TIDAL WELL, Puttur

Herbert Daniel Gebauer - 06/01/2018

An oval shaped, 11 m by 14 m wide (SASVARI 1978) closed depression with a surfacial, up to 5 m deep incised tributary channel on the on it's western side (note 1) descends some 5 m down to the surface of a pool, which gives access to a drowned, estimated 65 m deep (note 2) sinkhole type of cave (KUKLA 1958: 169), flooded abyss (LISKA 1980: 65) or bottomless Well (CEYLON TRAVELLER 1983: 131), where the … water level in the natural well is only 0.5 m above the sea level, although the distance from the sea is more than 6 km (KUKLA 1958: 169). Quite a peculiar features of the Tidal Well are a) an oszillating water level, which rises and falls in accordance with the tide, and b) two distinct layers of water represented by fresh water near the surface, brackish water part way down, and salt water in its bottom part (note 3). The natural well (KUKLA 1958) was interpreted to represent a water-filled collapse sinkhole, which forms part of a submerged karst system communicating with the sea (ote 4). ETYMOLOGY: No locally known name has been identified for this drowned pothole cave, which is more often than not called after the village of Puttur (note 5), which lies about 10 or 15 km east of Jaffna city. So far, I found the tidal well called, transcribed, or edited as remarkable well at Potoor (TENNENT 1859, 1860 vol.1: 21) well at Potur (BALFOUR 1885 edited 1968, 3: 274) fresh water well (COORAY 1976) Putturu nebo Tidal Well (KUKLA 1958: 166) Propast Tidal Well u Putturu (KUKLA 1958: 168) Chasm Tidal Well near Puttur (KUKLA 1958: 168) tidal Well near Puttur (CEYLON TRAVELLER 1974: 249; 1983: 131, 250) bottomless well at Puttur (CEYLON TRAVELLER 1974: ?, 1983: 131; COORAY 1967: 71) bottomless well near Puttur (COOK 1931: 137) Tidal Well (SASVÁRI 1978: 50) Tidal Well Shaft (SASVÁRI 1978: 51 cave plan) bezodnej studne (Tidal Well) pri Puttur (MITTER 1979a: 155) bezodnej studne (Tidal Well) pri Putur (MITTER 1979b: 178) priepast Tidal Well pri Putur (LISKA 1980: 61, 64, 67) ztopena priepast Tidal Well (LISKA 1980: 68 Obr. 4) prilivova studna pri Putturu (SASVÁRI & TEREK 1984) Tidal Well, Puttur (COOK 1931: 137; SASVÁRI & TEREK 1984: 115) Tidal Well, Putur (LISKA 1980: 65) flooded abyss Tidal Well (LISKA 1980: 71, 72) puit noyé près de Jaffna (COURBON & CHABERT 1986: 81) flooded pit near Jaffna (Bosted & Lindsley in: COURBON & CHABERT 1989: 138) tidal shafts (BROOKS et al. 2002: 19). CAVE DESCRIPTION 1859 (TENNENT 1859, 1860 vol. 1: 21): Wells in the Coral Rock. These phenomena occur at Jaffna, in consequence of the rocks being magnesian limestone and coral, overlying a bed of sand, and in some places, where the soil is light, the surface of the ground is a hollow arch, so that it resounds as if a horse's weight were sufficient to crush it inwards. This is strikingly perceptible in the vicinity of the remarkable well at Potoor, on the west side of the road leading from Jaffna [N09°40': E080°00'] to Point Pedro [N09°49': E080°14'], where the surfae of the surrounding country is only about fifteen feet above the sea-level. The well, however, is upwards of 140 feet [42.7 m] in depth; the water fresh at the surface, brackish lower down, and intensely salt below. According to the universal belief of the inhabitants, it is an underground pool, which communicates with the sea by a subterranean channel bubbling out on the shore near Kangesentorre [note 6], about seven miles [11 km] to the north-west. … It is remarkable that … a steam-engine erected at Potoor, with the intention of irrigating the surrounding lands, failed to lower it in any perceptible degree TENNENT (1859, 1860 vol. 2: 536) is part of the Chap. on Jaffna, Vol. II and said to provide particulars of this singular well (TENNENT 1859, 1860 vol. 1: 21 note) but I am burning (to see the 2nd volume). CAVE DESCRIPTION 1885 (BALFOUR 1885 edited 1968, 3: 274): Potur, a well at Jafna in Ceylon, about 30 feet [9.1 m] in diameter, and sunk to a depth of 144 feet (43.9 m). CAVE DECRIPTION 1924-25 (COOK 1931: 137): The Jaffna Peninsula is … very flat and low-lying, and the limestone bed is evidently fairly level; as it extends under the sea, salt water enters the holes [in the sense of conduits] and is drawn into the underground