The mysterious crack is 110 meters long in the American forest

Menominee cracks in the state of Michigan, USA, may appear after a tree trunk was removed from the area just a few days before the landslide.

Menominee is a 110-meter long crack on the forest floor of the same name in Michigan State, USA. The crack appeared on October 4, 2010. Scientists believe that a crack may be the result of geological activity called a pop-up .

The 110 m long rift appeared on October 4, 2010 in a forest in Michigan, USA.(Photo: Wayne Pennington / Michigan University of Technology.)

In the study published in the American Journal of Seismology , scientists first published steps to understand the origin of cracks. According to the team, cracks caused by pop-up activity, in which heavy glaciers weigh on the original rock, creating a huge incline in the Earth's crust, similar to a seesaw game with only people. sit at one end.

Geologists use the process of refractive seismic names to draw conclusions. This process measures energy waves passing through the Earth's crust. They found seismic waves moving slowly as they passed through the broken rock and were faster when there was no gap on the way. If cracks arise due to pop-up activity, the same reaction will be detected.

However, if the research hypothesis is correct, this will be the only area where pop-up activity occurs without an important trigger such as heavy rock being removed from nearby mines.

After digging, scientists find a reasonable explanation for pop-up activity. They found a 2,000 kg trunk removed from the area just a few days before the crack appeared. According to the report of the research team, large stems cause very small weight changes, but it affects the rock layer below the surface soil.

" There is a 60% chance that the explanation we give is correct. But since we have not had any similar events, and the tree only has a small effect, we do not know of any other agents. " Wayne Pennington, head of research, said.