This series has been dealing with peculiar sights and unbelievable mysteries of Nature ever since its very first episode! Today, I bring you yet another one... only this time, the veils of mystery have been lifted and the puzzle is solved...
Have you ever seen...
The devils Kettle?
And now that you saw it...
*Image from: commons.wikimedia.org - Courtesy of: August Schwerdfeger - License: CC BY 4.0
Do you want to listen to it too?
At a first glance it looks nothing more than just a double waterfall system, shaking the waters of the Brule River and getting things noisy in Judge C.R. Magney State Park (Minnesota, USA).
But it's not as simple as that.
For years the second waterfall had been puzzling scientists that couldn't figure out where the water of the second stream went. The river splits in half and whereas the east half (the waterfall on your right -meter as you're looking at the video) keeps flowing downwards, following the course of the River; the shorter, west stream simply disappears inside a 3-meter pothole whose end no one seems to know where it leads to... [1, 2, 3, 4]
No one up until recently...
Scientists had been trying to solve the mystery with various scenarios and imaginative methods. They used dies to color the "vanishing" waters and follow their flow, they threw ping-pong balls in, but they never saw them coming out. Their idea was that the waters continue to travel underground and get drained into Lake Superior. [1, 2, 3, 4]
Not gonna happen
This scenario was somehow impossible due to the geology of the area. The park is made of basalt and rhyolite layers that do not allow for water to be absorbed. Water could travel deeper underground in more porous rocks like limestone, or through lava tubes. But this is not the case here, since rhyolite is too thick to allow for lava tube formation and the basalt layer seems to be deeper than it should to let water pass through it, in case conditions were met for lava tubes to form. [1]
This SciShow episode explains very well why the rhyolite and basalt rocks do not have high absorbity
Note: The episode was published in 2016, before the official explanation was made public.
What did happen
Scientists figured out a different way to crack the riddle of the disappearing water. In 2016, they simply measured the volume of the "incoming water" of the falls and then the volume of the river flow a few meters farther. The result numbers seemed to match after taking into consideration the equipment tolerance (the difference was only 2 cubic feet/second)! So, the conclusion was: Water comes in, half of it takes a deviation route and comes back. [1, 2, 3, 4]
And where do all those ping-pong balls go?
With the water coming down so hard, the most plausible explanation is that it keeps objects down, not allowing them to emerge to the surface until they've been crushed and turned to... tiny little pieces. Chemical analysis of the waters, to find traces of dye would surely add to the theory's credibility and allow for a more precise determination of the exact spot where the west stream meets with the river waters again, but the park authorities did not allow scientists to conduct further experiments in the area. [1, 2, 3, 4]
Been there?
Any chance for readers to have visited the place? I'd love to hear more about your experience!
References
[1] wikipedia.org
[2] dnr.state.mn.us
[3] mnn.com
[4] atlasobscura.com
Thank you so much for your time!
Until my next post,
Steem on and keep smiling, people!
You visited the US to film this?
"γαμω το χριστο σου"
but only after I "γαμω τη παναγια σου"
No, I just searched youtube!
And don't say bad words, θα σου βάλω πιπέρι στη γλώσσα! 😜
Δεν είμαι Trumpman τίποτα δεν πηγαίνει στο στόμα μου!
😂😂😂😂
Ho ho! This is something of a coincidence. My wife and I are currently completing the Lake Superior Hiking Trail. I have been posting wisecracks about it on my blog for a few days. I woke in the tent down here near Gooseberry Falls and found this.
Two summers ago, we passed Devil's Kettle on the trail north. There are two other falls on the river leading up to it. I haven't much more to add other than that it is a worthwhile journey up the North Shore in any type of travel.
I believe the mystery is still in shrouds about where that water goes. It is a fascinating site either way. Have a good one!
Oh wow! It's fascinating to have a real "witness" reading this! Is the hike there an easy one, or does it take advanced skills to get to the falls?
Inland from the Lake is uphill and it is a mile or two. So it takes some endurance. But the park trails are hammered down and not difficult. It is quitea drive up the coast. Do it in the autumn and see plenty of colors.
Now you made me jealous and yearning for a hike with the autumn breeze kissing our faces! Too bad you're too far away from Greece...
This case is not main stream XD
Posted using Partiko Android
So this is protected area and not allowed for more investigation? Well, sometimes it's good that nature remains untouched. I like wild sights - from the far better than near me ;-) But certainly in cities they could lead some more space growing a little wilder instead of having it all cut and pruned.
Thanks for providing us with natural sights and phenomena. Its a constant one is meanwhile used to.
P.S. poor ping pong balls
Thank you for stopping by!
Some " escape exits" should be easy to reach around towns and cities. Untamed nature is way different than the huge parks you have abroad.
I felt bad about those balls too...
:)
A bit unsure how you mean this?
A park like Yellow Stone or Joshua tree, for example?
Yes, then untamed nature for sure is different. Guess you also have in mind the unreachable areas and impenetrable jungles so overgrown by wild growth that you can't find a way. That must have been hard for the first explorers who fought their way through the thicket, accepting all kinds of inflammation and poisoning. ... Real pioneers. One could be happy when wild animals had already trampled a path.
I feel reminded to read travel and research reports from this time (18th and beginning of 19th century) and to get involved with the reports from the flora and fauna. Less on what the researchers unfortunately also interpreted when they saw "savages". A completely wrongly drawn picture of tribal cultures that for a long time obscured our civilized gaze.
I meant "untamed" as in wild, pure and untouched nature, forests, mountains, just like you described it. And by "huge parks" I had city parks in mind, because in Greece we don't have vast areas like Central Park, for example.
Now that you mentioned those expedition reports, you just reminded me of this movie: The Lost City of Z
Oh, cool! Thank you. I haven't heard of that movie. And I can watch it through amazon prime. I just clicked it underneath and my site opened. Wonders of modern technology! LOL.
Science on the trail again, to explain our natural wonders. Lovely pictures. Clear description. As I read I thought of a spot on the Hudson River, near Newburgh, New York (USA) that was named the The Devils Dance Chamber. There's a generating plant there now--no regard for natural wonders. I know when this name was first assigned there were a lot of religious fundamentalists who settled the area. They were persecuted in their various homelands and decided to settle where they could practice their faiths. Some were Dutch. Some were English. Some were Belgian. The ones who named this spot probably were Dutch because another name for The Devil's Dance Chamber was also called Danskammer.
I couldn't find a nice picture--no, I will not send one of the generating plant:), but the link tells you something about the history of Danskammer.
Oh, thank you @agmoore! I like folklore tales and legends ever since I was a child!
Me too :)
Here comes the devil's kettle.
Have you seen the movie "Jennifer's body"? This phenomenon was depicted there too. But they attached supernatural and superstition to it (saying that it possesses a dark power and stuffs, lol) - but this isn't covered in the area of the observable science though.
I wouldn't mind witnessing some of these phenomena you've been bringing our way Ruthie.. maybe in the near future though.
Nice piece again Ruthie
See? I finally put it here Sammy!
I've never heard of that film to be honest, I'll look it up.
I wish you get to see all of them some day, Sammy! (And make lots of posts about them to make me jealous!)
Thanks a lot for coming over! 😇😘
You are always welcome to join us and get more recognition for your posts. You can find more information about geopolis here or join our Discord server.
A wonder of nature.
Indeed! Thanks for reading!
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