Hole-y Mother Earth!
Words by Katherine Castillo Eustaquio
Published in Action & Fitness Magazine March 2010 issue
Check out the world’s largest—and breathtaking— holes!
Chuquicamata, Chile
More commonly known as “Chuqui”, this giant hole is an open pit copper mine that is located in northern Chile. It measures at 4.3 km long, 3 km wide and over 850 m deep. Its smelter facility (the process of extracting metal from ore) and electrolytic refinery rank as one of biggest in the world. No other mine has beaten its record with almost 29 million tonnes of copper at the end of 2007.
Udachnaya Pipe, Russia
Its Russian translation, “lucky pipe”, lives up to its name as the Udachnaya Pipe is a diamond mine located in the Daldyn-Alakit kimberlite field in Sakha Republic, Russia. This valuable open pit mine is located just outside the Arctic Circle. It was discovered on June 15, 1955, a few days after the discovery of another diamond open pit, the Mir Mine, by Soviet geologist Vladimir Shchukin. The Udachnaya Pipe is over 600 meters deep.
Since 2004, the Udachnaya Pipe has been under the control of Alrosa, a Russian diamond company. It has been said that Alrosa plans to pause the open pit mining this year to give way to underground mining.
Sink hole, Guatemala
In February 23, 2007, a huge sinkhole opened in the San Antonio neighborhood in northeast Guatemala City. Fifty-three year old Domingo Soyos and his teenage children, David and Irma Soyos, died when their house collapsed. On that day, thousands of people in San Antonio were evacuated. Three people were killed and twelve houses were destroyed.
The Guatemala sinkhole measures 100.5 m (330 ft) deep. A break in the underground drain system caused sewer fluid to dissolve the rock underground that caused the collapse. Civil engineer Eric Haddox, who was in Guatemala for missionary work, visited the sinkhole site after collapse to help with the recovery work. Haddox reported that the depth is relatively smaller compared to the reported 330 ft. He also added that the erosion had been brewing for a long time and was not related to the recent rain the city had during that time.
Diavik Mine, Canada
Talk about buried treasures! The Diavik Mine is a treasure spot in the North Slave Region of the Northwest Territories in Canada. Its exact location is about 300 kilometers north of Yellowknife. From an aerial shot, the Diavik Mine looks like an ancient Egyptian symbol with its big and interconnected roads. The mine location is strategically remote and beautiful as it is surrounded with crystal blue waters. It is more breathtaking when the surrounding water is frozen.
This incredible diamond mine has become an integral part of the region’s economy. It employs over 700 people and produces 8 million carats (1600 kg) of diamonds every year, raking in C$100 million in sales.
The mine location was studied in 1992. In 2001, the construction began and the diamond-mining kicked off in January 2003. An ice road connects the mine to the Diavik Airport that has a 5,235-foot gravel runway that’s big enough to hold Boeing 737 jet aircrafts on a regular basis.
Mirny Diamond Mine, Siberia
Also called the Mirny Mine, it is the world’s largest open pit diamond mine that measures 525 meters (1,720 ft) deep and with a diameter of 1,200 m (3,900 ft). Located in Mirny, Eastern Siberia, Russia, it holds the title of the second largest excavated hole in the world next to the Bingham Canyon Mine. The Mirny Mine is so big and so deep that there is a no-fly zone in the area due to several incidents when a few helicopters got sucked in by the downward air flow.
It was discovered on June 13, 1955 by Soviets Yuri Khabardin, Ekaterina Elagina and Viktor Avdeenko. During their Amakinsky Expedition in Yakut ASSR, the geologists discovered fragments of kimberlite, a volcanic rock linked to diamonds. Their kimberlite discovery led to the location of a diamond resource. It was the first and largest diamond open mine in Russia whose production lasted for 44 years and closed in June 2001.
Great Blue Hole, Belize
The Lighthouse Reef area is about 1,000 feet in diameter and is the perfect habitat for corals. The coral reef surrounds the hole perfectly except for two narrow canals. Inside the hole is a labyrinth of caves and passageways. In certain sports, divers can see humungous limestone stalactites suspended from the ceiling of a prehistoric air-filled caves formed during the last ice age. The melted ice flooded the caves.
