Deep in an inconspicuous corner of Tennessee, you can find America’s “Lost Lake”. We’re talking about the largest non-glacial underground lake in the United States, and possibly the second largest in the world. This massive body of groundwater found in Craighead Caverns is so large that no one is sure how big it is.
This lake sits in the middle of Tennessee’s Great Smoky Mountains between Sweetwater and Madisonville. Besides having an enormous amount of water, the cave is known for the array of crystals, stalagmites and stalactites that adorn its limestone walls. The cave system has a long history and is recognized as a National Natural Monument by the US National Park Service.
There is evidence that the cave was once home to monstrous giant Pleistocene jaguars, long before humans reached it. Centuries later, the pottery discovered here was also used as a shelter by the Cherokees, as evidenced by many Native American artifacts, including arrowheads, weapons, and jewelry.
More recently, early European colonists stored potatoes here, and later Confederate soldiers used the cave to extract saltpeter to make gunpowder. It is also said that during the US prohibition era, bootleggers hid illegal liquor in the cave.
However, the “lost lake” was discovered in 1905 when a boy encountered water while playing in a cave.
In a 2019 interview with CBS News, tour guide Savannah Dalton said, “Ben Sands discovered the lake. The 13-year-old had actually traveled more than 15 meters in a tunnel the size of a bicycle wheel before falling into the lake, which was about knee-deep. He was much smaller when he passed. But we’ve since expanded.”
However, no one is quite sure of the size of the lake. The visible part of the lake is 243 meters long and 67 meters wide, but below the surface it opens up to other great water-filled halls, many of which have yet to be explored.
More than 5.2 hectares of water have been mapped so far, although explorers still haven’t found the tip of the lake. Equipped with a sonar device, a diver swam in the pitch-dark waters of the lake and had to turn around because they could see nothing but water around them.
So, while the Lost Sea is said to be the second largest non-glacial underground lake surpassed only by Dragon’s Breath Cave in Namibia, it is not yet known whether this mysterious cave is the true record holder.
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