Giant hole. Where are the largest holes in the Earth (photo)
Kimberlite pipe "Big Hole" (South Africa). The largest dug out by "hands" is 1097 meters deep. Moved to the surface more than 22 million tons of rock. and mined 3 tons of diamonds. Development completed in 1914.
Kennecott Quarry. Utah. The largest active quarry in the world - the development of copper began in 1863 and is still going on. Approximately a kilometer deep and 3.5 wide.
Diavik Quarry, Canada. Diamonds are mined. The quarry is located on the islands and has its own infrastructure with an airport capable of receiving passenger Boeings.
Great Blue Hole, Belize. Width 400 meters, depth 145 - 160 meters. Point of attraction for professional divers from all over the world.
Drainage hole in the reservoir of the Monticello dam. Serves to discharge excess water in the reservoir reservoir. A kind of protective valve.
Karst sinkhole in Guatemala. Caused by groundwater and rain. During the formation of the failure, several people died and about a dozen houses were destroyed.
The creations of nature are always fascinating, especially if they are objects of gigantic proportions. There are huge holes in earth's crust just incredible size. However, their authorship does not always belong to nature, man-made big hole can also cause shock to others.
Quarry in Yakutia
Scientists cannot give an exact answer about the nature of the occurrence of most giant natural holes. The sight is as impressive as it is dangerous. The abyss can open up almost anywhere, swallowing up houses, cars, people. Here are the most famous holes of various origins.
Yakutia has one of the largest quarries on the planet. Its dimensions are more than 0.5 km in depth and almost one and a half kilometers in diameter. The quarry was given a name - the Mir kimberlite pipe. It was opened in the 1950s and worked until 2001. All this time, kimberlite ore, which is rich in diamonds, was mined here in an open way. Today, it is unprofitable to extract the remaining ore reserves by open pit mining, so underground mines have been built. Large holes in the ground can be created by human hands.
Other man-made holes
The largest man-made quarry on the planet is the Kennecott Bingham Canyon Mine. It is located in Utah. In the quarry, mining is carried out in an open way. The width of the mine is almost 8 km, and the depth reaches four kilometers. The quarry was opened in 1863, and mining is still ongoing, so its size is constantly increasing.
In Canada, there is a quarry on the islands where diamonds are mined. It's called Diavik. All the necessary infrastructure has grown around it, and even an airport.
The largest quarry created by man without the use of special equipment is located in South Africa. The big hole used to be a mining site for diamond ore. The parameters of this mine along the perimeter are about 1.5 km, and in width - more than 460 meters. Now this mine is a means of attracting tourists to the city. The giant hole was called the Big Hole, which impresses with its dimensions.
Local Attractions
There is Dam "s in northern California. There is a funnel in the reservoir of the dam through which water drains. The depth of the funnel is more than 21 meters, its upper part is 21 meters in diameter, and the lower is 8.5 meters. Through such a giant drain, they drain from the reservoir excess water supply A large hole can easily become a local landmark People love to visit places that are terrifying in their scale.
In Guatemala, a giant rock formed, provoked by heavy rains and rising groundwater levels. According to eyewitnesses, a few days before the formation of a funnel locals heard a rumble from under the ground and felt shifts in the soil. As a result of the tragedy, people died and more than ten houses were destroyed.
A large blue hole is located in the Lighthouse Reef Atoll. In fact, this is a karst depression up to 120 meters deep, having more than 300 meters in diameter. The discoverer of this funnel was the famous scientist Jacques-Yves Cousteau. The nature of the formation of a blue hole is scientifically explained. During the ice age, this relief looked like a system of limestone caves. Over time, when the ocean level rose significantly, the caves were flooded, and its vaults, consisting of porous limestone, collapsed. The blue hole is one of the ten most good places for scuba diving.
Holes of unknown origin
Holes in the ground appear both in desert areas and in areas that are densely populated by people. Unfortunately, often the appearance of such faults leads to tragic victims. Here are some of these cases of holes in the ground:
- In 2010, a huge round crater appeared in Guatemala, destroying a garment factory. The reason for the appearance of such a fault was storm rains. Of course, a large blue hole is larger, but these formations also terrify the local population.
- In New Zealand, the abyss opened up to a depth of fifteen and a width of fifty meters. The house fell into the hole, along with the family in it. Miraculously, casualties were avoided. The cause was the collapse
Funnels in the Celestial Empire
In 2010, a large hole opened up right in the middle of the road in China. Due to the shift of the soil, the hospital was destroyed some time later.
In 2012, also in China, a hole appeared on the road, into which a large truck fell. The driver managed to avoid falling into the abyss due to the fact that the cabin remained on the surface, and only the trailer hung in the pit.
