1. Kimberlite pipe "Mir" (Mir diamond pipe), Yakutia.
The Mir kimberlite pipe is a quarry located in the city of Mirny, Yakutia. The quarry has a depth of 525 m and a diameter of 1.2 km and is one of the largest quarries in the world. Mining of diamondiferous kimberlite ore was stopped in June 2001. Currently, an underground mine of the same name is being built on board the quarry to develop the remaining under-quarry reserves, the extraction of which by open pit is unprofitable. 
The world's largest diamond quarry is amazing. 
2.Kimberlite pipe "Big Hole", South Africa. 
Big Hole - a huge inactive diamond mine in the city of Kimberley (South Africa). It is believed that this is the largest quarry developed by people without the use of technology. It is currently the main attraction of the city of Kimberley. 
Between 1866 and 1914, about 50,000 miners dug the shaft with picks and shovels, producing 2,722 tons of diamonds (14.5 million carats) in the process. During the development of the quarry, 22.5 million tons of soil were extracted. It was here that such famous diamonds as "De Beers" (428.5 carats), bluish-white "Porter Rhodes" (150 carats), orange-yellow " Tiffany" (128.5 carats). At present, this diamond deposit has been exhausted. The area of the "Big Hole" is 17 hectares. Its diameter is 1.6 km. The hole was dug to a depth of 240 meters, but then was filled with waste rock to a depth of 215 meters, currently the bottom of the hole is filled with water, its depth is 40 meters. 
At the site of the mine earlier (about 70 - 130 million years ago) there was a volcano crater. Almost a hundred years ago - in 1914, development in the "Big Hole" was stopped, but the gaping mouth of the pipe remains to this day and now serves only as a bait for tourists, acting as a museum. And…begins to create problems. In particular, there was a serious danger of collapse not only of its edges, but also of the roads laid in its immediate vicinity. The South African road authorities have long banned the passage of heavy goods vehicles in these places, and now they strongly recommend that all other drivers avoid driving along Bultfontein Road in the Big Hole area. The authorities are going to completely block the dangerous section of the road. And the largest diamond company in the world, De Beers, which has owned this mine since 1888, did not find anything better than to get rid of it by putting it up for sale.
3. Kennecott Bingham Canyon Mine, Utah. 
The largest active quarry in the world - the development of copper began in 1863 and is still going on. About a kilometer deep and three and a half kilometers wide. 
It is the world's largest anthropogenic formation (dug out by man). It is an open pit mine. 
As of 2008, it measures 0.75 miles (1.2 km) deep, 2.5 miles (4 km) wide and covers an area of 1,900 acres (7.7 sq km). 
The ore was first discovered in 1850, and quarrying began in 1863, which continues to this day. 
Currently, the quarry employs 1,400 people who extract 450,000 tons (408 thousand tons) of rock daily. The ore is loaded onto 64 large dump trucks capable of hauling 231 tons of ore, these trucks cost about US$3 million each. 
4. Quarry "Dyavik" (Diavik), Canada. Diamonds are mined. 
The Canadian quarry "Diavik" is perhaps one of the youngest (by development) diamond kimberlite pipes. It was first explored only in 1992, the infrastructure was created by 2001, and diamond mining began in January 2003. Presumably, the mine will last from 16 to 22 years.
The place of its exit to the surface of the earth is unique in itself. Firstly, this is not one, but three pipes at once, formed on the island of Las de Gras, about 220 km south of the Arctic Circle, off the coast of Canada. Since the hole is huge, and the island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean is small, only 20 km! 
and in a short time the Diavik diamond mine became one of the most important components of the Canadian economy. Up to 8 million carats (1600 kg) of diamonds are mined from this deposit annually. An airfield has been built on one of its neighboring islands, capable of receiving even huge Boeings. In June 2007, a consortium of seven mining companies announced their intention to sponsor environmental studies and begin construction on Canada's North Shore of a major port to receive cargo ships up to 25,000 tons, as well as a 211 km access road that will connect the port to the consortium's plants. . And this means that the hole in the ocean will grow and deepen. 
