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A Massive Crevasse Has Opened Up in Wyoming

Experts aren't sure about how or why it started—all they know is it's getting bigger.
Drew Schwartz
Brooklyn, US

Read: On Pluto, Poop, and Planetary Decline

A 165-foot-wide crevasse has opened up on a ranch in Wyoming, transforming the land in the Bighorn Mountains into a sprawling canyon almost overnight, UPI reports. According to local news station KUSA, the massive crack was first spotted in early October by hunting scouts in the area and has continued to grow to almost six football fields in length. The mysterious geologic activity has fascinated both scientists and laymen—one photo has over 8,000 shares on Facebook.

While it's not clear what caused the earth to literally split open, experts have ruled out any seismic activity such as an earthquake. The groundwater running through the hills may have made the land unstable, causing it to fall in, KUSA reported. Gravity continues to pull more dirt down into the tear each day, which is currently 100-feet deep in some places.

"It's not a problem for people," Tom Drean, Wyoming's state geologist told KUSA. "Wyoming is a geologic wonderland, and this is just an example of that wonderland."

Drean explained the crack doesn't pose much of a threat. It's located about 40 miles from Ten Sleep, a rural town home to just a few hundred people. There's no infrastructure for it to swallow up, and though a few hunters frequent the area near the crack, they've been advised to steer clear of it.