The giant deathhole in Texas expands, threatening 7,000 residents

Satellite images show that two hundred-meter-diameter death holes in Texas, USA, are becoming increasingly larger and at risk of collapse, threatening the safety of 7,000 residents living around.

According to the International Business Times, two death holes are located in the town of Wink and Kermit in Texas state, 1.6 km apart.The Wink 1 hole first appeared in 1980, with a diameter of 110m while the Wink 2 hole was born in 2002 and 270m wide. They were the result of oil and gas exploitation in the region between the 1920s and 1960s.

The Wink 2 hole in Texas has a diameter of 270m.(Photo: Southern Methodist University).

Southern Methodist University researchers in Dallas studied the death hole through satellite radar remote sensing technology. In the results published in early April in Remote Sensing, the team found that the instability of death pits, resulting from changes in groundwater levels and dissolved minerals.

The team also found large depressions around the death pit. These subsidence zones may appear more in the future and collapse into a new giant death hole."The area is home to many oil and gas extraction equipment, dangerous liquid pipelines and two residential areas. Fresh water seeps into the ground that can dissolve the middle sand layer and boost speed. collapse of death pit, causing disaster , " said Jin-Woo Kim, a research author.

Two death holes are located 1.6 km apart.(Photo: Southern Methodist University).

Kermit town is located near the bigger death hole, with a population of about 6,000 people. Town Wink has 940 residents. The area also includes many active oil fields."The collapsing death pit can have serious consequences depending on the natural conditions, but it will entail disaster in the residential community or where there are oil / gas exploitation facilities," the team concluded. .

Satellite images indicate that both death holes in the area are becoming larger, while the surrounding terrain has signs of distortion.