In the deeper parts of the Great Blue Hole, divers are able to spot lone hammerhead sharks and blacktip tigers, but most of the time it’s an isolated trip for divers. The water inside the hole is motionless and very little light reaches its depth, making it different from most diving spots brimming with sea life. However, on the shallow parts of the hole’s rim, you will find a lively spot of magnificent sea life.
Bingham Canyon Mine, Utah
Kennecott Copper’s Bingham Canyon Mine in Salt Lake County, Utah is the world’s largest man-made structure. Measuring 2.5 miles wide and 3,960 feet deep, the mine has produced almost 17 million tons of copper since it kicked off production in 1906. Apart from that, it has also produced 23 million ounces of gold, 190 million ounces of silver, and 890 million pounds of molybdenum. It also generates millions of tons of sulfuric acid annually. Everyday, the mine hauls out 500,000 tons of raw materials.
Darvaza Gas Crater, Turkmenistan
In 1971, several geologists conducted a gas drilling in Kara-Kum desert in Turkmenistan. Their drilling led to the accidental discovery of an underground chamber near Darvaza, a small Turkmen village. Unfortunately, the drilling rig collapsed and left a gigantic gas crater and exposed the poisonous gases underneath.
The concentration of the matter inside the crate was so high no one in the team dared to give it a closer look. Until one of them decided to light a fire down the crater, thinking it would burn of the poisonous fume before it destroys the nearby village.
Unfortunately, their plan backfired as the hole is still burning to this day since 1971 without ceasing. The supply of natural gas inside the crater is thought today as near infinite. Just imagine how much damage the burning of natural gases has done to the world’s economy and ecology as the crater continues to burn today.
But setting aside the big damages it has caused, the Darvaza Gas Crater is a dazzling beauty to visit, especially at night when it’s so dark that the only thing you will see is a big crater of glowing lights emanating from the Earth.
Published in Action & Fitness Magazine March 2010 issue
Check out the world’s largest—and breathtaking— holes!
Chuquicamata, Chile
More commonly known as “Chuqui”, this giant hole is an open pit copper mine that is located in northern Chile. It measures at 4.3 km long, 3 km wide and over 850 m deep. Its smelter facility (the process of extracting metal from ore) and electrolytic refinery rank as one of biggest in the world. No other mine has beaten its record with almost 29 million tonnes of copper at the end of 2007.
Udachnaya Pipe, Russia
Its Russian translation, “lucky pipe”, lives up to its name as the Udachnaya Pipe is a diamond mine located in the Daldyn-Alakit kimberlite field in Sakha Republic, Russia. This valuable open pit mine is located just outside the Arctic Circle. It was discovered on June 15, 1955, a few days after the discovery of another diamond open pit, the Mir Mine, by Soviet geologist Vladimir Shchukin. The Udachnaya Pipe is over 600 meters deep.
Since 2004, the Udachnaya Pipe has been under the control of Alrosa, a Russian diamond company. It has been said that Alrosa plans to pause the open pit mining this year to give way to underground mining.
In February 23, 2007, a huge sinkhole opened in the San Antonio neighborhood in northeast Guatemala City. Fifty-three year old Domingo Soyos and his teenage children, David and Irma Soyos, died when their house collapsed. On that day, thousands of people in San Antonio were evacuated. Three people were killed and twelve houses were destroyed.
The Guatemala sinkhole measures 100.5 m (330 ft) deep. A break in the underground drain system caused sewer fluid to dissolve the rock underground that caused the collapse. Civil engineer Eric Haddox, who was in Guatemala for missionary work, visited the sinkhole site after collapse to help with the recovery work. Haddox reported that the depth is relatively smaller compared to the reported 330 ft. He also added that the erosion had been brewing for a long time and was not related to the recent rain the city had during that time.
