HOLE IN THE EARTH

Here we have 12 most spectacular natural and manmade holes in the face of the earth. Some of these are the result of man's search for mineral wealth, while some are nature's work creating some astounding holes.

Darvaza - The Burning Gates:

In 1971, geologists discovered a huge underground deposit of natural gas on this site. And while excavating, a whole drilling rig fell into an underground cavern. Natural gas started coming up from the hole. To prevent gasses from escaping, it was set alight and it continues to burn even today. The crater measures roughly 60 meters in diameter and 20 meters deep and is located in Turkmenistan.  


Kimberley Diamond Mine (Big Hole) - South Africa:
 The Kimberley Diamond Mine (also known as the Big Hole) is an open-pit mine in Kimberley, South Africa and is claimed to be the largest hole excavated by hand. This 1097 meter deep mine yielded over 6,000 lb of diamonds before being closed in 1914.

Monticello Dam - California:
 Located in northern California, the Monticello Dam's is the largest in the world. This funnel-shaped outlet, allows water to bypass the dam when it reaches capacity, as it allows water to pass through at a rate of 48,400 cubic feet per second.Bingham Canyon Mine:
Kennecott Copper's Bingham Canyon Mine is the world's largest open pit mine or to say the world's largest man-made structure. This open-faced mine is the largest man-made excavation on earth, stretching two-and-a-half miles wide and 3,960 feet deep.

The World's Deepest Water-Filled Sinkhole - El Zacatón Cenote:Cenote Zacaton, near the northeastern coast of Mexico, is the deepest known water-filled sinkhole in the world. The bottom of the world's deepest sinkhole is found at 318 meters below surface. It was discovered with the help of a robotic vehicle designed for underwater exploration by the National Aeronautic Space Agency.

Mirny Diamond Mine - Siberia: The Mirny Diamond Mine holds the title of the largest open diamond mine in the world. Its 525m deep and has a diameter of 1200m, and there is a no-fly zone above the hole as a few helicopters got sucked in.This truck loader is one of the biggest in the world - length 13.36 meters, width 7.78 meters & height 6.65 meters.The huge machine refered above appears just a small point in this image.

Diavik Mine - Canada:

The Diavik Diamond Mine is about 300 kilometers (186 miles) north of Yellowknife in Canada. It produces 8 million carats (3,500 lb) of diamonds annually. It is connected by an ice road and has its own airport with a runway large enough to accommodate Boeing 737 jet aircraft.Sinkhole-Guatemala: In 2007, a 300-foot-deep sinkhole swallowed about a dozen homes in Guatemala City.Great Blue Hole - Belize: The Great Blue Hole is an underwater sinkhole off the coast of Belize. About 60 miles from Belize City, there is a perfectly circular 1,000 (305 m) feet across and 400 feet (123 m) wide deep "Blue Hole." 

Udachnaya Pipe - Russia: The Udachnaya Pipe is a diamond mine in Russia. Its controlled by Russian diamond company Alrosa, which plans to halt open-pit mining in favor of underground mining in 2010. The mine was discovered in 1955 and is over 600 meters deep.

Chuquicamata - Chile: Chuquicamata is a large open pit copper mine in the north of Chile. Its open pit is one of the largest at 4.3 km long, 3 km wide and over 850 m deep with the largest annual production in the world.

Well Of Chand Baori: Chand Baori is a famous stepwell situated in the village of Abhaneri near Jaipur in the Indian state of Rajasthan. Built in the 9th century and has 3500 narrow steps and 13 stories and is 100 feet deep.