8 most impressive holes in the Earth's surface

On June 13 , 1955 , the famous diamond deposits in Yakutia — kimberlite pipe "Mir" is one of the largest quarries in the world. We have collected seven more of the most impressive holes in the Earth's surface, both natural and man-made.

The quarry, located in Mirny, Yakutia, has a depth of 525 m and a diameter of 1.2 km. "We lit a pipe of peace, the tobacco is excellent. Avdeenko, Elagina, Khabardin" — radiogram about the discovery of the Mir diamond tube, June 13, 1955.

The hole is a circular sinkhole with a diameter of 305 meters, extending to a depth of 120 meters. Located in the center of Lighthouse Reef, an atoll within the Belize Barrier Reef.

The quarry is located on the islands and has its own infrastructure with an airport capable of receiving passenger Boeings. About 7.5 million carats of diamonds are mined here per year.

This gas crater is called "The Gates of Hell" by locals and travelers. The diameter of the crater is approximately 60 meters, the depth is about 20 meters.

This 1.2 km deep and 4 km wide copper quarry covers an area of 1,900 acres and is the largest mine of its kind on the entire planet.

As a result of the construction of the dam, the city of the same name was flooded, which is now completely under the surface of the artificial lake Berryessa. The dam is known for the original design of the spillway in the form of a giant funnel. Its diameter is 22 meters.

This huge, now inactive diamond mine, located in the city of Kimberley in South Africa, was opened in 1871. It is believed that this is the largest quarry developed by people without the use of technology. It's hard to believe, but it was dug using only picks and shovels. By the time it was closed, its depth was 240 meters, and its width was 463 meters. Now it is gradually filling with water. And about 100 million years ago there was a volcano mouth in its place.

 A huge sinkhole of karst origin arose in Guatemala after tropical storm Agatha in 2010. The hole completely swallowed up a three-story building. The origin of the sinkhole with a width of about 20 meters and a depth of 30-storey building was explained by the process of washing away the soil and the bedrock by the waters.