Hell Kettle: n. A deep abyss or bottomless pool
The deep pools in Darlington, Co. Durham in England are a part of fearsome local legend.
These mysterious pools are said to have inspired Lewis Carroll’s endless rabbithole, where Alice tumbles into another world – in his classic book Alice in Wonderland.
They are known as Hell Kettles, and have had this name since the 16th century. They exist due to huge deposits of gypsum that have eroded over time.
Some hell kettles in New Zealand…
Welcome to the rumbling belly of the shaky isles: Waiotapu 
Welcome to the rumbling belly of the shaky isles: Waiotapu 
Welcome to the rumbling belly of the shaky isles: Waiotapu 
Welcome to the rumbling belly of the shaky isles: Waiotapu 
Welcome to the rumbling belly of the shaky isles: Waiotapu 
Welcome to the rumbling belly of the shaky isles: Waiotapu 
Welcome to the rumbling belly of the shaky isles: Waiotapu 
Welcome to the rumbling belly of the shaky isles: Waiotapu
Exploring the Hell Kettle of the Mariana Trench
In the western Pacific in 1875, the HMS Challenger, under the guidance of Scottish Naturalist Charles Wylie Thomson set sail from Plymouth in English and over 4 years discovered more than 4,000 new species. In the western Pacific over the Mariana Trench the crew recorded a depth of 4,475 fathoms or over 10 km. A true hell kettle!
Interactive Website: The Deep Sea by Neal Fun
References
Welcome to the rumbling belly of the shaky isles: Waiotapu
The Cabinet of Linguistic Curiosities : A Yearbook of Forgotten Words by Paul Anthony Jones
Content Catnip 
Ah! There’s a hell kettle where we had a holiday house growing up…down in south otago, Kaitangata. Dad told us about it every single time we drove past it…
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Interesting, thanks for sharing that memory. They can be creepy and fascinating places these hell kettles.
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