SETELAH berminggu-minggu terdengar suara bergemuruh yang keras, akhirnya sebagian kampung miskin yang berpenduduk padat di Guatemala, ambles sedalam 100 meter. Bencana dahsyat ini membawa serta belasan rumah dan sejumlah penduduk yang kebetulan berada di dalam rumah maupun di sekitar bencana. Amblesan itu membentuk lubang yang sangat besar.  Dari lubang yang tampak tak berdasar saking dalamnya itu, keluar air dan bau busuk yang sangat menyengat hidung. Ada banyak dugaan terjadinya sinkhole di kota Guatemala itu. Antara lain, hujan badai dan pecahnya saluran penampungan limbah rumah tangga. Demikian diungkapkan pejabat setempat pada kantor berita Associated Press.
Sinkhole juga  bisa terjadi karena bebatuan di bawah tanah tergerus air seperti halnya garam atau kapur yang terus menerus terendam air hingga larut, sehingga menyebabkan terjadinya pergeseran di bawah tanah. Lapisan tanah mencari keseimbangan baru, hingga menimbulkan lubang besar.
Namun itu hanya praduga-praduga saja, karena penelitian sebenarnya terhadap penyebab sinkhole di kampong kumuh kota Guetemala itu belum jelas benar. Polisi kemudian member i garis aman di sekeliling lubang sekitar 457 meter. Akibatnya, hampir 100 warga terpaksa harus mengungsi dan mencari tempat pemukiman baru karena wilayah itu tidak dapat didiami lagi. 
"Malam terakhir, teman saya sempat mengambil istrinya yang cacat danmembawanya dengan motor," ungkap Anotino Fuentes, 50 tahun, penduduk yang telah 15 tahun tinggal di kawasan itu. "Sekarang saya terpaksa harus meninggalkan tempat ini demi kebaikan kami, dan tidak akan kembali ke sini lagi," tuturnya. Kasus sinkhole yang menggegerkan dunia ini terjadi Februari 2007.  


Berikut ini daftar 10 lubang raksasa yang terjadi baik karena buatan alam atau karena kelalaian manusia:
1.Darvaza Gas Crater, Turkmenistan In 1971, geologists discovered a massive underground deposit of natural gas on this site. Whilst excavating the hole to tap the gas, the drilling rig collapsed leaving a massive hole. To prevent poisonous gasses from escaping, the hole was allowed to burn. It continues to burn to this day and has done so without ceasing. You can see a video clip of it burning here. 2. Kimberley Diamond Mine, South Africa The Kimberley Diamond Mine (also known as the Big Hole) holds the (disputed) title of being the largest hand-dug hole in the world. From 1866 to 1914 50,000 miners dug the hole with picks and shovels, yielding 2,722 kg of diamonds. Attempts are being made to have it registered as a world heritage site. 3.Monticello Dam, California The Monticello Dam is a dam in Napa County, California, United States most noted for its large circular spillway with a rate of 48,400 cubic feet per second. 4.Bingham Canyon Mine, Utah

The Bingham Canyon Mine is a copper mine in the Oquirrh mountains, Utah. The mine is 0.75 mile (1.2 km) deep, 2.5 miles (4 km) wide. It is the world's largest manmade excavation.

5.Great Blue Hole, Belize

The Great Blue Hole is an underwater sinkhole off the coast of Belize. The hole is 1,000 feet across and 400 feet deep. It was formed as a limestone cave during the last iceage.

6. Mirny Diamond Mine,Siberia

The Mirny Diamond Mine is 525m deep and has a diameter of 1200m. It was the first, and one of the largest, diamond Pipes in the USSR. It is now abandoned. While it was still operational, it would take two hours for trucks to drive from the top to the bottom of the mine.

7. Diavik Mine, Canada

The Diavik Mine is a mine in the Northwest territories of Canada. The mine (opened in 2003) produces 8 million carats or about 1,600 kg (3,500 lb) of diamonds every year.

 

8.Sinkhole, Guatemala

In 2007, a 300 foot deep sinkhole swallowed a dozen homes in Guatemala - killing 2 and causing thousands to be evacuated. The sinkhole was caused by rains and an underground sewage flow.

 

9.Udachnaya Pipe, Russia

The Udachnaya Pipe is a diamond mine in Russia. The owners of the mine plan to cease its operations in 2010 - in favor of underground mining. The mine was discovered in 1955 and is over 600 meters deep.

 

10.Chuquicamata, Chile

Chuquicamata is an open pit copper mine in Chile. It is the mine with the largest total production of copper in the world - though it is not the largest copper mine. The mine is over 850 meters deep.

link: http://www.funntube.com/?p=392

 

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