In 2013, a large hole up to 20 meters across formed in a Chinese rice plantation in Huan Province. In less than six months, about twenty such failures appeared in the area. It turned out that industrial activity in the area had disturbed the balance of groundwater, which led to the formation of holes.
Huge holes in the ground can be a beautiful sight if they are in wild nature. Such places often become tourist attractions. But the holes that result human activity, can be extremely dangerous. Therefore, while conducting his industrial activity, a person should always think about the consequences to which it can lead.
At the end of July, in the Nizhny Novgorod region in the Shatkovsky district, a huge karst funnel formed near the village of Neledino. The depth of the failure is 50 meters, and its diameter is 32 meters. Fortunately, the ground collapsed in the middle of the field, and therefore no one was hurt.
The funnel in Neledino, although impressive, is not the largest in the world. We tell you about other giant holes.
Karst sinkhole in Guatemala
One of the most famous and creepy holes on the planet with a depth of 150 meters and a diameter of 20 meters was formed in 2011 in the capital of Guatemala as a result of soil erosion by rain and groundwater. During the formation of the failure, several people died, about a dozen houses were destroyed, including an entire garment factory, which collapsed into the pit. According to local residents, a few months before the tragedy, ground movements were felt in this place, and a rumble was heard from under the ground.
Kimberlite pipe "Mir" (Mir diamond pipe)
One of the largest holes in the Earth is located in the city of Mirny in Yakutia.
The Mir kimberlite pipe is a quarry 525 meters deep and 1.2 kilometers in diameter. It is one of the world's largest diamond quarries.
Diavik Quarry
The youngest diamond quarry is located on the island of Las de Gras, 220 kilometers south of the Arctic Circle, off the coast of Canada. Already because of its location, this hole is unique. In the future, the quarry is planned to deepen and expand.
Drainage hole in the reservoir of the Monticello dam
A huge sinkhole in the ground, which is the largest spillway in the world, is located in Northern California, USA. Built 55 years ago, the drain looks like a giant concrete pipe. Its depth is 21 meters. The funnel has the shape of a cone. The diameter at the top reaches almost 22 meters, and at the bottom it narrows to 9 meters. It leaves after 200 meters on the other side of the dam, removing excess water from the reservoir.
The recent discovery of a third hole in Siberia has puzzled many scientists, turned on conspiracy theorists, and ordinary people made us look at the stability of the earth under our feet in a new way. The surface of the Earth is riddled with holes: some under water, some on the ground, and some even look like doors to the other world.
Holes in Siberia
Giant Hole in the ground Yamal Russia
More recently, three strange holes have been found in Siberia. The first, 50-100 meters across, was found at the bottom of the lake. The second hole, several kilometers away from the first, was only 15 meters wide. The third hole, accidentally found by the reindeer herders, turned out to be an almost perfect cone-shaped hole about 4 meters wide and 60-100 meters deep.
A ring of debris and dirt around each hole indicates that the massive holes were made by forces that came from the interior of the Earth and burst out. Of course, interesting theories have also been born. Some believe that the appearance of holes is associated with the development of gas in the region, but the holes are so far from gas pipelines that scientists rejected the guess. Other theories include stray rockets, pranksters and, of course, an extraterrestrial invasion.
The real reason may be more mundane, but no less strange for that. One of the working theories about holes is that they are some kind of reverse funnels. In such a case, the holes were caused by underground destruction caused by the melting of the permafrost. Then they filled natural gas, and when the pressure got too high, dirt and debris shot up into the air instead of falling into the underground space.
According to local residents, the holes are far from new, and scientists, in principle, admit such a possibility, looking at the vegetation around - they could have been there for several years. The second hole discovered is affectionately referred to as "the end of the world" and was allegedly observed by locals as early as September 2013. The testimonies differ: some say they saw something falling from the sky, others that the explosion was on the ground.
Kola Superdeep Well
Not all holes in the earth's crust formed by natural or unknown causes. During 1970-1994, Russian geologists were digging the biggest hole imaginable on Earth in the name of science. The result was the Kola Superdeep Well, which eventually reached a depth of 12 kilometers.
Along the way, scientists discovered a number of curious things. Digging a tunnel through stone is like digging through history. Scientists have found the remains of life that existed on the surface two billion years ago. At an impressive depth of 6,700 meters, biologists have discovered tiny plankton fossils. While it was expected that many different types of rock would be found on the way down, it is incredible how fragile organic matter has been preserved under gigantic pressure for thousands of years.
Drilling through untouched rock proved to be difficult. Pulled from the area high pressure and temperatures, stone samples were deformed after getting outside. Pressure and temperature also rose much higher than expected. By the time it reached 10,000 meters, the temperature had soared to 180 degrees Celsius.
Unfortunately, drilling stopped when it became impossible to fight the heat. The hole is still there, near the city of Zapolyarny, but covered with a metal cover.
