July 20, 2009

This is really cool. What you see is the Popo Agie River flowing into this cavern and then disappearing underground. I will now tell you the cool facts:

"The Sinks" are a series of cracks and crevices at the back of the cavern before you. The water of the Popo Agie River flows into the Sinks. It then reappears at the "Rise of the Sinks", a large calm pool 1/4 mile down canyon.

The Sinks are eroded into the soft white Madison Limestone formation. No spelunkers have explored very far into the Sinks since the cracks narrow down to very small log and rock choked passages.

It is unknown exactly how old the Sinks are although they are likely an ice-Age feature thousands of years old.

For many years it was unknown whether the water flowing into the Sinks was the same water flowing out at the Rise. Dye tests have proven the connection but have also revealed another mystery: it takes the water flowing into the Sinks over 2 hours to reappear at the Rise. It was also discovered that more water flows out at the Rise than goes in at the Sinks. Why the water takes over 2 hours to make the journey and where it goes during that time is still a mystery.

The water just flows in and then disappears underground.

Here is the Rise where the water comes out.

Here he was just munching on the side of the road (must be in Wyoming)