Giant Sinkhole Discovered in Chile: Is This Caused by Humans Through Mining or Natural Occurrence?

Early this week, a giant sinkhole appeared, 25 meters in diameter, and has continued growing in Chile's city yellow earth Atacama region.

The authorities are investigating if the ditch is a natural formation or a result of mining in the area, a report from the American Journal specified.

The hole is found near the Alcaparros mine, owned by a mining company called Candelaria, as reported by Cristóbal Zúñiga, the commune's mayor.

On Saturday, the mayor said, they received a citizen complaint regarding a sinkhole that would have appeared "here in our community" close to Mina Alcaparros, which is part of Minera Candelaria.

A Natural Formation or Result of Mining?

The commune official also said they are concerned since it is a fear that they have always had a community surrounded by mining deposits and underground projects.

Similarly, the governor reported that where the sinkhole came from remains unknown and that it is still "active and growing."

The official also said they are requesting that it be possible to clarify the reason and why such an event took place, what the reasons are, if the collapse is a result of mining activity, or if it is a natural event.

The official also said that they would go to the last consequences as a municipality to shield their community and, once and for all, put an end to such abuses and the excessive contamination of the mining firms.

The National Service of Geology and Mining of Chile inspected the trench and closed all accesses to the mining site, a related AFP report via Yahoo! News specified.

How are Sinkholes Formed?

According to National Geographic, two types of sinkholes exist. One forms when a cave's roof collapses and the underground cavern gets exposed.

The second type forms when water dissolves the rock beneath the soil and forms an underground chasm. Minus the rock to back it, the soil layer is collapsing and develops a hole on the surface.

Both humans and natural events cause sinkholes. Land made of a layer of underground rocks like rock salt surrounding the Dead Sea or limestone in the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico is frequently riddled with sinkholes since the rock layer is dissolved easily.

Meanwhile, manmade sinkholes are formed when city development comprises the structural integrity of underlying rock.

Buildings, roads, and other types of construction may cause water to collect in certain areas and wipe out the supporting layer of rocks, particularly at low sea levels and after a heavy downpour.

For example, a separate National Geographic report specified that the Guatemala City sinkhole, approximately 60 feet in width and 300 feet deep, appears to have been stimulated by the deluge from a tropical storm called Agatha.

However, the cavity formed in the first place since the city and its underground infrastructure was constructed in an area where the first few hundred meters of the ground are mostly composed of a material called pumice fill, deposited during previous volcanic eruptions.

A report about the newly discovered sinkhole in Chile is shown on the South China Morning Post's YouTube video below:

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