A mystery surrounding the phenomenon of Devil’s Kettle may now be solved, according to scientists. This famous site, composed of two cascading waterfalls, has been baffling for decades. While it’s clear where the major waterfall runs, it’s intrigued onlookers that the second stream of water seems to disappear altogether. Here’s more on the elusive Devil’s Kettle and the (probable) answer to this age-old mystery.

The scenic Devil’s Kettle is located in Grand Marais, Minnesota.
Al/flickr
As you can tell by photograph below, the water from this natural area takes two distinct pathways: one by means of the waterfall and another down a hole.
Doug Kaye/flickr
So where does the water along this second path disappear to?
Ian Anderson/flickr
For years, people have attempted to solve this mystery with various colored dyes and ping pong balls, dropped at the site only to disappear completely.
Fortunately, there seems to be an answer, thanks to a recent publication by Minnesota Conservation Volunteer.
Ian Anderson/flickr
According to scientists, the water doesn’t end up somewhere near Lake Superior — as was believed to be the case — but rather further downstream along the Brule River.
Amy Meredith/flickr
This theory was tested by measuring the water-flow volume before the falls and after. They believed that if the water ended up in Lake Superior, the water volume after the second stream "disappeared" would be considerably less.
The scientists found that the water-flow volume before and after the falls was essentially the same.
Amy Meredith/flickr
The measurement before the waterfall reads 123 cubic feet per second and after the falls 121 cubic feet per second. In terms of stream reading, these numbers are identical.
So why weren’t the ping pong balls or dyes showing up before? Until now, it hasn’t been understood just how powerful Devil’s Kettle can be.
Tim Schleicher/flickr
In order to test this theory once and for all, scientists will have to use incredibly powerful dye visible 10 parts per billion. The plunge pool at the bottom of the kettle is so forceful that it can completely destroy items, or keep them completely submerged until further downstream.

What do you think about this recent discovery? Have you seen Devil’s Kettle in person? We’d love to hear about your experiences!

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