A huge 200-metre deep hole suddenly appeared in Chile and worried the local population

32 metres in diameter and no less than 200 metres deep. In the north of Chile, a gigantic chasm suddenly formed just a few hundred metres from the houses on the outskirts of the town of Tierra Amarilla, located in the heart of the Atacama Desert. Faced with this phenomenon, which is as worrying as it is enigmatic, the local authorities have announced the opening of an investigation. But the local population already has an idea about who is responsible.

A giant hole appears in Chile

The Chilean authorities became aware of the existence of this mysterious crevasse on Saturday, July 30, when experts from the National Geology and Mining Service of Chile (Sernageomin) went to the site. In a press release on August 2, the agency indicated that a 100-metre safety perimeter had been established around the subsidence site.

Its director, David Montenegro says:

It is about 200 metres deep (...) We have not detected any material at the bottom other than the presence of water,

The hole is in fact a sinkhole, a phenomenon that has been observed in the past in various parts of the world and which occurs when underground cavities containing water eventually collapse under the weight of the soil. In this case, it is not yet known what caused the collapse.

However, the crater appeared on land operated by a Canadian mining company, Lundin Mining, and some are already pointing the finger of blame. Reuters news agency reports that the company has copper mining operations in the area, suspended following the discovery.

‘Our community has never seen anything like this’

Waiting for answers, local people are worried that such a phenomenon is happening only a few kilometres from their homes. The mayor of Tierra Amarilla, Cristóbal Zúñiga, is the first to be concerned about the situation.

The local politician said in a statement reported by AFP:

This is the biggest crater we have seen recently. We are very concerned because it is still active, and it is still growing. Our community has never seen anything like this.

For its part, the mining company Lundin Mining issued a statement on August 1 saying that no workers or members of the local community had been affected by the appearance of the pit and that it had ‘remained stable’ since it was first observed.

Upon detection, the area was immediately isolated and the relevant regulatory authorities informed. There was no impact on personnel, equipment or infrastructure,

The nearest house is more than 600 metres away while any populated area or utility is nearly a kilometre from the affected area.

This article was translated from Gentside FR.

Read more:

⋙ Mysterious red glow over the Atlantic Ocean sends viewers in panic

⋙ Mysterious holes discovered 2,500 metres deep in the Atlantic Ocean, scientists left puzzled

⋙ Rare spectacular pink diamond is the largest discovered in 300 years