circulation. It is not surprising, therefore, that the wells of this region exhibit great peculiarities. Near Puttur, for instance, we hear of a bottomless well, whose depth has never been fathomed; there is also a tidal well (note 7). CAVE DESCRIPTION 1952 (SIRIMANE 1952) needs to be traced. CAVE DESCRIPTION 1958 (KUKLA 1958: 169 summary): Propast Tidal Well u Putturu / Chasm Tidal Well near Puttur (cave plan on page 168) is … sinkhole type of cave … 60 m deep, filled with saltish water at the bottom and with fresh water in the upper part of the cave. Two drilling holes, one 38 m, the next 27 m deep, were sunk close to the well. The second broke into the water-filled cave, the bottom of which has not been possible to reach. The water lvel in the natural well is only 0.5 m above the sea level, although the distance from the sea is more than 6 km. A pumping station is now built at the well, using its water for irrigation. CAVE DESCRIPTION 1967 (COORAY 1967: 71): There is no surface drainage in the Jaffna Peninsula, all the water which falls on the surface passing downwards along fissures formed by solution of the limestone and flowing in underground channels [cave passages, conduits]. The 'bottomless well' at Puttur and the fresh-water spring at Keerimalai are both parts of this subterranean drainage system. CAVE DESCRIPTION 1974: CEYLON TRAVELLER (1974: ?; 1983: 131): The so-called bottomless well near Puttur is some 145 feet [44 m] deep. CEYLON TRAVELLER (1974: 248; 1983: 250): Far north … the Jaffna Peninsula --one vast shelf of limestone-- has a subterranean structure like a sponge. But, strangely enough, although it abounds in curiosities such as the Tidal Well near Pottur and the Sink Hole at Manipay, few cverns are actually known. CAVE DESCRIPTION 1978 (SASVARI 1978, with cave plan and cross section): 11 by 14 m, 65 m deep. SASVARI (1978: 52 summary): The Tidal Well is a case of oceanic karst represented by a precipice (sic! qua: abyss, chasm, pit, pot, pothole, shaft, etc.) filled with water reaching a depth of 65 m. CAVE DESCRIPTION 1979 (MITTER 1979a: 155-156): 15 by 13 m wide, 52 m deep. CAVE DESCRIPTION 1980 (LISKA 1980: 64): Zatopená priepast Tidal Well pri Putur [sic] predstvuje ojedinelú formu na polostrove Jaffna. Priepast je hlboká viac ako 65 m. Potápaci zostúpili do hlbky 52 m. Na tomto mieste polostrova sa zistila doteraz najnizsia hranica krasovatenia. Nachádza sa viacej ako 50 m pod hladinou more, ale aj pod hladinou podzemnej vody. Priepast je vyplená vrstvami sladkej, brakickej a slanej vody. Vrstva sladky voda na povrchu sa pocas roka mení, a to majmä v závislosti od monúnovych dazdov. Pod nou sa nachádza vrstva brakickej vody. Väcsia spodna cast priepasti je vyplnenáslanou vodou. LISKA (1980: 71 English summary): An unusual form of the peninsul is the flooded abyss Tidal Well near the settlement Putur [sic] , deep more than 65 m. In its lower part it is filled by salt and brackish water, which means it is a remnant of an older karst at present subsided. CAVE DESCRIPTION 1984, in Czech by SASVARI & TEREK (1984, with cave plan and cross section) dived to a depth of 53 m. CAVE DESCRIPTION 2002: Brooks (in: BROOKS et al. 2002: 21) introduced several interesting tidal shafts (sic!) that have been explored by Czech [sic!] divers to a depth of 56 m [sic!] without reaching a floor (note 8). SPELEOLOGY - KARSTOLOGY: The bottomless well at Puttur is part of a subterranean drainage system in the karst of the Jaffna peninsula (TENNENT 1859, 1860 vol. 1: 21; COORAY 1967: 71, 263 fig. 93). CULTURAL HISTORY - cave legend: According to CEYLON TRAVELLER (1983: 131), it was Rama, the hero of the Ramayana, who stopped here and plunged his arrow into the soil (note ), whence water came spuring out and he quenched his thirst from this spring that never dries. TACKLE: SASVARI (1978: 52): At present this underwater karst system can be explored only by means of the diving technique. SPELEOMETRY: The vertical section of Tidal Well (SASVARI 1978: 51) shows a 5 m drop from the land surface to the surface of the ground water level. The latter had been dived to a depth of 52 m or 53 m (corresponding to 58 m below the land surface) without reaching the bottom. The reported depth of the Tidal Well at Puttur ranges between >42.7 m (TENNENT 1859, 1860 vol. 1: 23): upwards of 140 feet. 43.9 m (BALFOUR 1885 edited 1968, 3: 274): … sunk to a depth of 144 feet 44.2 m (CEYLON TRAVELLER 1974: 131): … some 145 feet deep 52 m dived depth (MITTER 1979a: 155-156; LISKA 1980: 64), 52.33 m dno. (KUKLA 1958: 168 cave plan), 53 m (SASVÁRI & TEREK 1984: 111, 114, 115), 60 m (KUKLA 1958: 169), 65 m (SASVÁRI 1978: 52), and >65 m (LISKA 1980: 64, 71). CAVE CLIMATE: KUKLA (195: 166) records a water temperature of 26°C but SASVÁRI & TEREK (1984: 111) mention temperatures of 30.5°C (page 111) and 30.6°C (page 112). CAVE LIFE: SASVÁRI (1978: 49) lists foraminifeát, lamelli-branchiatot, gastropodát, echinoideát, briozoát, antozoát. SASVÁRI & TEREK (1984: 114) list Plumatella sp. (Gemmules), Ranatra sp., Ostracoda g. sp., Keratella tropica, Anuraeopsis sp., Brachionus plicatilis, Alona juv. copepodit.), whence water came spuring out and he quenched his thirst from this spring that never dries. TACKLE: SASVARI (1978: 52): At present this underwater karst system can be explored only by means of the diving technique. SPELEOMETRY: The vertical section of Tidal Well (SASVARI 1978: 51) shows a 5 m drop from the land surface to the surface of the ground water level. The latter had been dived to a depth of 52 m or 53 m (corresponding to 58 m below the land surface) without reaching the bottom. The reported depth of the Tidal Well at Puttur ranges between >42.7 m (TENNENT 1859, 1860 vol. 1: 23): upwards of 140 feet. 43.9 m (BALFOUR 1885 edited 1968, 3: 274): … sunk to a depth of 144 feet 44.2 m (CEYLON TRAVELLER 1974: 131): … some 145 feet deep 52 m dived depth (MITTER 1979a: 155-156; LISKA 1980: 64), 52.33 m dno. (KUKLA 1958: 168 cave plan), 53 m (SASVÁRI & TEREK 1984: 111, 114, 115), 60 m (KUKLA 1958: 169), 65 m (SASVÁRI 1978: 52), and >65 m (LISKA 1980: 64, 71). CAVE CLIMATE: KUKLA (195), whence water came spuring out and he quenched his thirst from this spring that never dries. TACKLE: SASVARI (1978: 52): At present this underwater karst system can be explored only by means of the diving technique. SPELEOMETRY: The vertical section of Tidal Well (SASVARI 1978: 51) shows a 5 m drop from the land surface to the surface of the ground water level. The latter had been dived to a depth of 52 m or 53 m (corresponding to 58 m below the land surface) without reaching the bottom. The reported depth of the Tidal Well at Puttur ranges between >42.7 m (TENNENT 1859, 1860 vol. 1: 23): upwards of 140 feet. 43.9 m (BALFOUR 1885 edited 1968, 3: 274): … sunk to a depth of 144 feet 44.2 m (CEYLON TRAVELLER 1974: 131): … some 145 feet deep 52 m dived depth (MITTER 1979a: 155-156; LISKA 1980: 64), 52.33 m dno. (KUKLA 1958: 168 cave plan), 53 m (SASVÁRI & TEREK 1984: 111, 114, 115), 60 m (KUKLA 1958: 169), 65 m (SASVÁRI 1978: 52), and >65 m (LISKA 1980: 64, 71). CAVE CLIMATE: KUKLA (195), whence water came spuring out and he quenched his thirst from this spring that never dries. TACKLE: SASVARI (1978: 52): At present this underwater karst system can be explored only by means of the diving technique. SPELEOMETRY: The vertical section of Tidal Well (SASVARI 1978: 51) shows a 5 m drop from the land surface to the surface of the ground water level. The latter had been dived to a depth of 52 m or 53 m (corresponding to 58 m below the land surface) without reaching the bottom. The reported depth of the Tidal Well at Puttur ranges between >42.7 m (TENNENT 1859, 1860 vol. 1: 23): upwards of 140 feet. 43.9 m (BALFOUR 1885 edited 1968, 3: 274): … sunk to a depth of 144 feet 44.2 m (CEYLON TRAVELLER 1974: 131): … some 145 feet deep 52 m dived depth (MITTER 1979a: 155-156; LISKA 1980: 64), 52.33 m dno. (KUKLA 1958: 168 cave plan), 53 m (SASVÁRI & TEREK 1984: 111, 114, 115), 60 m (KUKLA 1958: 169), 65 m (SASVÁRI 1978: 52), and >65 m (LISKA 1980: 64, 71). CAVE CLIMATE: KUKLA (195: 166) records a water temperature of 26°C but SASVÁRI & TEREK (1984: 111) mention temperatures of 30.5°C (page 111) and 30.6°C (page 112). CAVE LIFE: SASVÁRI (1978: 49) lists foraminifeát, lamelli-branchiatot, gastropodát, echinoideát, briozoát, antozoát. SASVÁRI & TEREK (1984: 114) list Plumatella sp. (Gemmules), Ranatra sp., Ostracoda g. sp., Keratella tropica, Anuraeopsis sp., Brachionus plicatilis, Alona juv. copepodit.