A new sinkhole recently appeared in New Zealand, and it might be one of the country’s largest yet. It extends down more than six stories and from end-to-end, measures about the length of two football fields, reports National Geographic. The sinkhole is deep enough that it exposed 60,000-year-old volcanic soil. New Zealand volcanologist Brad Scott told a local news outlet that the sinkhole has the potential to get even bigger. The massive chasm appeared after a period of heavy rains, and nine additional sinkholes have formed in the past few years.
According to Nat Geo, New Zealand has several major fault lines running the length of the country, and one theory suggests that sinkholes are more likely to occur along fault lines. The U.S. Geological Survey also said that sinkholes open up when groundwater doesn’t drain from the surface and dissolves soft, limestone rock lying underneath. They potentially can also be caused by human land development—though this is less common—because heavy construction and pumping of groundwater can make the ground less stable.
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