5. Great Blue Hole, Belize 
The world-famous Great Blue Hole (“Great Blue Hole”) is the main attraction of the picturesque, ecologically perfectly clean Belize (formerly British Honduras) - a state in Central America, on the Yucatan Peninsula. No, this time it's not a kimberlite pipe. Not diamonds are “mined” from it, but tourists - diving enthusiasts from all over the world, thanks to which it feeds the country no worse than a diamond pipe. Probably, it would be better to call it not the “Blue Hole”, but the “Blue Dream”, since this can only be seen in dreams or in a dream. This is a true masterpiece, a miracle of nature - a perfectly round, twilight blue spot in the middle of the Caribbean Sea, surrounded by the lace front of the Lighthouse Reef atol.
View from space! 
Width 400 meters, depth 145 - 160 meters. 
As if floating above the abyss ...
6. Drainage hole in the reservoir of the Monticello dam. 
A large man-made hole is located in Northern California, USA. But it's not just a hole. The drain hole in the reservoir of the Monticello Dam is the largest spillway in the world! It was built about 55 years ago. This funnel-shaped exit is simply indispensable here. It allows you to quickly dump excess water from the tank when its level exceeds the allowable rate. A kind of safety valve. 
Visually, the funnel looks like a giant concrete pipe. It is capable of passing through itself in a second as much as 1370 cubic meters. m of water! The depth of such a hole is about 21 m. From top to bottom, it has the shape of a cone, the diameter of which at the top reaches almost 22 m, and narrows down to 9 m and exits from the other side of the dam, removing excess water when the reservoir overflows. The distance from the pipe to the exit point, which is located slightly to the south, is approximately 700 feet (about 200 m).
7. Karst failure in Guatemala. 
A giant funnel 150 meters deep and 20 meters in diameter. Caused by groundwater and rain. During the formation of the failure, several people died and about a dozen houses were destroyed. According to local residents, from about the beginning of February, ground movements were felt in the area of \u200b\u200bthe future tragedy, and a muffled rumble was heard from under the ground. 
Those are the holes!
Among the amazing natural phenomena, one can certainly include holes periodically opening up in different places on the globe.
1. Kimberlite pipe "Mir" (Mir diamond pipe), Yakutia.
The Mir kimberlite pipe is a quarry located in the city of Mirny, Yakutia. The quarry has a depth of 525 m and a diameter of 1.2 km and is one of the largest quarries in the world. Mining of diamondiferous kimberlite ore was stopped in June 2001. Currently, an underground mine of the same name is being built on board the quarry to develop the remaining under-quarry reserves, the extraction of which by open pit is unprofitable.
The world's largest diamond quarry is amazing.
2.Kimberlite pipe "Big hole", South Africa.
Big Hole - a huge inactive diamond mine in the city of Kimberley (South Africa). It is believed that this is the largest quarry developed by people without the use of technology. It is currently the main attraction of the city of Kimberley.
Between 1866 and 1914, about 50,000 miners dug the shaft with picks and shovels, producing 2,722 tons of diamonds (14.5 million carats) in the process. During the development of the quarry, 22.5 million tons of soil were extracted. It was here that such famous diamonds as "De Beers" (428.5 carats), bluish-white "Porter Rhodes" (150 carats), orange-yellow " Tiffany" (128.5 carats). At present, this diamond deposit has been exhausted. The area of the "Big Hole" is 17 hectares. Its diameter is 1.6 km. The hole was dug to a depth of 240 meters, but then was filled with waste rock to a depth of 215 meters, currently the bottom of the hole is filled with water, its depth is 40 meters.
At the site of the mine earlier (about 70 - 130 million years ago) there was a volcano mouth. Almost a hundred years ago - in 1914, the development in the "Big Hole" was stopped, but the gaping mouth of the pipe remains to this day and now serves only as a bait for tourists, acting as a museum. And…begins to create problems. In particular, there was a serious danger of collapse not only of its edges, but also of the roads laid in its immediate vicinity. The South African road authorities have long banned the passage of heavy goods vehicles in these places, and now they strongly recommend that all other drivers avoid driving along Bultfontein Road in the Big Hole area. The authorities are going to completely block the dangerous section of the road. And the largest diamond company in the world, De Beers, which has owned this mine since 1888, did not find anything better than to get rid of it by putting it up for sale.
