Huge ‘crack in the earth’ opens up in US mountains

• Hardeep Matharu
• @Hardeep_Matharu
• Friday 30 October 2015 

A huge crack in mountains in America has appeared.

The formation occurred in the foothills of Wyoming’s Bighorn Mountains in the last fortnight.

Images of the crack were first posted online by the SNS Outfitters and Guide Service, which called it “a really incredible sight”. 

It estimated that it was 750 yards long and 50 yards wide.
Although experts have said the occurrence is not an ominous or mysterious sign, some on social media have suggested otherwise.

SNS said an engineer had inspected the giant crack.

“Apparently, a wet spring lubricated across a cap rock. Then, a small spring on either side caused the bottom to slide out,” it said on its Facebook page.

“He estimated 15 to 20 million yards of movement.”

Wyoming Geological Survey’s manager of groundwater and geological hazards said the formation is most likely the result of a slow-moving landslide.
“Landslides can move at catastrophic speeds… while others can be much slower,” Seth Wittke told the Powell Tribune.

“The size of this type of opening can vary depending on the size of the hill and the stability of the land.”

He added: “A number of things trigger them, moisture in the subsurface which causes weakness in soil or geology, and any process that would weaken the bedrock or un-stabilise it somehow.”

The survey’s public information specialist Chamois Andersen added: “It is not uncommon to have slides like that.”

 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/sss-a6715291.html