#Sinkhole #bigger #tennis #court #left #Chile #loss
Experts in Chile on Tuesday probed the appearance of a giant sinkhole, larger than a tennis court, that has surfaced near a copper mine in the Atacama Desert.
Experts have been dispatched to study the hole, about 32 meters (104 feet) wide and twice as deep, that surfaced over the weekend in an area about 800 kilometers (almost 500 miles) north of Santiago, the National Geology and Mining Service ( Sernageomin) with. said in a statement.
A 100 meter containment perimeter has been constructed around the hole in the community of Tierra Amarilla, near the Alcaparrosa mine operated by Canadian company Lundin Mining.
The company said in a statement there was “no impact on personnel, equipment or infrastructure” and the sinkhole has remained stable since its discovery.
As a preventive measure, “development work in an area of the Alcaparrosa underground mine has been temporarily halted,” the company said.
Sernageomin Director David Montenegro said experts would try to determine the cause of the collapse and “ensure all safety measures are in place to protect the lives of workers and communities near the site”.
Cristian Zuniga, mayor of the municipality of Tierra Amarilla, which has around 13,000 inhabitants, told journalists that the hole was unprecedented.
“We are asking for clarification of the cause: whether the collapse is the result of mining activities or something else,” he said.
Chile is the world’s largest copper producer and accounts for a quarter of global supply.
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