By Tim Binnall
An enormous sinkhole mysteriously appeared overnight near in a mining operation in Chile and authorities are uncertain what could have caused the massive chasm to form. The ominous-looking pit, which measures a staggering 150 feet in diameter and boasts a depth of 299 feet, reportedly opened up this past Saturday near the town of Tierra Amarilla. The specific location of the sinkhole is in an area of Chile's Atacama Desert where the Lundin Mining Corporation operates an underground copper extraction facility. Upon discovering the huge hole, the company promptly shut down operations and alerted the authorities to the jaw-dropping chasm which, as seen in the jaw-dropping video above, dwarfs the nearby cars and buildings.
Experts from Chile's National Service of Geology and Mining subsequently descended upon the scene to investigate the sinkhole, which was fortunately found to be stable. Fortunately, the Lundin Mining Corporation said in a statement, "there has been no impact to personnel, equipment or infrastructure" at the facility. It also stressed that the spot is situated a fair distance away from "any populated area or public service," so neither residents nor the community of Tierra Amarilla were impacted by the odd event. That said, work at the mine has been paused for now while authorities attempt to figure out what could have caused the gaping chasm to form, which they concede is currently a mystery.