The ‘Lost Sea’ of America is the country’s largest non-subglacial underground lake and possibly the world’s second-largest one. Located in Craighead Cavern, deep beneath Tennessee, this colossal underground water body is too large to be fully measured!
The Cavern
The ‘Lost Sea’ is located in Tennessee amidst the Great Smoky Mountains between Madisonville and Sweetwater. Along with the lake, the Craighead Cavern is also home to some impressive geology. It’s known for its spectacular array of stalagmites, stalactites, and crystals decorating the limestone walls. For its beauty and long history, the National Park Service considers this cave system a ‘National Natural Landmark.’ Evidence shows that long before humans were on earth, giant and fearsome Pleistocene jaguars used to stalk the cave. Centuries later, the Cherokee tribe used it as a shelter, as proved by the various Native American artifacts discovered at the place, which include arrowheads, jewelry, and pottery. Throughout the centuries, the cave was used as a storage, a hideout, and was mined too for saltpeter.
The Lake
However, the underground lake was discovered quite surprisingly in 1905, when a kid accidentally stumbled across the water while playing in the cave in Tennessee. 13-year-old Ben Sands crawled 40 feet through a tunnel in the cave. Suddenly he dropped down into the lake and waded out into knee-deep water. The lake was visibly way smaller when discovered, but the scientists and geologists have been carrying on the discovery and blasted it out. As for now, nobody is quite sure about the sheer size of the lake. The visible portion is 800 feet in length and 220 feet in width. But there are other large water-filled halls beneath the surface, most of which are yet to be explored! Almost 13 acres of water have been mapped so far. Divers and explorers are still searching to find the end of the water body.
Channing Tatum to Co-Create a New Romance Novel
Channing Tatum is putting his romantic suit on once again! The 42-year-old actor is no stranger to romance, playing love interests in some of the biggest love stories of film history, like The Vow, Dear John, and many more. A multi-talented persona, Tatum is also a writer, director, and dancer! This time, he’s turning his romantic avatar on by penning a new novel, a romance novel, to be precise!
Previous Experience
Channing Tatum is no stranger to book publishing! In 2021, he published The One and Only Sparkella, a picture book for children. The book was inspired by his daughter Everly, whom Tatum shares with ex-wife Jenna Dewan. The cute colorful book aims to teach young children how to improve their self-esteem and embrace their individuality. Tatum gradually expanded the Sparkella universe by creating two more books, one to be published in May this year. The success of his picture books has given Tatum a taste of book publishing, and now he is ready to take it to the next level by writing a full-length romance novel working alongside Roxane Gay.
The Partnership
In a recent interview with Vanity Fair, Channing Tatum dropped the news of his new romantic novel project and also shed light on his writing partnership with Roxane Gay. Gay is famous for Not That Bad and Bad Feminist, two of her most poignant works. When Gay’s agent informed her that Tatum wants to collaborate with her on a new project, she couldn’t believe it. The pair met and started talking about the project back in 2017. Since then, they have been in touch to develop the project together. At first, Gay showed Tatum a roughed-out outline of a story she had been working on, and Tatum instantly fell in love with the concept. Though the details are yet to be revealed, the duo is now working on that concept for the new romantic novel.