02:30 PM
Sunday, February 26, 2023
A giant hole suddenly formed in the Rashadiya area of Konya state in central Turkey sparked widespread controversy and panic for the residents of the region, and some linked it to the earthquakes that struck the country recently.
The pit is 12 meters deep and 37 meters in diameter with a total area of 1,400 square metres.
The Turkish Anatolia News Agency, which published a video of the crater, quoted the director of the Research and Application Center at Konya Technical University, Fathallah Arak, as saying: “The crater was formed before and appeared about 20 days after large earthquakes. Perhaps this crater was ready to collapse and may have occurred during the earthquake. “.
The city of Konya is famous for its giant pits, called “sewage pits”, as all sizes threaten agricultural activities in the city, and a census of their number in 2022 indicates that they exceeded 2,600 pits.
He continued, “The surface of this previously formed crater may have collapsed due to the earthquake with the vibration that occurred. Yes, the occurrence of craters can be linked to the earthquake in some places, but we did not find any clear evidence here that it occurred due to the earthquake.”
Geologically, this phenomenon is recognized as “land subsidence” or “sink”, which is a rare natural phenomenon that occurs as a result of groundwater dissolving, over time, of soluble rocks with calcareous water, to form underground cavities that continue to widen until they reach the point of collapse of the soil above.
It is distinguished by the circular shape of the resulting pits, and the steep slope of its walls down to the depth. Most of these landslides occur suddenly and without warning, causing an explosion-like sound.
