7 World's Biggest Holes

7 World's Biggest Holes

Mirny Diamond Mine, Siberia

The Mirny Diamond Mine is located in Eastern Serbia near a small town known as Mirna. The mine itself is over 525 meters deep and more than 125 kilometers in diameter. The hole is so wide and so deep it is believed to cause a suction effect, which has caused several aircraft accidents in the area. The Mirny Diamond Mine is now considered a no fly zone!

Kimberley Big Hole – South Africa

Kimberly Big Hole, located in South Africa, was a diamond mine over 1,097 meters deep. The mine was closed in 1914 but was later reopened as a tourist attraction. The site is now a major tourist attraction, featuring a bar, small hotel, shops, and eateries – all in the same area that these things would have been located while the mine was active. Workers will be dressed in period garb and visitors will have the opportunity to participate in a simulation complete with dynamite blasts and dusty explosions all designed to give visitors a feel for what it was like living in mine town.

Glory Hole – Monticello Dam

The Glory Hole at Monticello Dam is a man made hole designed to help drain water from the reservoir. The sheer size of the hole allows it to drain over 14,440 cubic feet of water every second. Water that is drained through the hole is shot out at the bottom of the dam.

Bingham Canyon Mine, Utah

Bingham Canyon Mine, located in Utah, is still an active mine and is considered to be one of the world's most productive. The canyon was originally discovered in 1850 and mining began in 1863, at which point it became apparent how valuable the site actually is. The mine produces millions of ounces s of valuable metals, including copper, gold, silver, and molybdenum each year. The Rio Tinto, the owner, is currently committed to a project that will ensure the mine stays open until at least 2013.

Great Blue Hole, Belize

The Great Blue Hole in Belize is located in the center of Lighthouse Reef. The hole itself is a limestone sinkhole. It measures 300 feet across and is well over 400 feet deep. The depth of the water in the hole is why the blue hole appears such a dark color when seen from above. The Great Blue Hole is a very popular tourist attraction for divers who want to explore the stalactites and limestone structures that begin to form around the insides of the hole at approximately 110 feet deep.

Diavik Mine, Canada

The Diavik Diamond Mine in Canada is one of the most amazing diamond mines in the world. It is believed that within the mind are over 90 million carats worth of rough diamonds. They are contained within three main kimberlite pipes, otherwise known as ore deposits. While the pipes at this mine are considered small, the quality of the diamonds contained within the pipes is above average. The mine is so large, in fact, the owners have built their own private airport at the site. Mining began at the site in 2003 and is expected to continue for at least 15-20 years, if not longer.

Sinkhole, Guatemala

In February of 2007, a sinkhole in Guatamela collapsed, killing two children as their home, and dozens of others, were swallowed into the pit. The blame for this astoundingly large hole was placed on a ruptured sewer pipe.

The earth is capable of producing plenty of wonderful and natural anomalies. Take a look around and, if you are in the area, stop by to see one of these incredible sites.

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GUATEMALA CITY 330-foot-deep

A 330-foot-deep sinkhole

Guatemala City, Guatemala - killed at least two teenagers as it swallowed about a dozen homes on Friday and forced the evacuation of nearly 1,000 people in a crowded Guatemala City neighborhood. Officials blamed the sinkhole on recent rains and an underground sewage flow from a ruptured main.

The calamity occured on 23 Feb 2007
The pit emitted foul odors, loud noises and tremors, shaking the surrounding ground. A rush of water could be heard from its depths, and authorities feared it could widen or others could open up. Rescue operations were on hold until a firefighter, suspended from a cable, could take video and photos above the hole and officials could use the documentation to decide how to proceed. The dead were identified as Irma and David Soyos, emergency spokesman Juan Carlos Bolanos said. Their bodies were found near the sinkhole, floating in a river of sewage. Their father, Domingo, was still missing, according to disaster coordinator Hugo Hernandez.

Police evacuated nearby homes and cordoned off a 500-yard perimeter around the crater. Security officials were on guard for possible looters and curious onlookers.

“We have closed the valves on the storm and sewer drains and we are going to wait until the area stabilizes before going down there to evaluate, but in the meantime, the mouth of the hole will certainly become larger,” Alvaro Rodas, the director of social development for Guatemala City, said on Friday.

Guatemala military might use explosion to open clogged sewer main

Felt the earth shaking’
Maria Rivas said she was in her home when the sinkhole opened.

“I started to hear booming and I felt the earth shaking, and then I realized that the homes had collapsed” into the sinkhole, she said.

Security officials guarded the site from possible looters and to clear the area of onlookers.

Cristobal Colon, a spokesman for the municipal water authority, said the sewage main ruptured after becoming clogged. He said the city was aware of the blockage and the army had been considering a controlled explosion to clear the pipe, which carries both rainwater and sewage for much of the capital.

Antonio Fuentes, 50, said he plans to abandon the run-down neighborhood he has called home for 15 years.

“Last night, a friend had to take my handicapped wife out on motorcycle,” he said. “Now I’m leaving for good, never to come back.”

 Source-http://www.msnbc.msn.com

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