In 1905, 13-year-old Ben Sands, exploring the Craigged caves in Tennessee, accidentally made one of North America's most sensitive geological discoveries. Squeezing through a narrow tunnel, the guy was in a spacious hall partially filled with water. The fact that at first seemed like a regular underground reservoir was a giant lake, the boundaries of which have not yet been established.
This unique natural monument was called the Lost Sea - it is considered the largest underground lake on the continent. The visible part of the reservoir reaches 243 meters in length and 67 meters wide, but scientists believe that its real size is much larger. The divers managed to explore only 13 acres (more than 5 hectares), and they did not find the boundaries of the lake.
Over the years, experts have tried to study this natural miracle in a variety of methods. In particular, scientists launched rain trout into the reservoir, hoping that the fish would find other outputs. However, the trout never disappeared - they adapted to the dark, lost pigmentation and even began to "ask for" food.
In addition to the unique lake, the Craigged Caves have deep historical and archeological value. Native peoples, including Cherokee, graffiti of the soldier of the Confederacy in 1863, and even the remains of extinct Pleistocene Jaguar, who probably died, trying to get out of the dungeons, were found here.
Today, the Lost Sea is a US national natural monument and attracts more than 150,000 tourists every year. At the same time, the depths of the lake still remain a mystery that awaits bold researchers of the future.