German Continental Deep Drilling Program and the Pulse of the Earth
What Does It Sound Like 6 Miles Under the Earth's Surface
In 1994, the drilling of the German ultra-deep well, originally conceived as one of the most ambitious geophysical projects, was stopped. The aim of the project is to enable scientists to study effects such as the effects of pressure on rocks, the presence of anomalies in the earth's crust, the structure of the crust, and how it has been subjected to heat and pressure. The $350 million project left Windischeschenbach with a hole 9,100 meters deep and a temperature of 265 degrees Celsius.
Among the various scientific experiments, there was one unusual one: the Dutch artist Lotte Geeven wanted to know how the planet sounds. Although scientists told her that the planet was silent, Geeven insisted on her. She lowered the geophone into the hole to record ultrasonic waves beyond the hearing range of the human ear. After converting the data on the computer into frequencies that can be heard, Lotte heard the sounds of the Earth. It was like the sound of a thunderstorm in the distance, like a terrifying heartbeat.
Dead Sea sinkholes
No one knows exactly how many holes have appeared around the Dead Sea, but it is believed that about 2,500 have appeared since 1970, and about 1,000 in the last 15 years alone. Like the holes in Siberia, these holes are signs of environmental change.
The Dead Sea is fed by the Jordan River, and every year there is less and less less water enters it. The sea itself is now three times smaller than it was in the 1960s, and the draining of the reservoir has caused sinkholes to form, along with the demise of the resorts and hotels that once thrived on the shores. When the salty water of the sea seeps through the earth, it is met fresh water. When this fresh water enters the earth with a high salt content, most of the salt dissolves. The earth weakens and begins to collapse.
The Dead Sea has always been in a state of flux. Once it connected with the Sea of Galilee, but this connection dried up about 18 thousand years ago. Now, change is more often caused by the actions of people. Water that once flowed into the sea in a state of delicate balance is now being redirected throughout Jordan and Syria, with the sea receiving only 10 percent of the water it needs to sustain it.
At one time, this sea was a very popular place for those who made a religious pilgrimage or wanted to be healed in the mystical waters of the sea. Now, more often you can find signs warning of the danger of spontaneously arising funnels. But there is a bright side: if you get swallowed by a funnel, it will be named after you.
Dean's Blue Hole
The deepest blue hole (the so-called holes located under water) is Dean's blue hole in the Bahamas. At 202 meters deep, this blue hole is almost twice as deep as other blue holes, making it a favorite spot for professional divers.
In 2010, William Trubridge set the record for diving 101 meters into a hole without external oxygen or other equipment. A Brooklyn diver died trying to break the record in 2013 after being submerged for more than three and a half minutes, resurfacing and immediately passing out. Every year more than 30 divers meet in this blue hole to participate in different kind competitions as part of the Vertical Blue event.
Although the hole attracts adventurers from all over the world, those who live near Dean's Blue Hole try to stay away from it. According to legend, this hole was dug by the devil, and he is still there, grabbing people who dare to dive in.
Random holes in Mount Baldy
In 2013, a six-year-old boy was exploring the sand dunes of Mount Baldy in Indiana Dunes National Park and was swallowed by a sinkhole that suddenly appeared underneath him. The boy was rescued after a three-hour ordeal in which he was buried under three meters of sand. Since then, other funnels have appeared.
Geologists cannot explain the phenomena of Mount Baldi. Because the terrain is sand, which does not create air pockets, none of the conditions necessary for sinkholes to form are met. When a funnel appears, it fills with sand during the day. The use of underground radar turned up no clues.
A year after the first funnel, they not only continued to appear, but began to appear with such frequency that the park was closed. In an attempt to stabilize the sand dunes, experts have planted grasses, hoping that their root system will stop erosion and shifting of the land. Some scholars believe that the instability of the sand dunes may have something to do with their legendary history, which includes, among others, the story of a shipment huge amount sand to create Mason jars.
Devil's Funnel
The Devil's Sinkhole is a massive underground chamber located in Edwards, Texas. The 15 meter wide hole leads to a 106 meter deep cavern that now plays a unique ecological role, being home to one of the largest known colonies of Mexican free-tailed bats. Visitors, who of course can't get into the cave, can see over three million bats that fly out of it every night during the summer months.
The history of the funnel is shrouded in mystery. The cave was raided by treasure seekers and artifact hunters before becoming a protected site. The arrowheads and darts that are found there date back to 4000-2500 BC. e. Later, this sinkhole served as a haven for cowboys who traveled to the West on horseback, as well as for people of a darker kind of employment. Most of The funnel's history was destroyed when ammonia fertilizer manufacturers began harvesting mouse guano in the cave.
