- Sinkholes of Argostoli - The sinks of Argostoli have been considered another “mystery” by many of Kefalonia. At the edge of the Argostoli Peninsula the sea penetrates the land and flows into sinkholes. The phenomenon has long troubled scientists. In 1963, geologists Viktor Maurin and Josef Zötl of the University of Graz threw 160 kilograms of paint into one of the sinks. Two weeks later traces of color were found in springs on the other side of the island, 14 km away, as well as in the Melissani lake cave.The sinks are nothing more than karstic gaps through which the waters of the rivers that flow into the polga are drained. The strange thing is that the sinks of Argostoli are a system of crevices that are located at a lower level than the sea surface and constantly receive its waters with momentum, a kind of coastal abyss with a constant inflow of sea water. Many scientists claim that fresh water descends underground from Ainos, it is estimated that 1,000 cubic meters per 24 hours are lost.
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Approximately two kilometers from the capital city Argostoli, on the road to Lassi that hugs the coastline, you’ll find the island’s most prominent sinkholes, or katavothres as they’re known in Greek. These sinkholes swallow seawater which then resurfaces at Melissani Lake and Karavomilo, located on the island’s opposite side. Austrian geologists in 1963 confirmed the presence of a karstic network spanning the entire island, by introducing green dye into the sinkholes and tracing the water’s pathway using radioisotopes.
An Englishman named Stevens, who first noted this intriguing geological occurrence, constructed the watermills. The following diagram outlines the journey of the water:
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The sinkholes near Argostoli draw in seawater.
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The water travels underneath the island’s harbor and mountains.
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Additional water from rainfall then joins the seawater.
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The rainwater and seawater mix.
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This amalgamation, now brackish water, resurfaces at Melissani Lake and Karavomilo in Sami.
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