The Flame that Burns Under the Waterfall

Although we have been taught that water extinguishes fire, in the United States there is a waterfall inside which an inextinguishable flame mysteriously burns. The eternal flame, as it was called, shines in the cascading waters of Chestnut Ridge County Park, a nature reserve south of Buffalo, New York.

According to a study by Indiana University, the strange phenomenon is due to the fact that the flame, centimeters high, is located above a large pocket of methane, at a depth of 400 meters, which rises pushed by the high temperatures that are able to pulverize the rocks. , instead of coming out of the ground as it normally happens directly.

Therefore it manages to keep itself alive thanks to the constant quantity of methane and even if it goes out sometimes, perhaps due to its position among the waters of the waterfall, someone always takes care to turn it back on.

There are many legends born around this curious phenomenon. The most famous tells that the flame represents a spirit: the territory of Chestnut was in fact formerly populated by various Indian tribes, which over time were eliminated by the European invaders. The last individual remained lit before he died, to leave an indelible testimony of their presence.