The recent discovery of the third hole in Siberia has puzzled many scientists, led conspiracy theorists, and forced ordinary people to take a fresh look at the stability of the earth under our feet. The surface of the Earth is riddled with holes: some under water, some on the ground, and some generally look like doors to the other world.
Holes in Siberia
More recently, three strange holes have been found in Siberia. The first, 50-100 meters across, was found at the bottom of the lake. The second hole, a few kilometers from the first, was only 15 meters wide. The third hole, accidentally found by reindeer herders, turned out to be an almost perfect cone-shaped hole about 4 meters wide and 60-100 meters deep.
A ring of debris and dirt around each hole indicates that the massive holes were made by forces that came from the interior of the Earth and burst out. Of course, curious theories were also born. Some believe that the holes are associated with gas developments in the region, but the holes are so far from the pipelines that scientists rejected the guess. Other theories include crazy rockets, pranksters, and, of course, extraterrestrial invasion.
The real reason may be more mundane, but no less strange from that. One working theory about holes is that they are a kind of back funnel. In this case, the holes were caused by underground destruction caused by the melting of the permafrost. They were then filled with natural gas, and when the pressure became too great, dirt and debris burst into the air instead of falling into the underground space.
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A hole in Taimyr found by reindeer herders
According to local residents, the holes are far from new, and scientists, in principle, admit such a possibility, looking at the vegetation around - they could have been for several years. The second hole discovered is lovingly called the “end of the world” and was allegedly observed by local residents back in September 2013. The testimony is different: some say they saw something falling from the sky, others that the explosion was on the ground.
Kola superdeep well
Not all holes in the earth's crust were formed for natural or unknown reasons. During 1970-1994, Russian geologists were digging the largest hole on Earth that could only be imagined in the name of science. As a result, the Kola superdeep well appeared, which eventually reached a depth of 12 kilometers.
On the way, scientists discovered a number of curious things. Digging a tunnel through a stone is like digging through history. Scientists have found the remains of life that existed on the surface two billion years ago. At an impressive depth of 6,700 meters, biologists have discovered tiny plankton fossils. While a wide variety of rock types were expected to be found on the way down, it is incredible how fragile organics have survived under enormous pressure for thousands of years.
Drilling through pristine rock proved to be difficult. The stone samples pulled out from the high pressure and temperature area were deformed after being exposed to the outside. Pressure and temperature also rose much higher than expected. By the time it reached 10,000 meters, the temperature had soared to 180 degrees Celsius.
Unfortunately, drilling stopped when it became impossible to combat the heat. The hole is still there, near the town of Zapolyarny, but it is covered with a metal cover.
German Continental Deep Drilling Program and Pulse of the Earth
In 1994, the drilling of a German ultra-deep well, originally conceived as one of the most ambitious geophysical projects, was stopped. The goal of the project is to give scientists the opportunity to study effects such as the effects of pressure on rocks, the presence of anomalies in the earth's crust, the structure of the crust and how it was exposed to heat and pressure.
The $ 350 million project left Windischenbach with a hole 9,100 meters deep and a temperature of 265 degrees Celsius.
Among the various scientific experiments, there was one unusual: the Dutch artist Lotte Geeven wanted to know what the planet sounds like. Although the scientists told her that the planet was silent, Geeven insisted on her own. She lowered the geophone into the hole to record ultrasonic waves beyond the auditory capacity of the human ear. After converting the data on the computer into frequencies that can be heard, Lotte heard the sounds of the Earth. It was like the sound of a thunderstorm in the distance, like a frightening heartbeat.
Dead Sea sinkholes
No one knows for sure how many holes have appeared around the Dead Sea, but it is believed that around 2,500 have appeared since 1970, and about 1,000 in the last 15 years alone. Like holes in Siberia, these holes are signs of environmental changes.
The Dead Sea is fed by the Jordan River, and less and less water flows into it every year. The sea itself is now three times smaller than it was in the 1960s, and drainage of the reservoir has caused sinkholes, along with the demise of resorts and hotels that once flourished in abundance on the shores.
When the salt water of the sea seeps through the land, fresh water meets it. When this fresh water enters the earth with a high salt content, most of the salt dissolves. The earth weakens and begins to collapse.
The Dead Sea has always been in a state of flux. It once connected with the Sea of Galilee, but this connection dried up about 18 thousand years ago. Now, change is more often driven by human actions. Water that once flowed into the sea in a delicate equilibrium is now being redirected across Jordan and Syria, with the sea receiving only 10 percent of the water it needs to sustain it.
At one time, this sea was a very popular place for those who made a religious pilgrimage or wanted to be healed in the mystical waters of the sea. Now more often you can find signs warning of the danger of spontaneously arising craters. But there is a bright side: if a funnel swallows you, it will be named after you.