3. Kennecott Bingham Canyon Mine, Utah.
The largest active quarry in the world - the development of copper began in 1863 and is still going on. About a kilometer deep and three and a half kilometers wide.
It is the world's largest anthropogenic formation (dug out by man). It is an open pit mine.
As of 2008, it measures 0.75 miles (1.2 km) deep, 2.5 miles (4 km) wide and covers an area of 1,900 acres (7.7 sq km).
The ore was first discovered in 1850, and quarrying began in 1863, which continues to this day.
Currently, the quarry employs 1,400 people who extract 450,000 tons (408 thousand tons) of rock daily. The ore is loaded onto 64 large dump trucks capable of hauling 231 tons of ore, these trucks cost about US$3 million each.
4. Quarry "Dyavik" (Diavik), Canada. Diamonds are mined.
The Canadian quarry "Diavik" is perhaps one of the youngest (by development) diamond kimberlite pipes. It was first explored only in 1992, the infrastructure was created by 2001, and diamond mining began in January 2003. Presumably, the mine will last from 16 to 22 years.
The place of its exit to the surface of the earth is unique in itself. Firstly, this is not one, but three pipes at once, formed on the island of Las de Gras, about 220 km south of the Arctic Circle, off the coast of Canada. Since the hole is huge, and the island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean is small, only 20 km²
and in a short time the Diavik diamond mine became one of the most important components of the Canadian economy. Up to 8 million carats (1600 kg) of diamonds are mined from this deposit annually. An airfield has been built on one of its neighboring islands, capable of receiving even huge Boeings. In June 2007, a consortium of seven mining companies announced their intention to sponsor environmental studies and begin construction on Canada's North Shore of a major port to receive cargo ships up to 25,000 tons, as well as a 211 km access road that would connect the port to the consortium's plants. . And this means that the hole in the ocean will grow and deepen.
5. Great Blue Hole, Belize.
The world-famous Great Blue Hole (“Great Blue Hole”) is the main attraction of the picturesque, ecologically perfectly clean Belize (formerly British Honduras) - a state in Central America, on the Yucatan Peninsula. No, this time it's not a kimberlite pipe. Not diamonds are “mined” from it, but tourists - diving enthusiasts from all over the world, thanks to which it feeds the country no worse than a diamond pipe. Probably, it would be better to call it not the “Blue Hole”, but the “Blue Dream”, since this can only be seen in dreams or in a dream. This is a true masterpiece, a miracle of nature - a perfectly round, twilight blue spot in the middle of the Caribbean Sea, surrounded by the lace front of the Lighthouse Reef atol.
View from space!
Width 400 meters, depth 145 - 160 meters.
As if floating above the abyss ...
6. Drainage hole in the reservoir of the Monticello dam.
A large man-made hole is located in Northern California, USA. But it's not just a hole. The drain hole in the reservoir of the Monticello Dam is the largest spillway in the world! It was built about 55 years ago. This funnel-shaped exit is simply indispensable here. It allows you to quickly dump excess water from the tank when its level exceeds the allowable rate. A kind of safety valve.
Visually, the funnel looks like a giant concrete pipe. It is capable of passing through itself in a second as much as 1370 cubic meters. m of water! The depth of such a hole is about 21 m. From top to bottom, it has the shape of a cone, the diameter of which at the top reaches almost 22 m, and narrows down to 9 m and exits from the other side of the dam, removing excess water when the reservoir overflows. The distance from the pipe to the exit point, which is located slightly to the south, is approximately 700 feet (about 200 m).
7. Karst failure in Guatemala.
A giant funnel 150 meters deep and 20 meters in diameter. Caused by groundwater and rain. During the formation of the failure, several people died and about a dozen houses were destroyed. According to local residents, from about the beginning of February, ground movements were felt in the area of \u200b\u200bthe future tragedy, and a muffled rumble was heard from under the ground.
The processes that take place inside our planet are not yet fully understood. Therefore, sometimes the Earth surprises us with phenomena that often cause fear and horror. The inhabitants of the planet are especially frightened by holes of incredible size that appear in different parts of the world in forests, mountains and under water. Tourists, on the contrary, tend to such places to see such an impressive sight as a big hole, and unravel the mystery of its occurrence.
