Chile’s stream is growing big enough to swallow the French Arc de Triomphe

(Reuters) – A pit in Chile has doubled in size and is large enough to flood the French Arc de Triomphe, prompting officials to order a stop at a nearby copper mine.

The well, which appeared on July 30, now spans 50 meters (160 feet) and drops 200 meters (656 feet). A Seattle space needle would fit snugly into the black hole, as would six statues of Christ the Redeemer from Brazil stacked face-to-face, giant arms outstretched.

The National Geology and Mining Service said late Saturday that it was still investigating the gaping hole near the Alcaparrosa mine operated by Canada’s Lundin Mining. (LUN.TO)about 665 km (413 miles) north of Santiago.

In addition to ordering all work to be halted, the Geology and Mining Service said it had begun a “sanctioning process.” The agency did not provide details of what this measure would include.

Lundin did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The company said last week that the hole had not affected workers or members of the community and that it was working to determine the cause. Read more

Lundin owns 80% of the property and the rest is owned by Japan’s Sumitomo Corporation.

Initially, the crater near the town of Tierra Amarilla was about 25 meters (82 ft) wide, with water visible at the bottom. Read more

The Geology and Mining Service said it has installed pumps to extract water in the mine and in the next few days will check underground mine chambers for possible over-extraction.

Local officials expressed concern that the Alcaparrosa mine may have submerged underground, destabilizing the surrounding land. It would be “something totally out of the ordinary,” Cristóbal Zuniga, the mayor of Tierra Amarilla, told local media.

(Reporting by Marion Giraldo) Writing by Dina Beth Solomon; Editing by Lisa Schumaker

Our criteria: Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.