Where Does the water in Devil’s Kettle Go?

The more we attempt to unravel some questions, the more convoluted they become. They sorely mess with our heads.  No matter what proportion we explore this universe, we will never reach its ends. Numerous mysterious places are yet to found. The more we go deep to the oceans, the more we penetrate the woods, the more we discover the galaxies, the more complicated it becomes. The Earth is a kind of maze, surprising us at every place. Whether it is remote areas or whether around humans, there are numerous scientifically impossible things happening. The biggest conundrum that has not been solved even in this contemporary era of technology is the Devil’s Kettle. 

It is one of the most important geological mysteries of planet Earth. The name itself sounds intriguing so is the place. It grabs the hikers and visitor’s eyeballs. A spectacular waterfall within The United States that is known for its majestic wilderness. It is located within the Judge C.R. Magney state park, Minnesota. The Brule River splits in two, one portion follows its regular journey down the hill, while the other portion flows straight down into pothole and seems to disappear forever. Not even a single soul knows where this immense amount of water goes. All-day and all-night the river roars through the wilderness and flows down into the darkness without any trace. Even it has greek scientists. They have poured dyes, ping pong balls, logs, even GPS trackers to determine where it ends even then they never succeed. There are rumours that some legend pushed the car within the pothole.

 Different scientist purpose different theories but none of them are acceptable. Some believe there must be karst caves beneath falls like in Lechuguilla Cave and Carlsbad Cavern. But it is next to impossible because even a child knows that these caves are made up of limestone while the rocks found under falls are rhyolite and basalt, both contribute to hardness. Therefore, it has been rejected. Next comes the lava tubes theory as in Kazumura Cave near Hilo, Hawaii. The problem with this theory was that the rocks found there are not a proper match for these tubes. Moreover, no lava tube was ever discovered in Minnesota. The last one is that there must be a fault line, it seems to be dubious because it could not hold an immense amount of water. It would also have to be precisely oriented towards the lake and there has never been any evidence of such a fault found within the area.

To divulge the rationale behind this mystery, series of experiments that were conducted in late fall 2016 and announced by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) in February 2017 strongly indicated that the vanishing water tumbles back to the Brule River shortly below the falls. At the proposal of state hydrologist Jeff Green, two DNR experts measured the water flow above the falls and several other hundred feet below them. The two readings were virtually identical, suggesting no water lost to a different outlet. They analysed the failure of objects splash into the river to remerge by acknowledging that the powerful currents within the plunge pool would be enough to hold down most material until it pulverized. 

The scientists wanted to justify the conclusions, so they decided to orchestrate dye experiments during low-water flow to see where the underground channel re-joins the Brule River. They were planning to add fluorescent, biodegradable dye into the fall  but they were not permitted to conduct these experiments as it does not seem scientifically necessary to the park management

The Devil’s Kettle was featured in many famous novels and films. For instance, the 1998 novel The Big Law by Chuk Logan. In 2009 the pothole made its appearance in movies and books. These were, the movie named Jennifer’s Body which depicts a highly fictionalized version of falls and the book Sew Far, So Good by Monica Ferris….

What are the number of the other options we are left with? There is no way out, so where does all the water go? Is it escaped to a different dimension? Is there a parallel universe? Scientists still put their heads into the Devil’s Kettle Falls hoping to glean some inkling on what is happening but they continue to be flummoxed. Some even think that the government knows the solution to those questions yet they are not disclosing it because the place will lose its value for being mysterious and therefore the hikers or travellers count will curtail. Preposterous questions are roaming in everyone’s mind. It is clear as mud and endless taunts to those that even plan to know it. Nobody has able to understand this hypothetical lost world river system. Nobody knows when this daredevil mystery will divulge.

By Aashmeen Kaur, Amritsar