The scientific world can easily explain the appearance of some funnels, but others still remain a mystery to our contemporaries. In the article, we have collected the most famous funnels in the earth's crust, claiming the title of "the biggest hole in the world." So, what are they - gates to the abyss?
The most terrible legends go about this place, because every year it takes several souls of divers who come here to enjoy diving without scuba gear. The big hole belongs to the state of Belize and is located in the Caribbean within a beautiful coral reef.
Keep in mind that the diameter of the Great Blue Hole is three hundred and five meters, and its depth exceeds one hundred and twenty meters. Scientists claim that the funnel was formed as a result of the collapse of limestone caves that arose during the last ice age.
If you look at the funnel from the air (and this is often done by wealthy tourists), then it appears to be a huge, regular-shaped hole of deep blue color against the background of turquoise water. This spectacle is breathtaking, because it creates the feeling that you are flying over an abyss, ready to instantly pull in all living things.
By the way, divers really often die here. This is associated with a system of low tides, during which whirlpools form on the surface of the Big Blue Hole, pulling absolutely everything that falls into this seething stream into blackness. If there is a boat with tourists over the abyss at this moment, then they may not return home.
The big hole attracts divers like a magnet, because most of them are engaged in recreational diving. During this exercise, the diver holds his breath for several minutes and dives to the maximum depth possible for him. Divers say that such dives are accompanied by simply incredible emotions, but it is they that can destroy the daredevil. When you hold your breath, your heart starts beating slower and endorphins are released into your bloodstream. As a result, the diver loses orientation in space and may, without calculating his strength, die.
Gate to hell
An incredibly terrible big hole is located in the Karakum desert. It was formed back in the seventies of the last century, and the locals dubbed it the "Gate to Hell". And it is worth recognizing that not in vain.
Near the village of Darvaza in 1971, exploration work was carried out for the presence of natural gas. The very first test drilling brought a surprise - all the equipment fell into the opened cavity, and several hundred cubic meters of gas escaped. Geologists, after consulting, decided to completely burn off the gas. But after the planned ten days, the fire did not go out and continues to burn to this day!
It is not known how much more gas is in this field, but flames rage in this hole day and night. For the sake of this spectacle, hundreds of tourists come to Turkmenistan, they tell how creepy the sinkhole looks at night, when the glow from this ominous hole spreads for many kilometers around. Not every traveler who has come to the desert for the sake of the Gates to Hell runs the risk of coming close to them. After all, such a picture remains in the memory for a long time and then often comes in nightmarish disturbing dreams.
Sky pit: the deepest sinkhole in the world
Sky hole in China can claim the title of "the deepest funnel in the world." It goes deep into the earth for more than six hundred meters. This attraction is located near the city of Chongqing and has long been a favorite place for jumpers.
Interestingly, the Sky Pit was formed over several hundred millennia. It is practically two failures, the lower of which is narrower and more sinuous than the upper one. Many tourists come here during the rainy season, when they see a truly fantastic sight of water streams flowing down the walls of the failure, resembling waterfalls. At this point, you can forget that the days of dinosaurs are long gone. After all, the landscape is surprisingly reminiscent of the distant Jurassic period.
The Great Black Hole of Andros
This scary place is in the Bahamas. Off the coast of the island of South Andros there is a sinkhole, the estimated depth of which is one hundred meters. The diameter of the hole exceeds three hundred meters, but the color of the water inside the funnel is close to black and purple, which inspires tourists with some kind of superstitious horror.
In fact, the color of the funnel is given by bacteria, which are located in dense layers at different depths. Diving into the Great Black Pit of Andros is extremely dangerous, because the layer of bacteria has a jelly-like consistency and warms the water up to forty degrees Celsius. Until today, all the holes in the cave have not yet been explored, their study may bring scientists a lot of new knowledge about our planet.
Devil's funnel: the most mysterious hole on the planet
Texas is home to the most unusual of all holes on Earth. It is an almost flat hole with a diameter of fifteen meters, its depth is approximately one hundred and six meters. Now this hole is home to a large colony of bats. Crowds of tourists come to the Devil's Funnel at night to see how three million bats fly out of the ground. This spectacle is not for people with weak nerves!
