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In pictures: Mysterious, 105 foot-wide sinkhole at mining site in Chile

  • <p>A sinkhole is exposed at a mining zone close to Tierra Amarilla town, in Copiapo, Chile, August 1, 2022. REUTERS/Johan Godoy</p>
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    CHILE-SINKHOLE/

    A sinkhole is exposed at a mining zone close to Tierra Amarilla town, in Copiapo, Chile, August 1, 2022. REUTERS/Johan Godoy

  • <p>A sinkhole is exposed at a mining zone close to Tierra Amarilla town, in Copiapo, Chile, August 1, 2022. REUTERS/Johan Godoy</p>
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    CHILE-SINKHOLE/

    A sinkhole is exposed at a mining zone close to Tierra Amarilla town, in Copiapo, Chile, August 1, 2022. REUTERS/Johan Godoy

  • <p>A sinkhole is exposed at a mining zone close to Tierra Amarilla town, in Copiapo, Chile, August 1, 2022. REUTERS/Johan Godoy TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY</p>
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    CHILE-SINKHOLE/

    A sinkhole is exposed at a mining zone close to Tierra Amarilla town, in Copiapo, Chile, August 1, 2022. REUTERS/Johan Godoy TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY

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  • <p>TOPSHOT - Aerial view taken on August 1, 2022, showing a large sinkhole that appeared over the weekend near the mining town of Tierra Amarilla, Copiapo Province, in the Atacama Desert in Chile. - A 100-metre security perimeter has been erected around the hole which appeared in the Tierra Amarilla municipality near the Alcaparrosa mine operated by Canadian firm Lundin Mining. (Photo by JOHAN GODOY / AFP) (Photo by JOHAN GODOY/AFP via Getty Images)</p>
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    TOPSHOT-CHILE-MINING-SINKHOLE

    TOPSHOT - Aerial view taken on August 1, 2022, showing a large sinkhole that appeared over the weekend near the mining town of Tierra Amarilla, Copiapo Province, in the Atacama Desert in Chile. - A 100-metre security perimeter has been erected around the hole which appeared in the Tierra Amarilla municipality near the Alcaparrosa mine operated by Canadian firm Lundin Mining. (Photo by JOHAN GODOY / AFP) (Photo by JOHAN GODOY/AFP via Getty Images)

  • <p>Aerial view taken on August 1, 2022, showing a large sinkhole that appeared over the weekend near the mining town of Tierra Amarilla, Copiapo Province, in the Atacama Desert in Chile. - A 100-metre security perimeter has been erected around the hole which appeared in the Tierra Amarilla municipality near the Alcaparrosa mine operated by Canadian firm Lundin Mining. (Photo by Johan GODOY / AFP) (Photo by JOHAN GODOY/AFP via Getty Images)</p>
    5/5

    CHILE-MINING-SINKHOLE

    Aerial view taken on August 1, 2022, showing a large sinkhole that appeared over the weekend near the mining town of Tierra Amarilla, Copiapo Province, in the Atacama Desert in Chile. - A 100-metre security perimeter has been erected around the hole which appeared in the Tierra Amarilla municipality near the Alcaparrosa mine operated by Canadian firm Lundin Mining. (Photo by Johan GODOY / AFP) (Photo by JOHAN GODOY/AFP via Getty Images)

<p>A sinkhole is exposed at a mining zone close to Tierra Amarilla town, in Copiapo, Chile, August 1, 2022. REUTERS/Johan Godoy</p>
<p>A sinkhole is exposed at a mining zone close to Tierra Amarilla town, in Copiapo, Chile, August 1, 2022. REUTERS/Johan Godoy</p>
<p>A sinkhole is exposed at a mining zone close to Tierra Amarilla town, in Copiapo, Chile, August 1, 2022. REUTERS/Johan Godoy TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY</p>
<p>TOPSHOT - Aerial view taken on August 1, 2022, showing a large sinkhole that appeared over the weekend near the mining town of Tierra Amarilla, Copiapo Province, in the Atacama Desert in Chile. - A 100-metre security perimeter has been erected around the hole which appeared in the Tierra Amarilla municipality near the Alcaparrosa mine operated by Canadian firm Lundin Mining. (Photo by JOHAN GODOY / AFP) (Photo by JOHAN GODOY/AFP via Getty Images)</p>
<p>Aerial view taken on August 1, 2022, showing a large sinkhole that appeared over the weekend near the mining town of Tierra Amarilla, Copiapo Province, in the Atacama Desert in Chile. - A 100-metre security perimeter has been erected around the hole which appeared in the Tierra Amarilla municipality near the Alcaparrosa mine operated by Canadian firm Lundin Mining. (Photo by Johan GODOY / AFP) (Photo by JOHAN GODOY/AFP via Getty Images)</p>
Abhya Adlakha
·Editor, Yahoo News Canada

A mysterious, giant sinkhole appeared at a mining site in Chile over the weekend, leading authorities to investigate.

On Tuesday, Chile's National Service of Geology and Mining confirmed the sinkhole is almost 105 feet in diameter. That's about 11-feet longer than an NBA or WBNA basketball court.

The hole appeared on land where Canadian company Lundin Mining operates a copper mine.

According to USGS, sinkholes can occur where the rock below the land surface can naturally be dissolved by groundwater circulating through them. This creates caverns or spaces that can collapse suddenly despite the surface appearing stable.

The investigators of the sinkhole in Chile haven't yet determined how it was created. The company is monitoring the nearby Alcaparrosa mine for any movement related to the event. Work in the underground mine has been temporarily suspended.