Monday, December 07 2015. A strange natural phenomenon caused the disappearance of a beach on the Coast of North Stradbroke Island, located to the southeast of Australia. This beach is very crowded by fishermen and tourists, who often they take a walk along the shore in rustic vehicles; but now visits are restricted by the phenomenon occurred. Terrifying moments lived tens of people after being witness how the sea literally swallowed a piece of beach of about 7,500 square meters, caused by a large hole that appeared mysteriously on the Queensland coast this weekend.
The natural phenomenon was formed Saturday night in a camping area extremely famous in Australia, causing panic and uncertainty. The good news is that there were no human victims neither missing, it only swallowed a car, a trailer and several tents; having to be evacuated 140 people to avoid further damage. However, although it appeared suddenly, it was possible to evacuate the tourists and the inhabitants of the area.
For the moment, they have banned to the people who live there, return to their homes and have cordoned off the area for fear that the hole can become larger. The tourists say it was really scary how fast it progressed, it came to the camp and swallowed! It has been recommended to swimmers and visitors to keep away from the gap, ensuring that this area is not safe for swimming.
Services Forests and Wildlife of Queensland indicated that the huge hole of 492 feet (almost 150 meters) has a depth of nearly 10 feet (three meters) and occupies a large part of the camp. A researcher from the University of Queensland, stated that this phenomenon occurs when a cliff of sand under the surface of the water slides back reaching on many occasions the shore up till bring down the beach.
This type of holes are the result of what is known as karst erosion processes, they are usually known as dolines, and they are formed over thousands of years, although they tend to be smaller; they are created when the layer beneath the ground (usually formed by soluble carbonate rock) is dissolved due to the acidic water that is generated in the same. This type of compound is nothing more than rain that absorbs carbon dioxide and reacts with the vegetation of the place.
The water that reaches the layer of rocks is acidic, it erodes the stone for thousands of years; over time, this erosion caused by the acid liquid creates under the surface a cave system, until finally, it generates a large hole. However, usually it takes a long time to produce this phenomenon; the collapse may occur naturally or can be triggered by other factors such as an intense rain or an earthquake. For now, experts keep investigating why this sinkhole has suddenly born, because its origin is unknown.
ALFA