Karst Limestone and the MYSTERY of the Disappearing River (Sinks Canyon, WY)
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- Опубліковано 15 вер 2024
- A river disappearing into a mountain is unusual enough, but when it comes back OUT with MORE water, it’s downright weird. Geology helps explain what’s going on and there are some BIG, fishy surprises as we explore this fascinating stretch of the Popo Agie River in western Wyoming!
I grew up in that country, and this is not the only creek / water course that disappears under ground as it reaches the edge of the mountains. As far as I know, it is the only one that resurfaces a short time downstream. There are many caves in that area, most dry until you get farther into them.
Interesting! I suspect those streams that don’t reappear are merging with the Popo Agie and others somewhere in the catacombs!
Only one creek that disappears, as far as I know, is close to the Popo Agie. It is the next canyon to the east. The rest are farther northwest.
I did as well and we used to go into the caves in the winter. There were 3 chambers where we entered and at the bottom the creek flowed through. Went there one time in march and water started flooding in. We were crapping our pants to get out of there.
@@cogent211814nice escape - glad you didn't get your own Mr Ballen episode ☠️❤
The wind river mountains are gorgeous. I went there with a bunch of Shoshone and Crow friends. Their stories of history in the area were pretty incredible.
It’s one of my favorite places!
I remember the Wind River area and the Sinks reservation land Crow, I believe the stories are terrific!
I was working in Lander Wyoming. At the installing modular housing for the oil boom that was under way, enjoying the weekends with nature!!
What a wonderful experience time that was!
@JeriMadsen-z3y That is Shoshone land now. The Crow were given the area around the Yellowstone river, just east of the Bighorn Battlefield. Lame Deer, Montana.
In the 60's spring, Utah's fish & game, planted 10000 macks in Bear Lake, to try to attract a larger population adding ot the opening. When the season came and gone the Mackinau were never found. Then they dumped a large volume of a dye that was traceable found it floating in Bloominton Lake,Idaho that was 18 miles to the North!
The lakes were tied together through a network of fishers and caverns that grow through the season.
I guess thats the explanation that opens up regarding the winter season when the Cisco fish run starts, then disappears!!
Interesting! I hadn’t heard about this before.
As usual, another one of your awesome videos that makes me want to head out again on a road trip to Wyoming....and eastern Utah...and other places in Colorado. Thanks for the virtual field trips!
Thanks to you for watching! Still so many places to explore!
Right couch potato fish 😂😂 And certainly the conundrum that makes us go hmm 🧐!! Keep on rockin and thanks so much for interpreting my Wonderful Wyoming!! 🤠
You got it! No other place I’d rather spend my time looking at rocks!
“…if we’re so inclined…”. Too funny.
Another nice video doctor. Not sure I would want to splash around in that pool. Those trout have been conditioned to go into a feeding frenzy when that food hits the water. 😀
I’m reminded of the 1970’s movie “Piranha”!
Great show, Doc! Those trout all look more or less the same size...?
Much appreciated! There were various sizes ranging from big to HUGE!
Awesome!! Thanks again
Likewise!
@9:15 I'm like "why would they feed the fish coins" derrrrr lol
Ha! Yeah, I didn’t mention the next step in that progression.
There is a nice cave entrance midway between the Sinks and the Rise where qualified cavers can visit the river underground.
In the Boy Scouts in the early 80's e went splunking into the cave. That was a cool place.
I would believe there are many network of natural waterway caves and caverns, pockets, carved out by constant running water over thousands of years, both horizontally and vertical. Thus takes a long time for water to exit. Plus water coming in will also come from many miles away. Good thing the dam mentioned is obsolete. I totally loathe dams. I would believe those are introduced fish and not native to the waters....Note: Always great videos. Thank you
Good points. Yes, I’m not a fan of dams either and all the trout in Wyoming except for cutthroats are indeed introduced and non-native.
It may be that the mountain between the sink and rise are a more massive, sandstone absorbative mass than is actually realized. . It would function part of the time as a draining source, but other times as a sponge. Perhaps a constant monitoring station would prove or disprove this, by lead/lag flow characteristics likely changing gradually over the seasons, and depending on precipitation.
It probably is something to do with enhanced drainage from somewhere in the hillside. Either additional karst or like you suggested, different lithology.
i LOVE you also. Great views of the fishes
Thanks. They’re pretty spectacular!
Iron Maiden knows where that river goes... that bass line from The Clairvoyant is iconic. I've seen Himalayan streams with huge chunks of granite in the watercourse and even more massive snow-capped peaks in the background. What kind of riverside rocks would have a deep red oxide coating?
Up the irons! Iron oxide is most common in sedimentary rocks where the groundwater has rusted it in place and flushed out other minerals. But it could also be present in iron-rich igneous and metamorphic rocks. So…depends on local geology!
But don't fish on the Missouri Geology camp. They will throw you off. During a high runoff, the river will blow right past the sinks and reconnect to the river down below.
Good to know!
Cranking videos out rapid-fire lately! That will help grow the channel quickly. That's interesting that the water takes so long to pass from the sink to the rise. I would assume the water is slowed by underground infill between the sink and the rise. But what do I know 🤷♂
Yeah, I’m guessing there’s an extensive network of karst pathways that divert the water into then out of the hillside. As you can tell, I shot this video over a month ago but just got caught up on editing and posting. Lots going on and I’ve got hours and HOURS of footage to go through just to get caught up with where I am now. And by then, I’ll be backlogged again. A great problem to have!
That IS a good problem. Glad to know we got more videos coming... I'm learning stuff here 😆@@rock-o-rama
Congratulations you pronounced Popo Agia correctly.
20 years of living in Wyoming paid off for me!
...And Gros Ventre
Nick Zenter fan Iam
I’ve seen some of his stuff.
The fish are there cause people feed the. Not because there's more oxygen. Every body kno dat
5X5 Datil NM USA
Cool.