Wyoming Mystery Crack: Giant Crack The Size Of Six Football Fields Opens Up In Wyoming
A giant, mysterious crack developing in the state of Wyoming is making everyone knows what is going on. The crack, which first appeared on a Wyoming ranch in late September, is now the size of more than six football fields, and appears to get bigger with each passing day.
No one saw it happen, but a crack 50' wide and 6 football fields long has opened in Wyoming https://t.co/IPfMmtQvju pic.twitter.com/i0SZSeQcfd
— 9NEWS Denver (@9NEWS) October 30, 2015
According to a report by 9News, the crack is located in the Big Horn Mountain ranges, 40 miles south of Ten Sleep, a small town in Washakie Country in Wyoming. However, contradicting reports have since appeared on several media sites, which suggest that the cracks are located closer to Ten Sleep than first thought. As of now, the crack, which is puzzling geologists and Wyoming residents alike, is a remarkable 600 meters long and 50 meters wide.
SNS Outfitter and Guides, a company which provides guides and organizes hunting expeditions in the area, first alerted the world of the developing anomaly on October 23 through its Facebook page. One of the spokespersons for the company, Mr. Gilliland, said that one member of his hunting group accidentally stumbled upon the crack in the beginning of October.
“We don’t really know what caused it, or if it’s done falling. One of my hunters stumbled on it when he was hunting there Oct. 1.”
Huge Crack Discovered In Earth In Wyoming: A huge crack in the Earth was discovered in a rural area near Ten Sleep… https://t.co/XrOIMf5mkX
— Cherry Creek Buzz (@CherryCreekBuzz) November 1, 2015
Mr. Gilliland was apprehensive at first. But when he went to visit the site with some more of his hunting group members, he was shocked to find that the mysterious crack had grown to an astonishing degree.
“I don’t really think anyone knows what happened out there, all of a sudden it was just there. I think the reason it’s so fascinating is it’s so big. And it doesn’t make any sense, where it happened it’s just like the ground opened up, and the size of it is just huge.”
Though the actual reason behind the developing crack is still a mystery, internet seems to be undergoing one of its classic meltdowns ever since first reports about the crack emerged online. While some have attributed the development of the mysterious crack to “aliens” in hushed tones, others have speculated whether the cracks could point towards the makings of a new volcano.
The most likely cause for the crack, however, could be a slow-moving landslide, according to Seth Wittke, the manager of groundwater and geologic hazards and mapping at Wyoming Geological Survey. Speaking to the Powell Tribune, Wittke said the size of the crack depends on the size of the hill and the stability of the land.
“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 destabilize it somehow.”
However, even geologists concede that what is happening in Wyoming is remarkable. Though slow-moving landslides could have caused such a gash or a crack in Wyoming, the fact that it is so big so quickly is keeping even the experts guessing. Chamois Andersen, a public information specialist, said that though the internet often goes overboard with such mysterious occurrences, in the case of the Wyoming crack it could possibly be right.
“There is some speculation on the web, and with our folks too, that an early, wet, spring and summer had a lot to do with it. It is not uncommon.”
What do you think the mysterious crack in Wyoming could be?
[Photo via Mystery Universe / YouTube]
