Potholes

Potholes. Grand Teton National Park. , Curious depressions known as “Potholes,” dimple the glacial outwash plain here. Some 15,000 years ago, sediment carried by glacial meltwater buried huge blocks of ice that calved off retreating glaciers. As the ice melted, the ground sank leaving depressions behind known locally as ‘potholes,’ but known more commonly as ‘kettles.’, Kettles are bowl-shaped and range in size from 15 feet to ¼ mile in diameter. These depressions begin as steep-sided features but wind and water smooth the edges and deposit sediment in the bottom., Trees take root in some kettles creating forest islands, while water pools in other kettles forming tiny wetland communities. On the semi-arid outwash plain, these islands provide food and shelter for a variety of wildlife., Kettles are fragile, isolated ecosystems under constant stress from human impacts. Essentially fossil icebergs, the Potholes here relate to kettles found in other glaciated regions of North America providing insight into our changing environment., A short ¼ mile trail leads around the forested Potholes nearby.