Surprisingly, archaeologists have found priceless artifacts in the hole. For example, arrowheads raised to the surface date back to the fourth millennium BC. What attracted people to this place is unknown. Now excavations are not carried out in this funnel, but scientists are sure that it is fraught with many secrets and mysteries.
Vagrant Hole Killer
Killer holes appeared in the sands at the foot of Mount Baldy several years ago, which appear suddenly and literally the next day turn out to be completely covered with sand. Everyone who enters the region of the hole is drawn into it. For the first time, an eleven-year-old boy fell into such a trap, who nevertheless managed to be rescued from under the many meters of sand.
Scientists cannot yet explain the origin of wandering holes, no geological processes known in the world correspond to the characteristics of these funnels. In addition, they are so deep that they could not even be measured. Today, terrible wandering holes are a mystery of nature that can take the life of anyone who comes within the reach of a mysterious funnel.
All the big holes, the photos of which we have given in the article, are magnificent creations of nature. They amaze the imagination, and sometimes look extremely frightening. But always these places symbolize how small and weak a person is, compared with the forces hidden in the bowels of our beautiful blue planet.
Holes in the ground, where are they from?
I'm interested in the origin of such objects, and what exactly they hide from us when they try to misinform people through the media about this.
For example, in Guatemala, a huge hole formed, which literally swallowed a 3-story building and a house, due to which one person died, a policeman talking on the phone. The media tells us that supposedly this giant well was formed in the ground due to heavy rains ... But it is clear to any person that for this reason it is simply impossible to form such a deep "tunnel" of the correct shape and clear boundaries. Somehow in my head I can’t even reproduce an approximate image of how a downpour or a hurricane could do this (Unless it was a tornado in which a whole bunch of shovels were circling: D). I believe that, perhaps, a vimana flew out of the ground, because they can really "cut" the ground like butter (Vimanas are our traditional, Aryan, Vedic mode of transport.) This is, of course, just my guess.
What do you think, because of the hurricane, did this hole form and take over the whole building, or for some other reason?
Your opinion is important to us.
A suddenly appeared hole or karst sinkhole in Guatemala is characterized by very great depth, smooth edges, sudden appearance, and the absence of any subsequent geological processes.
According to local residents, from about the beginning of February, ground movements were felt in the area of the future tragedy, and a muffled rumble was heard from under the ground.
By the way, there are actually a lot of such holes all over the globe, and scientists don’t really comment on them ...
At the bottom of the funnel, no traces or debris of the building can be traced - although in the case of such a "precise" subsidence of the soil, it would be possible to find the "missing" one at the bottom of the well.
I have no idea what this hole is and why it's on fire...
And these strange and very deep holes began to appear in Russian impenetrable forests since 1980. In places where it is not possible to get by car, let alone bring equipment that would be able to drill such a hole.
In the photo, people are descending into one of these holes, but when they descended, they did not find anything. It still remains a mystery what these holes are and what they were used for.
Notice how smooth the walls ....
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The recent discovery of a third hole in Siberia has puzzled many scientists, turned on conspiracy theorists, and forced ordinary people to take a fresh look at the stability of the ground under our feet. 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 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. They then filled with natural gas, and when the pressure got too high, the 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 out of the area of high pressure and temperature, stone samples were deformed after getting out. 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 less and 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 salt water of the sea seeps through the earth, it is met by 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 various 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. Since the terrain is sand, which does not create air pockets, none of the conditions necessary for the formation of sinkholes 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 scientists believe that the instability of the sand dunes may have something to do with their legendary history, which among others includes the story of the supply of huge amounts of 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. Much of the sinkhole's history was wiped out 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 the remains of a giant tortoise that was not even supposed to be found there, as well as birds, seeds and plants that have 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 yielded the remains of one of the oldest known inhabitants of the Bahamas, estimated to be around 1,050 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, there was a layer of clear water and another purple layer that looked like jelly.
The strange layers of water have very high levels of 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 in enough sunlight for the jungle to grow in the cave. In addition, the cave has a 60-meter calcite wall, an 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 a whole lost world was discovered only in 2009 reminds us, the inhabitants of the Earth, that the planet is still far from being fully explored.
