Random Craziest, Most Mind-Blowing Things About Devils Hole (10 items)

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  (#6) It's A Valuable Research Site For Climate Change

  To track how the Earth's environment has changed over time, climate scientists regularly study ice samples from the Arctic to understand the Earth's makeup in previous millennia. Paleoclimatologists discovered Devils Hole was another fertile resource for their research. Samples from the underwater cavern provide nearly 500,000 years' worth of data for scientists to learn how sea levels in the Southwestern US have changed over time.

  The work may lead to a better understanding of drought cycles.
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  (#1) No One Knows For Sure How Deep It Is

  Though researchers and explorers have studied the waters of Devils Hole for decades, the full extent of the water system is still a mystery. The opening is about 8 feet wide and 60 feet long and feeds into a wider body of water known as Acree's Chasm. Narrow waterways feed into caverns and pockets of air including Brown's Room, a 50-foot-tall cave buried underground that's only accessible through Devils Hole.

  Divers have explored as far as 436 feet down and could see another 150 feet below them, and experts suspect it could go 900 feet down or more. They don't know for sure because there hasn't been an expedition to reach the bottom. Some suspect the water connects with locations across the world, due to how Devils Hole reacts to seismic events in other countries.
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  (#7) Data Recorded Near Devils Hole Could Indicate We're On The Brink Of A New Ice Age

  While global warming is a hot topic, in the long run, the Earth might be due for a cooling period based on data observed at Devils Hole. According to the US Geological Survey, the Earth began its current warm period more than 17,000 years ago. Earth's climate goes through cooling periods marked by the presence of glaciers every 10,000 to 20,000 years.

  If that data is accurate, this may indicate the planet is on the brink of a new cooling period - unless global warming makes that impossible.
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  (#8) Climate Change Is A Threat To The Pupfish's Habitat

  The Devils Hole pupfish population fluctuates with the season, but researchers are concerned about climate change's impact on the endangered species. In 2016 researchers reported there were as few as 30 fish in the hole at one point. In the autumn of 2017, the population was up to 115, but researchers are making efforts to start a backup community in a nearby facility.

  Scientists attribute these changes to several factors. The first is people in the region are using more fresh water, so the resource that keeps the Devils Hole pool filled is not as abundant as it once was. Climate change has also altered the conditions in the Hole, which has an impact on the pupfish's ability to survive.
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  (#9) The Water In The Hole Stays A Balmy 92 Degrees

  Swimming in Devils Hole is like taking a dip in the world's biggest bathtub. The massive cavern is heated thanks to geothermal energy. The warm water is also known for its uncommonly clear blue color. Diver Hillary Hauser wrote about the experience in her book Call to Adventure:

  I looked down through my face mask. I could see the first ledge below me at 30 feet. At 92 degrees, the warm water was like swimming in nothing. It was so clear that visibility might have been 300 feet.
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  (#10) Devils Hole Records Earthquakes From Half A World Away

  Devils Hole is so deep that it acts as a natural seismograph. Earthquakes from across the planet have produced tsunamis in the narrow opening. In one instance, tremors from Indonesia caused massive waves to oscillate 6 feet higher than the natural water level in the Hole.

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