CLEARLAKE >> This Thursday at the Judges Breakfast in Clearlake Kevin Kealey shared some of the folklore surrounding Mt. Konocti, as well as its best kept secret – what could possibly be the world’s largest cavern.
Kealey studied geology in Oregon and works closely with the county monitoring geothermal temperatures in the lake. He discussed his work with the Konocti Project, a mission to uncover the entrance to the cavern that lasted for a few years in the early 1990’s. This expedition was headed by Bob Zeleski who had originally began excavation after receiving permission from the landowner, which ended when they passed and their children gave the group a cease and desist. At that time they had made significant progress clearing the tunnel at Howard’s Peak.
As legend has it, Mt. Konocti is home to what is quite possibly “The largest cavern on this planet” according to Kealey. Inside of that cavern is believed to be a lake which is home to eyeless fish. Kealey mentioned “The lake is mythical at this point” although he was contacted some time ago by a museum curator in Peru who shared that their oldest known writings tell a tale of migration, bringing their first inhabitants from elsewhere, a place known as the lake inside of a volcano, that sits next to a large lake.
Kealey shared that this idea is scientifically supported by how deeply the mountain “breathes”, drawing large amounts of air in and out of itself. It has also been tested by several individuals, including a group of Girl Scouts who established an experiment, throwing bottles with personalized messages inside, down the vent shaft. Out of the five bottles they deposited, four resurfaced, all in the Horseshoe Bend area. There have been others to attempt the same, some with colored wooden blocks, others with ornate carved logs, all of which wash up in Horseshoe Bend.
Much of this folklore was shared by Dorothea Petita, who disclosed that the entrance is known to have carvings of a spider and a daisy. Following the spiders web trail on Mt. Konocti Kealey and others wonder if there is an entrance there, under a small cluster of vents. Kealey shared that much of this is not very stable nor safe, making these discoveries rather difficult. The ancient eruptions of Mt. Konocti have left many magma chambers and vent systems within the mountain, which is where the Konocti Project will start again, hoping to find another entrance. Over the five years the Konocti Project lasted Kealey shared the discoveries made as well as some corresponding photos showing the inside of the mountain. Kealey noted “There is an abundance of wildlife” specifically detailing a mass of “aggressive spiders” that almost guard the cave. Photos also show a grass like plant growth on the cavern floor, which Kealey described as “…like grass growing off the cave floor. It’s some kind of mold and I don’t know what it is, so I didn’t touch it.”
“In 30 years this is only the second time I have given this presentation.” Shared Kealey, who insisted on it’s secrecy as to preserve Pomo history as the mountain contains several spiritual and ceremonial sites, which are not to be disturbed by the public. Recently bringing the issue back to the board of supervisors, Kealey shared that there is a renewed interest in finding the cavern entrance. Clearlake City Manager Alan Flora noted “It is mostly county owned land now, so I do wish the board would take a more active role in the discovery of what is going on.” He also noted that the overgrowth of manzanitas and chaparral on the Mountain have made it all the harder to find these possible entrances. Kealey added that he himself was in the process of purchasing land on Mt. Konocti as well in order to further this expedition.
