A sinkhole in Chile has doubled in size, becoming large enough to swallow France’s Arc de Triomphe and prompting officials to order a shutdown at a nearby copper mine.
The sinkhole, which appeared on July 30, now stretches 160 feet across and descends 656 feet. The Space Needle from Seattle would also fit comfortably in the black hole, as would six statues of Christ the Redeemer from Brazil, lined up side by side, with giant arms outstretched.
The National Geology and Mining Office said late Saturday it was still investigating the gaping hole near the Alcaparrosa mine, operated by Canada’s Lundin Mining LUN.TO, about 413 miles north of Santiago.
In addition to the order to stop all work, the Geological and Mining Office said it was starting a “sanction process”. The agency did not provide details on what that action would entail.
Lundin did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The company said last week that the hole did not affect workers or community members and that it was working to determine the cause.
A sinkhole in Chile has grown in size – big enough to swallow France’s Arc de Triomphe. REUTERS/Johan Godoy
Lundin owns 80% of the property, with the remainder held by Japan’s Sumitomo Corporation.
The hole near the town of Tierra Amarilla was originally about 82 feet in diameter, with water visible at the bottom.
The Geological and Mining Office said it had installed pumps to extract water at the mine and would examine the mine’s underground chambers for potential over-extraction over the next few days.
Local authorities have expressed concern that the Alcaparrosa mine may have flooded underground, destabilizing the surrounding land. That would be “something completely unusual,” Tierra Amarilla Mayor Cristóbal Zuniga told local media.
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