Science is Fun Fridays!

 

Craighead Caverns in Tennessee are home to America's "Lost Sea."  It is the largest non-subglacial underground lake in the US, and the second largest in the world.  But no one's really sure just how big it is...  Divers have tried to find the end, but all attempts have failed.

Archaeologically, the cave holds evidence of giant Pleistocene jaguars.  Later, it was used by the Cherokee as a shelter where they left behind pottery, arrowheads, weapons, and jewelry.

More recently, it was mined by Confederate soldiers for saltpeter to make gunpowder and moonshiners would hide their supplies within during the Prohibition era.

Geologically, it is home to an array of crystals, stalagmites and stalactites along the limestone walls.

The lake itself was discovered in 1905 by a young boy playing in the cave.  He was small enough to crawl through the tunnel that dropped him in knee-deep water.  That entrance has since been blasted for larger entry.

Beneath the surface, there are huge halls filled with water, which have yet to be explored.

The cave system is considered a National Natural Landmark by the National Park Service, located in the foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains.