The giant hole that appeared in the Atacama Desert in Chile growing more and more. According to the National Geology and Mining Service (Sernageomin), the crater could collapse and collapse.
The huge cave is located in the town of Tierra Amarilla, 665 kilometers from Santiago. About 15,000 people live in the region.
The crater appeared earlier this month with a diameter of 25 meters and a depth of 64 meters. But its size keeps increasing. Currently the hole is about 40 meters in diameter and 200 meters deep.
According to local authorities, the hole poses no danger to residents of Tierra Amarilla. However, activities around the crater are at a standstill. Work will not resume until the problem is resolved.
There are copper mines in the region where the hole was found. The area is mainly exploited by the Canadian company Lundin Mining LUN.To, which owns 80% of the property. The rest is provided by Japan’s Sumitomo Metal Mining and Sumitomo Corp. controlled.
Colosal Agujero appears out of nowhere 🤯
A huge Socavon took place in the region #Atacama 25 m diameter and 300 m depth #monstrous. I don’t know its origin. The specialists get to the bottom of the cause #Phenomenon It’s time to avoid public fear…
Chile pic.twitter.com/DgVqmyrlpm— Dystopian Reality (@RDistopica) August 2, 2022
It is not yet clear how the crater was formed. However, Tierra Amarilla Mayor Cristobal Zúñiga claims that its emergence is due to the “inconsequential and excessive” mining activities being carried out in the region. A Lundin executive dismissed that version, telling Portal that further studies were needed to determine the source of the hole.
Chilean President Gabriel Boric attributed the crater’s origin to the country’s “development model”. “The hole is the tip of the iceberg of a series of issues affecting Tierra Amarilla,” he said. “This is a development model that has not been beneficial to the community.”