There’s A Time Capsule Hidden 1,300 Feet Down In Lake Superior

Last week, I shared the news that a group of Great Lakes researchers was sending a rover to the deepest spot in Lake Superior. That's over 400 meters, or around 1300 feet! They were using state-of-the-art technology, equipped with cameras, lasers, and other instruments to explore the bottom of the largest freshwater lake in the world.

Looking For Deepwater Fish

I knew they were looking for sculpin, which is an alien-looking fish at the bottom of Lake Superior. They were also looking for Kiyi, which is so rare that it's thought to only exist in Lake Superior, and not anywhere else in the world! The Kiyi have never been witnessed alive in their natural habitat.

Searching For Lake Superior Time Capsule

What I didn't know until I watched the livestream was that they were also on the lookout for something man-made. It's a time capsule that was placed in the deepest part of Lake Superior 40 years ago. It's a long tube filled with documents and who knows what else? That's the fun part of time capsules. The Canadian Geographic says that one of the messages in the time capsule is hoping that we are still taking care of the Great Lakes, 50 years later.

Related: Researchers Look For Rarest Freshwater Fish At Bottom Of Lake Superior

The time capsule was placed at the bottom of Lake Superior on July 27, 1986, to celebrate 150 years of Michigan being a state. It was meant to be discovered 50 years later in 2036.

Results From First Dive

The first dive was scheduled for June 6, but was postponed due to weather conditions. They did make the dive on June 7th and found sculpin, wood, deadfall, and other marine snow, which are small particles of organic matter at the bottom of the lake.

They did find plenty of sculpin, which are about 3 inches long. You can see the laser dots represent about 10 centimeters or 3 inches.

The time capsule and kiyi were not found, but they plan to continue the search over the next few weeks.

Follow Superior Maximus for updates and new discoveries!