the shaft, on the right bank, one meets a high, rising gallery that leads to two large almost circular chambers, 40 M in diameter. These two chambers lie 15 M above the main gallery and are almost entirely filled with clay. At their centre are two fairly considerable absorption funnels. This kind of absorption funnel is found in many old streams of the Lot: Igue Mathieu, Salle Rouge de Pech Merle, Grotte David de Corronjace etc. In the present case, these funnels are 20 to 30 M in diameter, for a depth of 15 M. It would seem that these two chambers belong to the ancient fossil system. Returning to the main gallery, one follows for about fifty metres a joint gallery, high but relatively narrow, with very corroded walls. The slope becomes very steep and, by steps of 2 to 5 M, one reaches point 459 where the active stream is found again, fed by a tributary arriving from the west, in the continuation of the main gallery.

The north-west tributary: one gains access through a difficult crawl, half-drowned and filled with clay, to a small gallery that quickly enlarges and turns into a chamber. There the topography is fairly complex. One ascends the tributary for 240 M for a drop of 20 M. One is stopped at 687.8 M from the entrance by very small sumping conduits. All along this gallery, several lateral water inflows are noticed, but none is passable, except in a chamber located 50 M from the terminus where one meets what we have christened a "sand shaft" and which we describe further on; this one is almost entirely obstructed a few metres from the orifice.

The upstream gallery: at the foot of the access shaft, towards the north, one meets a joint gallery. The sloping floor is covered with fine sand. A very plastic layer of clay completely covers the walls. After 50 M of easy progress, one climbs a few metres and emerges into a chamber of irregular shapes (4 M x 8 M), with a very high vault. The gallery turns east and one arrives at the bed of a sand shaft, 40 M long and 20 M deep. At the bottom of the shaft, one follows a high and wide gallery, with a few keyhole sections. This gallery is very arduous to traverse because it is very clayey; it rivals the most clayey zones of the Padirac pit. Three clay dams 3 to 4 M high cut across it. At 358 M from the shaft, in a chamber 10 M x 10 M, one meets a gallery heading north (presence of clay stalagmites). After a few metres, a chimney 4 M in diameter and at least 20 M high appears in the vault. At the base of the chimney, the gallery becomes low and narrow; a very difficult crawl leads into a small chamber (2 M x 4 M) which reveals in its upper parts the start of an important gallery. Returning to the main gallery, a new sand shaft 30 M long and 10 M deep stops at a sumping body of water. The upstream terminus lies 70 M below the entrance of the shaft and 408 M from the access shaft. 50 M before the sump, on the right, a narrow and sinuous gallery leads to the foot of a chimney 10 M high, at the top of which is a large circular chamber 15 to 20 M in diameter.

In the west gallery, speleothem deposition is almost absent; numerous gouge marks are noticed on the walls. In the upstream gallery, a chamber located 358 M from the shaft contains clay stalagmites.

In the west gallery, the stream bed that until then occupied the whole gallery tends to entrench itself and, after about a hundred metres of slightly steeper slope, gives a keyhole profile. At point 459, the active stream is found again, fed by a tributary arriving from the west, in the continuation of the main gallery. Barely met, this tributary heads into a small joint, on the left bank, and very quickly a sump stops progress. This sump lies 350 M in a straight line from Font-Polémie. The flow of this tributary seems to be less than that found at the spring, which would suggest an adjacent water inflow to the main gallery, where, outside floods, all circulation disappears. In the north-west tributary, several lateral water inflows are visible but none is passable. In the upstream gallery, a new sand shaft stops at a sumping body of water.

The descent follows the east wall of the shaft, scored with erosion flutes, then, from -20 to -36 M, a slope of 800 due to the narrowing of the joint; at -36 M a step overlooks the bottom of the shaft by 8 M, and at -44 M one emerges into the small chamber with two continuations. In the west gallery, after about fifty metres of crawling in a low corridor, one follows the gallery; on the right, a diffluence rejoins the main gallery after 20 M. At 400 M from the shaft, on the right bank, a high rising gallery leads to the two circular chambers. Returning to the main gallery, one follows for about fifty metres a joint gallery, then, by steps of 2 to 5 M, one reaches point 459. The north-west tributary is accessible through a difficult crawl, half-drowned and filled with clay; one ascends it for 240 M for a drop of 20 M and one is stopped at 687.8 M from the entrance by very small sumping conduits. In the upstream gallery, after 50 M of easy progress, one climbs a few metres to the chamber (4 M x 8 M); at the bottom of the sand shaft one follows a high and wide gallery cut by three clay dams 3 to 4 M high; at 358 M from the shaft, a gallery to the north leads to a chimney 4 M in diameter, then a very difficult crawl leads into a small chamber (2 M x 4 M). 50 M before the sump, on the right, a narrow and sinuous gallery leads to the foot of a chimney 10 M high.