Spectacular Sinkhole Opens Up In New Zealand

“A spectacular sinkhole the length of two football fields and the depth of a six-story building has opened up on a New Zealand farm” near the North Island town of Rotorua, writes Guy Birchall in an article for The New York Post.

Farm manager Colin Tremain told Newshub television that “the area often develops sinkholes due to degrading limestone rock beneath the ground’s surface.”

“It wasn’t until I came down in daylight that I actually saw just how big it was,” he said.

“We’ll keep it fenced off as it is to keep stock out, although stock aren’t stupid, they’re not going to walk into a hole, they can spot danger.”

“Volcano Information Specialist Bradley Scott told 1News the sinkhole was a lot bigger than the ones he usually sees in the region.

“What I see in the bottom of this hole is the original 60,000-year-old volcanic deposit that came out of this crater,” he said.

“Then there’s a stack of about 10 to 12 metres of sediment sitting on top of it from lakes that have formed in this crater the top three metres is volcanic ash.”

Sinkholes, large holes that open up suddenly in the ground, “are usually caused by erosion under the ground’s surface that is due to a poor drainage of water.”

“The deepest sinkhole to have ever formed is in the Chongqing district of China. It is 2,171 feet deep and 6,735 feet wide,” as reported in the article.

Article Source: New York Post, Guy Birchall, May 7, 2018

Image Source: Youtube