WATCH: Where Wyoming’s Mysterious Disappearing Water Goes
Where does the water go when this Wyoming River disappears underground?
You can follow the path in the video below.
Sinks Canyon is a rugged canyon at the base of the southern Wind River Mountains in Wyoming.
The mighty Popo Agie River rushes down on the eastern slope of the mountains, the canyon is named for a unique geologic formation, “The Sinks.”
But then the river vanishes underground near the mouth of the canyon. Farther down the canyon it reappears on the opposite side.
During the spring and summer, the cave system is filled with water.
But during the winter less water runs, and much of the cave is open to exploration.
Students from schools are brought to the area to explore where, in some areas, they can stand up and walk around.
But they cannot explore the entire river all the way down. Water still runs through it.
An experiment was once tried with dye. It was poured in before the sink. For some reason, it took 2 hours to come out the other side. Nobody knows what the water is doing during all of that time.
Watch this video and explore the part of the Canyon that is open during the low water times.
The Popo Agie River flows through Sinks Canyon State Park, but in a unique way. This episode of "Our Wyoming" explores Boulder Choke Cave where the river disappears before reappearing a quarter mile down the canyon. WyomingPBS videos are used in classrooms across the country. Comments inappropriate for a classroom are blocked. (Wyoming Public Media).
Much of the canyon was carved during the last glacial period
The Last Glacial Maximum occurred about 20,000 years ago, during the last phase of the Pleistocene epoch. Sea levels were about 400 feet lower than it is today. Glaciers covered approximately 8% of Earth's surface. That accounts for about 25% of Earth's land area.
The planet has been warming, slowly, ever since. Winter as we experience it in the northern hemisphere, is what is left of the last ice age, as are the polar caps on earth. (Encylopedia.com).