Thor's Well Oregon: Mysterious Giant Sink Hole Draining the Pacific Ocean Explained

Thor's Well is one of the popular attractions on the Oregon Coast. Some refer to it as a "gaping sinkhole" or a drainpipe of the Pacific," and photographers flock there to witness and capture how the notorious sinkhole behaves.

Thor's Well Oregon

Thor's Well is a bowl-shaped hole cut out of the rugged basalt shoreline of the Cape Perpetua Scenic Area, three miles south of Yachats. Thor is the Norse god of thunder, and Thor's Well bears his name. According to legend, Thor struck the earth and formed the six-meter hole, which is the sinkhole.

A hole in the top and bottom of the rock was left behind when the ocean cave collapsed. This creates a passageway for the ocean waves to ascend through the cave and reach the surface.

When the tide is high enough, waves from the bottom rise to the top of Thor's Well in Cape Perpetua, where they violently splash the surface. The water returns through the well as the waves recede. The uninterrupted stream of seawater surrounding it appears to be swallowed by a bottomless abyss.

Coast Explorer Magazine's publisher, Gary Hayes, surmises that the feature was once probably a sea cave that the waves had hollowed out before the ceiling finally gave way and the ocean began to rush and spray through gaps at the top and bottom. Even though it's probably only 20 feet (six meters) deep, the enormous hole nonetheless creates breathtaking views.

With the exception of its circular shape, it is similar to the surrounding features, such as the neighboring Devil's Churn, the horn-spouting Cook's Chasm, and the rough Cook's Chasm. However, the combination of its shape and location next to the Pacific Ocean causes some quite odd behavior.

The location is most striking during storms or high tide when waves pound the rocks and rush into the hole. Unprepared use of the website faces the risk of being sucked straight into the whirlpool during these unexpected downpours.

Waves crash beneath the bowl at high tide, filling it from the bottom until it bubbles out the top or erupts in a furious spray. The appearance of Thor's Well filling and emptying indefinitely is caused by the water rolling back into the hole.

When the water is high, it's entertaining to watch, but go back at low tide to observe the workings of the systems.

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Is The Thor's Well Dangerous?

Despite its reputation, Thor's Well isn't very deadly, and it is not any more dangerous than the relentless Pacific Ocean that flows past it.

Lead field ranger Vicki Penwell of the Siuslaw National Forest remarked that while it is a dangerous area, it is not for the reasons that most people believe.

According to her, there have been three incidences at the location since May, all involving individuals struck by sneaker waves while viewing the feature. They received numerous scratches and scrapes from the jagged volcanic rock but were not pulled into the abyss or sent to hell.

Whether strolling down the beach or standing at the edge of a chasm, a sneaker wave might carry you to a watery doom anywhere along the Oregon coast. Other than that, Thor's Well is merely another intriguing hole in the basalt; it is distinctive mainly in its shape and behavior.