Dimensional Gate? A gigantic open sinkhole in Chile
The gigantic sinkhole was spotted last Saturday and has since expanded another 7 meters, now measuring around 32 meters in diameter.
The phenomenon originated in the Atacama region, specifically in the city of Tierra Amarilla. The hole appeared in the Alcaparrosa Mine, which is part of Minera Candelaria, and therefore it is still being investigated whether its appearance has to do with mining work.
“We are concerned, as it is a fear we have always had as a community, the fact that we are surrounded by mining deposits and underground works under our commune,” said Cristóbal Zúñiga, mayor of Tierra Amarilla.
One of the first indications given after the appearance of this hole was that specialized teams from the National Service of Geology and Mines (Sernageomin) went to the site to work on the ground and assess the situation.
This is how the director of Sernageomin Atacama, Franklin Céspedes, was present and stated that the sinkhole is “32 meters in diameter and 64 meters deep.
The base of this forum is 48 meters away and the nearest town is just 600 meters away.
Is the excess of extractive activity to blame?
Zúñiga did not hesitate to point out the culprit, assuring that the sinkhole is the result of “unconscious and excessive extractive activities”.
“Here the Earth is manifesting itself by the excess of extractive activity that is not aware or aware of the negative effects that it can have on our territory and our community”, said the official.
“This is the biggest sinkhole we have seen in recent times. We are very concerned because it is active and continues to grow.
Sernageomin established a security perimeter of 100 meters around the sinkhole, located inside the Alcaparrosa de Candelaria mine.
For its part, the mining company Lundin Mining, which owns 80% of the property, issued a statement in which it responds that “there was no impact on personnel, equipment or infrastructure” and that the sinkhole – contrary to what the local mayor observed – remained ” stable” since its detection.
Likewise, the company indicated that, as a preventive measure, “development work in an area has been temporarily suspended”.