Diavik Mine, Canada
Talk about buried treasures! The Diavik Mine is a treasure spot in the North Slave Region of the Northwest Territories in Canada. Its exact location is about 300 kilometers north of Yellowknife. From an aerial shot, the Diavik Mine looks like an ancient Egyptian symbol with its big and interconnected roads. The mine location is strategically remote and beautiful as it is surrounded with crystal blue waters. It is more breathtaking when the surrounding water is frozen.
This incredible diamond mine has become an integral part of the region’s economy. It employs over 700 people and produces 8 million carats (1600 kg) of diamonds every year, raking in C$100 million in sales.
The mine location was studied in 1992. In 2001, the construction began and the diamond-mining kicked off in January 2003. An ice road connects the mine to the Diavik Airport that has a 5,235-foot gravel runway that’s big enough to hold Boeing 737 jet aircrafts on a regular basis.
Also called the Mirny Mine, it is the world’s largest open pit diamond mine that measures 525 meters (1,720 ft) deep and with a diameter of 1,200 m (3,900 ft). Located in Mirny, Eastern Siberia, Russia, it holds the title of the second largest excavated hole in the world next to the Bingham Canyon Mine. The Mirny Mine is so big and so deep that there is a no-fly zone in the area due to several incidents when a few helicopters got sucked in by the downward air flow.
It was discovered on June 13, 1955 by Soviets Yuri Khabardin, Ekaterina Elagina and Viktor Avdeenko. During their Amakinsky Expedition in Yakut ASSR, the geologists discovered fragments of kimberlite, a volcanic rock linked to diamonds. Their kimberlite discovery led to the location of a diamond resource. It was the first and largest diamond open mine in Russia whose production lasted for 44 years and closed in June 2001.
Belize, the former British Honduras, is a small country in Central America and one of the world’s best diving sites because of its famous Great Blue Hole. Right in the middle of the Lighthouse Reef, 62 miles from the mainland, is a perfectly circular dark blue hole that is 984 feet across and 410 feet deep that gives it a deep blue hue.
The Lighthouse Reef area is about 1,000 feet in diameter and is the perfect habitat for corals. The coral reef surrounds the hole perfectly except for two narrow canals. Inside the hole is a labyrinth of caves and passageways. In certain sports, divers can see humungous limestone stalactites suspended from the ceiling of a prehistoric air-filled caves formed during the last ice age. The melted ice flooded the caves.
In the deeper parts of the Great Blue Hole, divers are able to spot lone hammerhead sharks and blacktip tigers, but most of the time it’s an isolated trip for divers. The water inside the hole is motionless and very little light reaches its depth, making it different from most diving spots brimming with sea life. However, on the shallow parts of the hole’s rim, you will find a lively spot of magnificent sea life.
Bingham Canyon Mine, Utah
Kennecott Copper’s Bingham Canyon Mine in Salt Lake County, Utah is the world’s largest man-made structure. Measuring 2.5 miles wide and 3,960 feet deep, the mine has produced almost 17 million tons of copper since it kicked off production in 1906. Apart from that, it has also produced 23 million ounces of gold, 190 million ounces of silver, and 890 million pounds of molybdenum. It also generates millions of tons of sulfuric acid annually. Everyday, the mine hauls out 500,000 tons of raw materials.
Darvaza Gas Crater, Turkmenistan
In 1971, several geologists conducted a gas drilling in Kara-Kum desert in Turkmenistan. Their drilling led to the accidental discovery of an underground chamber near Darvaza, a small Turkmen village. Unfortunately, the drilling rig collapsed and left a gigantic gas crater and exposed the poisonous gases underneath.
The concentration of the matter inside the crate was so high no one in the team dared to give it a closer look. Until one of them decided to light a fire down the crater, thinking it would burn of the poisonous fume before it destroys the nearby village.
Aptly named “The Door to Hell”, everyone who visits the village of Darvaza can easily spot where the burning hole is located. No one has ever dared to go inside the crater. Looking inside it will give you a tangible image and sensation of how burning in hell would most likely feel like.
