Inner Earth Film Project Visits Monstrous, Culturally Significant Caves in Belize
To ancient Mayans, the monstrous jungle caves known as Actun Tunichil Muknal represented the underworld.
But to a group of videographers and archaeologists who visited the caves in modern-day Belize last December, it was just another day at the office. They were there for a week to shoot the latest segment of the Inner Earth Film Project, a work in progress documenting the most spectacular, unusual and remote caves on Earth. The team flew from Los Angeles to a small airport in the southwest corner of Belize near the Guatemala border. "Almost as soon as we got off the plane, we loaded our gear on a tractor for a 40-minute ride to the nearest access trail," said Greg Passmore of Passmore Lab, the San Diego-based firm creating the Inner Earth Film Project.
"Then we hiked another 40 minutes just to get to the caves. It wasn't easy, with the outside temperature a humid 90 degrees. There was some relief when we got into the caves; it was about 70 degrees inside. Then we transferred everything to inner tubes so we could explore the lakes and streams that flow through the monstrous cave system."
The Actun Tunichil Muknal is believed to have been the root of Mayan architecture. The main opening of the cave is shaped like a pyramid - a shape the Mayans perfected in the pyramids and temples they built throughout their empire.
Because the cave site is so remote and still revered by the area's inhabitants, the team was able to photograph Mayan pottery undisturbed for thousands of years.
The high-ceilinged caves feature soaring limestone walls, huge deposits of calcium carbonate and gigantic, multilevel travertine "dams" with water cascading over them to create indoor waterfalls. The interior water system is an example of "stream piracy," a phenomenon in which caves capture runoff groundwater from above. In the Actun Tunichil Muknal, the result is a complex series of streams, rivers and lakes many kilometers long. Testing new underwater camera housings, the Inner Earth team also took still images of the spectacular cave interiors, available at www.innerearth.tv.
"Standing in the water, we felt something nipping at our legs and feet," Passmore said. "It turned out to be catfish, which thrive throughout the caves. We also saw strange, worm-like 'curtains' of webs hanging under flat surfaces. We saw insects snared in the webs, but we never saw any spiders come to claim them."
The caves are part of a complex geography that shows vivid evidence of how erosion formed the caves level by level. Huge formations had fallen from the ceiling to create limestone columns that eventually connected to the floor. When the floor eventually gave way, the columns remained suspended from the top, with rock strata hanging at the base.
"This cave system dramatically challenges theories of cave formation," Passmore said. "If there's one thing it proved to us, it's that life isn't as simple as they teach you in college."
A new film expedition departs every two weeks for the next 24 months. Upcoming locations include Zimbabwe, Uganda, Madagascar and Borneo. The result will be a fast-paced video aimed at the MTV generation, with edgy digital photography and original music. The video will show how caves form and why they are a precious resource for all nations.
A location scout is currently traveling the globe to find additional caves near 14 major cities. The video also is being filmed in 3-D for viewing with appropriate eyewear.
To view photos and high-definition clips of recent expeditions in QuickTime H.264, visit www.InnerEarth.tv. For more information about the Inner Earth Film Project, email sabine @ passmorelab.com.
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