Not mentioned in this article, but a different one claims the hole is 299' deep.

[Note: photos and hyperlinks found at linked website article.]

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Mysterious, 105 foot-wide sinkhole appears at mining site in Chile, prompts investigation

Wyatte Grantham-Philips

USA Today

Published 8:30 AM ET Aug. 3, 2022
Updated 4:55 PM ET Aug. 3, 2022


A large sinkhole appeared over the weekend near the mining town of Tierra Amarilla, Copiapo Province, in the Atacama desert. Johan Godoy, AFP via Getty Images

A mysterious, giant sinkhole appeared at a mining site in Chile over the weekend, leading authorities to investigate.

In a Monday tweet, Chile's National Service of Geology and Mining, Sernageomin, announced the sinkhole was 25 meters, or 82 feet, in diameter. By Tuesday, the agency confirmed the sinkhole was actually larger – at almost 105 feet in diameter. That's about 11 feet longer than an NBA or WBNA basketball court.

Aerial images show the sinkhole near Lundin Mining Corp.'s Alcaparrosa underground copper mine, close to the town of Tierra Amarilla in Chile's Atacama Desert.

In a Monday statement, Lundin Mining, a Canadian company, said the sinkhole was detected on Saturday. The mining company added that "the area was immediately isolated and the relevant regulatory authorities notified."

In a Tuesday news release, Sernageomin said authorities immediately went to the site for safety response and to investigate the sinkhole after learning of its detection.

Both Lundin Mining and Sernageomin confirmed that the sinkhole did not impact the people, equipment, or facilities that were both inside and near the surface of the Alcaparrosa mine.


An aerial view taken on Monday shows a large sinkhole that appeared over the weekend near the mining town of Tierra Amarilla, Copiapo Province, in the Atacama desert in Chile. Johan Godoy AFP via Getty Images

According to Lundin Mining, the sinkhole "has remained stable" and "no movement has been detected related to the surficial sinkhole" in the Alcaparrosa mine, part of the company's Minera Ojos del Salado operations. Still, work in the mine has been temporarily suspended out of caution.

Minera Ojos del Salado is also "conducting a technical analysis" to determine the sinkhole's cause, the company said.



https://m.youtube.com/watch?ti...FNs&feature=emb_logo

I don't understand why sinkholes hold such a fascination for some people.

^^^

I put it down to another natural phenomenon. But there doesn't appear to be any warning for sinkholes. Unlike hurricanes, or to a limited extent predicting storms that are capable of producing twisters, or volcanic eruptions and earthquakes that give limited warnings, sinkholes = not there one moment and then they appear the next.

The suddeness of them holds fascination, when we think of the possibilities. Not so different than a meteorite striking the earth.

Reminds me of Outer Range.

So could there have been mining operations taking place beneath that spot that weakend the above-ground structural integrity?? My first thought, seeing how the article stated a mining area…

This message has been edited. Last edited by: erj_pilot,

I've often wondered how the town of Butte, MT hasn't turned into a big sinkhole.

Here's a map of the mines beneath the city.



It's remarkable that there is enough rock left under there to hold everything up. One giant Jenga pile.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Gustofer,

quote:

Originally posted by erj_pilot:
So could there have been mining operations taking place beneath that spot that weakend the above-ground structural integrity?? My first thought, seeing hiw the article stated a mining area…

Yeah, I'd considered that too. I wouldn't think mining operations would be allowed directly below an area that is obviously being used for a road.. but it's plausible there was human error involved. Or, another possibility is that the mining operations either caused erosion or perhaps the mining activities affected a water table redirecting the water in an adverse direction...

... but yeah, I wouldn't be surprised if the investigations connected the mining operation to the sinkhole.

Check your home owners insurance police for sink hole coverage. You have to pay extra for it like flood insurance.

Perfect hole, just like the Carpenter Bee holes in my deck.

quote:

Originally posted by Gustofer:
I've often wondered how the town of Butte, MT has turned into a big sinkhole.

...

I wasn't aware of this. Is Butte slowly sinking or seeing any problems from the mines?

quote:

Originally posted by recoatlift:
Perfect hole, just like the Carpenter Bee holes in my deck.

Im more fascinated about the perfect circle too. Cue the its Aliens meme.

quote:

That's about 11 feet longer than an NBA or WBNA basketball court.

Kind of self-answers the question: what can we get to fill it up with?

Mother Nature is going to have her way.

quote:

Originally posted by Modern Day Savage:

quote:

Originally posted by Gustofer:
I've often wondered how the town of Butte, MT has turned into a big sinkhole.

...

I wasn't aware of this. Is Butte slowly sinking or seeing any problems from the mines?

Oh, Butte has it's problems for sure, but to my knowledge not so much from the underground mining. Google the Berkeley Pit, though, for their issues with open pit mining. Nearly a century of no regard for anything but the minerals and the money has caused a lot of problems for them and those downstream. I live on the Clark Fork River a few hundred miles downstream from Butte. While the water is generally considered "safe" now, there are still limits placed on how much fish to consume due to the heavy metal contamination.

Any sightings of the Silver Surfer?

Damn it! It hatched...

So, uh, about this Butte Hole...

Sometimes the jokes just write themselves...

quote:

Originally posted by parabellum:
So, uh, about this Butte Hole...

It's a beaut!

That area is part of the Ring of Fire. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ring_of_Fire