BEIJING, March 5 -- In man's search for mineral wealth, many enormous holes
have been dug. In addition, nature occasionally produces some astounding holes.
This list is a pick of the ten most spectacular natural or manmade holes in the
face of the earth.
1. Darvaza Gas
Crater-Turkmenistan
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In 1971, geologists discovered a massive underground
deposit of natural gas on this site. Whilst excavating the hole to tap the
gas, thedrilling 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.(Source: CRIENGLISH.com/china.org.cn)
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2. Kimberley Diamond
Mine-South Africa
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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.(Source:
CRIENGLISH.com/china.org.cn)
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3. Monticello
Dam-California
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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.(Source: CRIENGLISH.com/china.org.cn)
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4 Bingham Canyon
Mine-Utah
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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.(Source: CRIENGLISH.com/china.org.cn)
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5. Great Blue Hole-Belize
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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.(Source: CRIENGLISH.com/china.org.cn)
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6. Mirny Diamond Mine-Siberia
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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.(Source: CRIENGLISH.com/china.org.cn)
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7. Diavik Mine-Canada
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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.(Source: CRIENGLISH.com/china.org.cn)
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8 Sinkhole-Guatemala
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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. (Source: CRIENGLISH.com/china.org.cn)
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9.
Udachnaya Pipe-Russia
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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.(Source: CRIENGLISH.com/china.org.cn)
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10. Chuquicamata-Chile
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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.(Source: CRIENGLISH.com/china.org.cn)
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