Giant crack appears in the earth in Mexico





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Daniel Martins

Digital Reporter

Monday, August 25, 2014, 6:49 PM - Here's something that's been making the rounds on the internet: A massive fissure that split the earth in northwestern Mexico earlier this month.

Sky News says the crack opened up last week near Hermosillo, in the state of Sonora, and is up to 8 m deep and around 5 m across.

It's caused havoc for travellers in the area, as it severed a highway linking Hermosillo to the coast, and Sky News said a similar crack appeared near another highway in the same state.

The aerial footage in the video above was shot by Hermosillo Desde el Cielo.

As for what caused it, however, it looks like opinions are divided.

Sky's take says authorities in the area blame an earthquake earlier in the month for the crack, but it also quotes the El Imparcial newspaper as saying farmers in the area may be partially to blame; It seems they built a levee in the area to contain rainwater, and a leak in the structure may have allowed water to seep into the soil, undermining the earth and causing the collapse.

Huffington Post, meanwhile, quotes Mexican newspaper Espresso as pointing to heavy rainfall in the area as the culprit.

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