They calculated that the massive hole that appeared in northern Chile was 64 meters deep and 32 meters in diameter, and they feared it would continue to grow.

Chilean authorities are still on alert after At the beginning of the week, a huge crater mysteriously appeared in the north of the country. Now at last, The stream has been calculated to be 64 m deep and 32 m in diameter, and it is feared that it will continue to grow.

This phenomenon originated in the Atacama region, specifically in the town of Tierra Amarilla. The hole appeared in the Alcaparrosa mine, which is part of the Minera Candelaria, It is for this reason that it is still being investigated whether its appearance has anything to do with mining.

“We worry, because it’s a fear we’ve always had as a societythe fact that we are surrounded by mining deposits and subterranean works in our town”, via Cristóbal Zúñiga, Mayor of Tierra Amarilla, who added thatIt’s still active, it’s still growing which is something we haven’t seen in our community.”

This was one of the first indications given after this hole appeared Specialized teams from the National Geology and Mining Service (Sernageomin) went to the site To work on the ground and assess the situation. Thus the director(s) of Sernageomin Atacama, Franklin Cespedes, was present He stated that the stream “is 32 meters in diameter and 64 meters deep. This Furado base is 48 meters away and the nearest town is only 600 meters away.

strange origin

In an interview with the newspaper latest newsDiego Zamorano, of the NGO Geoscientific Network of Chile, said that “Among the most likely assets is the extraction of water in aquifers; However, in this case, the origin appears to be related to the collapse of the tunnels Or some underground excavation resulting from mining.”

Among other reasons, the expert highlighted this It can be acid rain or manipulation of water flowswhich would have generated gaps although it would not always be associated with mining activity.

On the other hand, Zamorano was also shocked by the fact that the stream is completely circular. “Everything falls. The collapse begins at a point and then expands symmetrically outward, forming circles (…) It is the way nature spends less energy in the process as well, because it does not prefer one direction over another”, said the expert.

Read on: