Enigma resolved! - Discovering the origins of Lengenfeld's bizarre cavity
Recently, a large hole mysteriously appeared in a meadow near the village of 1200 inhabitants. Curiosity peaked, rumors about what could have caused it spread like wildfire. Was it a meteorite crash? Or perhaps space debris from an alien spacecraft?
However, the true cause was revealed to be something quite different. It was determined that this was no other than a "sinkhole resulting from years of erosion in soft rock layers", specifically, red sandstone filled with water-soluble sulfates like gypsum and anhydrite. Simply put, water had dissolved this solid bedrock gradually over an extended period.
The area also happened to be in a tectonic fault zone, making the situation all the more unstable.
At first, the Lengenfeld sinkhole was estimated to be about 20 meters deep. Upon closer inspection, it has now been determined that it's actually 14.1 meters deep, with an underground diameter ranging between 3.80 and 4.10 meters.
The geologists have issued a warning for potential new sinkholes or aftershocks, which is why the area has been added to the geological risk monitoring system. For now, the sinkhole sits fenced off with barriers and warning tape.
Interestingly enough, the sinkhole in Thuringia is yet to be filled in.
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Source: www.bild.de
