They delight, fascinate, and sometimes - create great danger. Undoubtedly, they diversify the landscape and become popular places among tourists. Let's remember the most grandiose holes in the earth's crust - both man-made and natural.
1. Gateway to Hell, Turkmenistan
In the Dervez region, located in the Karakum desert of Turkmenistan, there are huge deposits of natural gas. During test drilling in 1971, in the vicinity of Kyzylgar, an uncontrolled drop in pressure occurred in the reservoir. This caused the formation of a hole with a diameter of 70 m and a depth of 20 m. In order to normalize the situation and be able to continue work, it was decided to set fire to the gas.
It was assumed that it would burn out within a few days, but the deposit turned out to be huge and burns constantly for approx. 40 years. Such a unique attraction, colloquially called the "Gateway to Hell", regularly brings adventurous tourists here.
2. Morning Glory Pool, Yellowstone National Park, USA
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The most famous and beautiful thermal pool not only in Yellowstone Park, but also in the world. Its depth, according to authoritative estimates, is approx. 7 m, but the temperature is up to 70 ° C. The uniqueness of the colors is provided by the bacteria living in the local water. It's a pity, but this unique phenomenon has been seriously affected by ignorant tourists.
They throw coins at the source, which supposedly brings good luck. However, this leads to clogging of the springs that replenish the pool with water. As a result, its volume decreases, which affects changes in the chemical composition and violates the ecology of microorganisms.
3. Bingham Canyon Copper Mine, Utah, USA
Bingham Canyon Mine, located in Utah. The mine stretches as much as 1,200 meters into the ground - the world's deepest quarry. The air currents over the mine are so confusing and dangerous that helicopter flights over the mine are prohibited. In addition, it is the largest man-made excavation pit on our planet.
Since 1906, copper ore has been mined from this hole 4 km wide, from which, in addition to red metal, molybdenum, silver and gold are also extracted. Since 1966, the Bingham Canyon Open Pit Copper Mine (as the official name sounds) is one of about 2,500 US National Historic Landmarks.
4. Diamond mine in Mirny, Russia
Located on the Central Siberian Upland, the city of Mirny is fraught with a mysterious object. This is not only the largest and the second in the world (in depth) quarry. The hole has approx. 1200 m in diameter and approx. 525 m depth. It takes up to two hours to get from the surface of the earth to its deepest point by car !!!
In 1957, work on diamond mining began in this place. There were years when up to 2 million carats a year were mined here. The largest gem that was found in the mine in 1980 weighed 342.5 carats.
Fun fact: as in Bingham Canyon Mine, helicopter use is not permitted here. Air vortices arising in the mine are able to pull it inward, as has happened several times already.
5. Diavik Diamond Mine, Canada
Diavik Diamond Mine is located not more than 300 km from the Canadian Yellowknife. This is one of the most interestingly located workings in the world. Built at the beginning of the 21st century, this diamond mine is located on an island in the middle of Lake Lac de Gras, 220 km south of the Arctic Circle.
All infrastructure occupies almost 50% of the island's surface. In winter, people get to the mine along the ice road - this is the only convenient way to transport the mined stones and transport the supplies necessary for the operation of the mine. The airport with a 1.5-kilometer runway, which houses the mine, is capable of receiving aircraft the size of a Boeing-737.
Diavik Diamond Mine started operations in January 2003 and within 4 months after that its production exceeded one million carats. On average, during the year, about 8 million carats of the world's most valuable mineral were mined here. In 2012, it was decided to stop open pit mining. Since that time, diamonds have been mined here only underground.
6. Funnels in Guatemala
In the city of Guatemala, the capital of the Central American state of the same name, there are already two terrible and at the same time amazing holes in the ground. The first funnel appeared in 2007. Residents felt a vibration, which they interpreted as an earthquake.
In fact, due to the leakage of drainage and sewer pipes under the city, the road collapsed, creating a rift 100 m deep. The accident killed 2 people and thousands were evacuated. The second hole appeared three years later. Its diameter was 20 m, and the depth was 30 m. A 3-storey building was buried in it. The disaster was caused by Hurricane Agatha, an earthquake and the soil washed away by sewers.
7. Blue Hole, Belize
Located in the middle of Lighthouse Reef Atoll, about 80 km from Belize City, the Blue Hole is the world's largest natural water reservoir. And, besides, it is also one of the most beautiful places on our planet. This depression is over 124 m deep and approx. 300 m.
The vertical walls of this cave go down to a depth of about 35 meters, where the well expands into a huge cave rich in rock formations such as stalactites. The transparency of the water here reaches 60 m, which makes it ideal for snorkeling.
8. Karst sinkholes on the coast of the Dead Sea, Israel
Not far from the Israeli city of Ein Gedi, located on the coast of the Dead Sea, there is, however, no such impressive hole in the ground as mentioned earlier. But, on the other hand, we will find there more than 3 thousand karst funnels of various sizes, scattered along the coast. Experts believe that their number may double in the near future, as some have not yet opened.
These geological forms that form the lunar landscape arise from the constant lack of sufficient quantities of groundwater, widely used by people. The increase in the number of tourists visiting this unique place due to the thousands of holes partially filled with water contributes to the constant water shortage, which leads to the formation of the following craters.
9. Natural funnel Heavenly Pit, China
The Qiyao mountains of China, in Chongqing province, are home to the largest natural sinkhole in the world. The unique formation Xiaozhai Tiankeng, whose age is determined at 128 thousand years, is called Heavenly Peet - "heavenly bottom".
This funnel is 342 meters deep. The walls of this large hole are smooth, as if hewn. Standing at its bottom, one gets the impression that he fell into a giant well. This place is popular with athletes and extreme jumping enthusiasts.
10. Diamond mine in Kimberley, South Africa
Located in southern Africa, The Big Hole, or the Kimberley Mine, is one of the largest holes created by human hands. In the period from 1871 to 1914, more than 50 thousand people dug it, having only picks and spades at their disposal. From this production, during the indicated period, 2720 kg of diamonds were obtained.
She herself reached a depth of 240 meters and formed a funnel with a diameter of 463 meters. When this method of mining became too dangerous, the mine was closed, and its bottom was filled with debris by 25 meters. For 100 years, this funnel has collected water, the color of which creates an amazing impression. Currently, the depth of this unique lake is about 40 meters.