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Massive 'crack in the Earth' opens up suddenly in Wyoming's Bighorn Mountains
www.mnn.com ^ | By: Bryan Nelson | October 30, 2015, 12:40 a.m

Posted on 10/30/2015 8:21:11 AM PDT by Red Badger

The crack appears like a miniature Grand Canyon up close. (Photo: Randy Becker/Facebook)

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A dramatic crack has suddenly formed in the foothills of Wyoming's Bighorn Mountains that measures an impressive 750 yards long and 50 yards wide. It was discovered recently by surprised backcountry hunters who travel frequently to the area in search of game.

First reported by SNS Outfitter & Guides, a hunting company, on their Facebook page, the mammoth chasm appeared over the course of just a couple of weeks. It's an impressive example of just how quickly very large geological events can occur under the right conditions.

"Everyone here is calling it ‘the gash.’ It’s a really incredible sight,” wrote SNS on their Facebook page.

"An awesome example of how our earth is not as stable as you might think. Awesome forces at work here to move this much dirt!!” added Randy Becker, one of the hunters to stumble upon "the gash." Becker shared a number of stunning photographs of the crack to his own Facebook page.

A shot taken from a distance and posted at SNS gives some perspective about just how wide and how deep the crack is:

"The Gash" seen from a distance. (Photo: SNS Outfitter & Guides/Facebook) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Contrary to some sensational claims swirling about on social media, the crack is not an opening to the underworld or a sign that Yellowstone is about to erupt. The processes that created the crack are not even all that mysterious.

SNS is reporting that an engineer gave a more rational explanation for how the crack formed: "Apparently, a wet spring lubricated across a cap rock. Then, a small spring on either side caused the bottom to slide out. He estimated 15 to 20 million yards of movement."

Though the speed with which the large crack formed might seem earth-shattering, these kinds of landslides are not that uncommon in the area on a smaller scale. This one just happened to be especially voluminous.


TOPICS: Agriculture; Gardening; Outdoors; Weird Stuff
KEYWORDS: catastrophism; earthcrack; wy
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To: dowcaet

Fracking!


21 posted on 10/30/2015 8:35:06 AM PDT by Resolute Conservative
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To: Red Badger; lormand

It’s all because of fracking is being done somewhere within 25,000 miles of that location.


22 posted on 10/30/2015 8:35:56 AM PDT by GreyFriar (Spearhead - 3rd Armored Division 75-78 & 83-87)
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To: Red Badger
Paging Dana Andrews...

Regards,

23 posted on 10/30/2015 8:35:57 AM PDT by alexander_busek (Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence.)
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To: Red Badger

24 posted on 10/30/2015 8:35:59 AM PDT by smoothsailing
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To: Red Badger

o becareful like that saying goes:

“Step on a crack, crack your mother’s back” something like that

Either that is a beginning of a new Grand Canyon or the Wookie has been stomping around in that area.


25 posted on 10/30/2015 8:36:01 AM PDT by Patriot Babe
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To: Red Badger

Wonder if the burried flying saucer made it to orbit.


26 posted on 10/30/2015 8:40:16 AM PDT by Autonomous User (During times of universal deceit, telling the truth becomes a revolutionary act.)
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To: eartrumpet

Maybe it sunk.................


27 posted on 10/30/2015 8:42:15 AM PDT by Red Badger (READ MY LIPS: NO MORE BUSHES!...............)
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To: Red Badger

A few years ago in the western upper peninsula of Michigan a crack several hundred yards long opened up.

http://ireport.cnn.com/docs/DOC-501263


28 posted on 10/30/2015 8:48:07 AM PDT by cripplecreek (Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.)
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To: Red Badger
Damn gophers....................
"I want you to kill all the golfers"
29 posted on 10/30/2015 8:48:28 AM PDT by deweyfrank
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To: Yashcheritsiy

It's amazing what millions and millions and millions of years of erosion can do.

Beat me to it !


30 posted on 10/30/2015 8:48:49 AM PDT by so_real ( "The Congress of the United States recommends and approves the Holy Bible for use in all schools.")
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To: Red Badger

The word massive is massively over used imho


31 posted on 10/30/2015 8:50:36 AM PDT by al baby (Hi Mom)
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To: Red Badger

And Toilet Paper!!


32 posted on 10/30/2015 8:53:35 AM PDT by Ann Archy (ABORTION....... The HUMAN Sacrifice to the god of Convenience.)
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To: JRios1968
Re: 6

LOL!
I hadn't seen that variant before (just the standard one that has been posted a thousand times).

33 posted on 10/30/2015 8:55:13 AM PDT by El Cid (Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house...)
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To: Red Badger
Damn gophers....................

"Licensed to kill gophers by the government of the United Nations. A man, free to kill gophers at will. To kill, you must know your enemy, and in this case my enemy is a varmint. And a varmint will never quit - ever. They're like the Viet Cong - Varmint Cong. So you have to fall back on superior intelligence and superior firepower. And that's all she wrote."

34 posted on 10/30/2015 8:55:55 AM PDT by dfwgator
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To: Red Badger

It’s just a GoPro view from inside the toilet when Moochelle sits down to take a crap.


35 posted on 10/30/2015 8:57:53 AM PDT by ImNotLying
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To: eartrumpet

The displaced dirt went into an underground void. There are all kinds of voids big and small in every shape imaginable underneath the Earth’s surface. We usually call them sinkholes.

That is the only thing that makes sense to me. Certainly very unique!


36 posted on 10/30/2015 8:58:51 AM PDT by volunbeer
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To: Red Badger

Oh, no, Cheney’s Fault. Love it.


37 posted on 10/30/2015 8:58:55 AM PDT by JohnnyP
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To: cripplecreek

Yoopers on Crack?................


38 posted on 10/30/2015 9:05:10 AM PDT by Red Badger (READ MY LIPS: NO MORE BUSHES!...............)
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To: Red Badger

“Ph’nglui mglw’nafh Cthulhu R’lyeh wgah’nagl fhtagn” - “In his house at R’lyeh, dead Cthulhu waits dreaming.”

By the looks of things these days, the stars about aligned for something like this


39 posted on 10/30/2015 9:08:53 AM PDT by epluribus_2 (he had the best mom - ever.)
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To: alexander_busek

40 posted on 10/30/2015 9:10:27 AM PDT by Malone LaVeigh
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