The Sawmill Sink
The so-called Sawmill Sink is another blue hole in the Bahamas, which, however, has much more scientific significance than just attracting extreme athletes. This blue hole was the site of an archaeological dig that changed the scientific understanding of what the landscape looked like 1,000 years ago.
The Sawmill sinkhole is unique in that once it was dry, and when the water began to rise, it began to fill, slowly hiding the bones that were there. Fossils found there include remains giant tortoise, which was not even expected to be found there, as well as birds, seeds and plants that retained their green color.
Perhaps the most intriguing find was the remains of giant crocodiles, which were believed to have been exterminated by the people living at the time. This blue hole also found the remains of one of the oldest famous residents The Bahamas, which, according to various estimates, is about 1050 years old.
The island itself is inhospitable, mostly composed of mud, so reaching the black hole of Andros without a helicopter and special equipment is generally impossible. It was first explored by the scientist and diver Steffi Schwabe. She was the first to cross the cheesy ink layer of bacteria. At the bottom was a layer pure water and another purple layer that looked like jelly.
Strange layers of water have very high level toxic hydrogen sulfide. They also contain bacteria that not only thrive between water levels, but also maintain water conditions for the past 3.5 billion years.
Shondong Cave
Technically a cave system, Son Doong is also accessible through several large openings on the Earth's surface. It was first found in 2009 after one of the holes was discovered by a local farmer. The cave system was so carefully buried in the jungle that it was only pure luck that anyone found it at all. When members of the British Association of Cavers entered the hole, they found something completely indescribable.
The cave was declared the largest in the world and was extremely difficult to explore. It appeared somewhere between two and five million years ago, carved into limestone by an underground river. In some places, the erosion reached the surface so close that parts of the cave's roof collapsed, forming even more holes. These holes let enough through sunlight to make the jungle grow in the cave. In addition, in the cave there is a 60-meter wall of calcite, underground river and waterfalls, as well as stalagmites and stalactites that have grown to 80 meters in length.
This cavernous jungle is also home to an impressive array of wildlife, including venomous centipedes and whitefish. Some large chambers can fit whole blocks along with skyscrapers; there you can find bamboo forests and giant pearls. The very fact that the whole lost World was discovered only in 2009, reminds us, the inhabitants of the Earth, that the planet is still far from being explored one hundred percent.
It is the largest diamond quarry in the Republic of Yakutia, and according to some sources, in the whole world, and contains a quarter of the world's diamond reserves. With a diameter of 1200 meters, it goes into the ground for 515 meters, narrowing at the base to 50 meters.
Giant blue hole, Belize
This is an underwater vertical cave with a diameter of about 300 meters and going deep into 120 meters. Once it was part of a system of limestone caves on the surface of the earth. But as a result of the melting of ice, the waters of the ocean rose, which led to the flooding of the caves and the formation of a karst funnel in the form of a pointed shell.
Bingham Canyon Copper Mine, USA
The copper mine, located in Utah near the city of Salt Lake City, is the largest of its kind on the entire planet. Copper is mined in it in an open way, the quarry is a giant hole in the earth's crust 1.2 kilometers deep and 4 kilometers wide. The area of the pit on the surface is 7.7 sq. km, and every year its size increases.
Diavik Diamond Mine, Canada
The Diavik Quarry, located in the Canadian province near the city of Yellowknife, is one of the largest open-pit diamond mines in the world. Its depth is 525 meters and its diameter is about 1200 meters. About 20 thousand carats, that is, about 4 kilograms, of diamonds are mined daily at the mine.
Monticello Dam, USA
The Monticello Dam in the US state of California is known for its unique spillway. A large concrete pipe has been installed in the middle of Lake Berryessa, into which water flows in case of a change in the level of the surface of the reservoir. Previously, there was a city of the same name, but during the construction of a dam on the lake, it was flooded and is now at its very bottom.
Big Hole Kimberlite Pipe, South Africa
This is a huge, now inactive, diamond mine located in the city of Kimberley in South Africa. The "Big Hole" is considered the largest mine developed by people "manually", without the use of technology. At the time when the mine was active, its depth was 240 meters. Now it is gradually filling with water. In its place 100 million years ago there was a volcano.
Karst sinkhole in Guatemala
A huge failure of karst origin occurred in Guatemala after tropical storm Agatha. The hole completely swallowed up the three-story building of the garment factory. Its dimensions were about 20 meters, and its origin was explained by the process of washing out the soil and bedrock with water.
Top 20 weirdest news of the year
African king lives in Germany and rules via Skype 5 countries with the strangest mating rituals The most Instagrammable places in the world in 2014 Happiness levels around the world in one infographic
Sunny Vietnam: how to change winter to summer The Portuguese bought a tiny island, and successfully created his own kingdom there Roborats, hunter drones, talking trash cans: 10 gadgets and inventions that are changing cities