Dean's Blue Hole
The deepest blue hole (the so-called holes located under water) is Dean's Blue Hole in the Bahamas. At 202 meters deep, this blue hole is almost twice as deep as other blue holes, making it a favorite destination for professional divers.
In 2010, William Trubridge set the record for diving 101 meters into a hole without external oxygen or other equipment. A Brooklyn diver died while trying to break this record in 2013 after being submerged for more than three and a half minutes, surfaced and immediately lost consciousness. Every year over 30 divers meet in this blue hole to participate in all sorts of competitions as part of the Vertical Blue event.
Although the hole attracts adventure lovers from all over the world, those who live near Dean's blue hole try to stay away from it. According to legend, this hole was dug by the devil and he is still there, grabbing people who dare to dive.
Mount Baldy's random holes
In 2013, a six-year-old boy explored the sand dunes of Mount Baldi in Indiana Dunes National Park and was swallowed by a crater that suddenly appeared beneath him. The boy was rescued after a three-hour trial, in which he was buried under a three-meter layer of sand. More funnels have appeared since then.
Geologists cannot explain the phenomena of Mount Baldi. Since the landscape is sand, which does not create air pockets, none of the conditions required for craters to form are met. When a funnel appears, it fills with sand throughout the day. The use of underground radar did not reveal any evidence.
A year after the first crater, they not only continued to appear, but also began to arise with such frequency that the park was closed. In an attempt to stabilize the sand dunes, experts planted grasses in the hope that their root system would stop erosion and earth displacement. Some scholars believe that the instability of the sand dunes may have something to do with their legendary history, which includes, among others, the story of the supply of massive amounts of sand to create Mason jars.
Devil's funnel
The Devil's Funnel is a massive underground chamber located in Edwards, Texas. The 15-meter-wide hole leads to a 106-meter-deep cavern that now plays a unique ecological role as home to one of the largest known colonies of Mexican free-tailed bats.
Visitors who, of course, cannot enter the cave can see over three million bats fly out of it every night during the summer months.
The history of the funnel is shrouded in mystery. The cave was raided by treasure seekers and artifact hunters before becoming a protected site. The arrowheads and darts found there date from 4000-2500 BC. e. Later, this funnel served as a haven for cowboys who rode west on horseback, as well as for people of a darker kind of employment. Much of the funnel's history was wiped out when ammonia producers began collecting mouse guano from the cave.
Soumill
The so-called Sawmill Sink is another blue hole in the Bahamas that, however, has much more scientific value than just attracting extreme athletes. This blue hole was the site of an archaeological site that changed the scientific understanding of what the landscape was like 1,000 years ago.
The Somill funnel is unique in that it was once dry, and when the water began to rise, it began to fill, slowly hiding the bones that were there. The fossils found there include the remains of a giant tortoise that was not even supposed to be found there, as well as birds, seeds and plants that have retained their green color.
Perhaps the most intriguing find was the remains of giant crocodiles that were believed to have been destroyed by the people living at the time. In this blue hole, the remains of one of the oldest known residents of the Bahamas were also found, which, according to various estimates, is about 1050 years old.
Black hole of Andros
The Andros Black Hole, located on South Andros Island in the Bahamas, has a completely different color from other holes in the region. It is not quite black, but deep purple.
The reason is that at a depth of 18 meters, there is a thick, toxic layer of bacteria floating between the oxygen-rich top and the nearly oxygen-free bottom of the funnel.
The island itself is inhospitable, for the most part consists of mud, so it is generally impossible to reach the Andros black hole without a helicopter and special equipment. It was first studied by scientist and diver Steffi Schwabe. She was the first to cross the curdled ink layer of bacteria. There was a layer of clear water underneath and another purple layer that looked like jelly.
Strange layers of water have very high levels of toxic hydrogen sulfide. They also contain bacteria that not only thrive between water levels, but have maintained water conditions for the past 3.5 billion years.
Seongdong Cave
Technically a cave system, Son Dong is also accessible through several large openings on the surface of the Earth. It was first found in 2009 after one of the holes was discovered by a local farmer.
The cave system was so carefully buried in the jungle that it was pure luck that someone found it at all. When members of the British Cavers Association entered the hole, they found something completely indescribable.
The cave was declared the largest in the world and was extremely difficult to explore. It appeared somewhere between two and five million years ago, carved by an underground river in limestone. In some places, the erosion reached the surface so close that parts of the cave roof collapsed, forming even more holes.
These holes let in enough sunlight for the jungle to grow into the cave. In addition, the cave has a 60-meter wall of calcite, an underground river and waterfalls, as well as stalagmites and stalactites that have grown to 80 meters in length.
This cave jungle is also home to an impressive array of wildlife, including venomous centipedes and whitefish. Some large cells can fit entire neighborhoods along with skyscrapers; there are bamboo forests and giant pearls.
The very fact that the whole lost world was discovered only in 2009 reminds us, the inhabitants of the Earth, that the planet has not yet been fully explored one hundred percent.