Mysteries Huge Hole Opens Up in Minas Gerais, Brazil
Residents of a farm in Coromandel in Alto Paranaíba were surprised by a geological phenomenon last week. A giant hole, which would have been about 20 meters in diameter, appeared on a soybean plantation. Scientists from the Federal University of Uberlândia (UFU) were there and said that it might be a sinkhole.
Fazenda Santa Cruz is 30 kilometers from the city. According to the owner, Diogo Tudela, the hole opened between 5 and 6 November and was discovered by a resident. "You can not imagine the size of the hole," he said. The land was recently planted with soybeans. The phenomenon had never occurred on the property before. "That's why we sought out experts to answer our questions. Then we learned that there are already records in the region of this event, "he explained.
Adriano dos Santos explained that the sinkhole appears because of a dissolution of limestone rocks, which are common in that region. The formation of sinkholes involves natural processes of erosion or gradual removal of slightly soluble bedrock (such as limestone) by percolating water, the collapse of a cave roof, or a lowering of the water table.
Sinkholes often form through the process of suffosion. For example, groundwater may dissolve the carbonate cement holding the sandstone particles together and then carry away the lax particles, gradually forming a void.
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