In pictures: a giant hole under the surface of the water baffles and amazes scientists

<p style=";text-align:left;direction:ltr">ArabiaWeather.com- The sudden appearance of <strong>a mysterious and giant hole</strong> under the water surface of a lake in southern Utah, last month, caused confusion among scientists, as interpretations differ among them.</p><p style=";text-align:left;direction:ltr"></p><p style=";text-align:left;direction:ltr"> <span style="font-size:13px; line-height:1.6em">Some scientists believed that the crater was a volcanic eruption, or was formed as a result of the explosion of subsurface materials mixed with methane gas, but now geologists &quot;believe&quot; that there is a simpler explanation than that.</span></p><p style=";text-align:left;direction:ltr"></p><p style=";text-align:left;direction:ltr"> <span style="font-size:13px; line-height:1.6em">Some geologists said that the giant crater was formed as a result of a geological condition called &quot;collapsing soil&quot;, which occurs as the lake refills with water, causing the soil to collapse, creating a small explosion.</span></p><p style=";text-align:left;direction:ltr"></p><p style=";text-align:left;direction:ltr"> <span style="font-size:13px; line-height:1.6em">Geologist Gray Dalton noticed the existence of the hole, after the inhabitants of the region drained most of the lake&#39;s water due to irrigation work, as he saw concentric circles at the bottom of the lake with a diameter of about 8 meters.</span></p><p style=";text-align:left;direction:ltr"></p><p style=";text-align:left;direction:ltr"> <span style="font-size:13px; line-height:1.6em">The outer ring of the crater was full of moss and the inner circle looked as if something had exploded below, forming what looked like a small crater.</span></p><p style=";text-align:left;direction:ltr"></p><p style=";text-align:left;direction:ltr"> <span style="font-size:13px; line-height:1.6em">It is noteworthy that a series of mysterious craters were found earlier this year, such as those that appeared in Siberia, and scientists attributed the cause of their occurrence to methane gas, which was released with the melting of the frozen ground.</span></p><p style=";text-align:left;direction:ltr"></p><p style=";text-align:left;direction:ltr"> <span style="font-size:13px; line-height:1.6em"><img alt="" src="/sites/default/files/2222222.jpg" style="height:338px; width:600px" /></span></p><p style=";text-align:left;direction:ltr"></p><p style=";text-align:left;direction:ltr"> <span style="font-size:13px; line-height:1.6em"><img alt="" src="/sites/default/files/11111_2.jpg" style="height:338px; width:600px" /></span></p><p style=";text-align:left;direction:ltr"></p><p style=";text-align:left;direction:ltr"> Also read:</p><p style=";text-align:left;direction:ltr"></p><p style=";text-align:left;direction:ltr"> <strong><a href="http://www.arabiaweather.com/content/ظهور-فتحة-ثانية-شبيهة-بفتحة-نهاية-العالم-في-روسيا">The appearance of a second slot similar to the end of the world slot in Russia</a></strong></p><p style=";text-align:left;direction:ltr"></p><p style=";text-align:left;direction:ltr"> <strong><a href="http://www.arabiaweather.com/content/بالصور-حفر-عملاقة-تظهر-فجأة-حول-العالم">In pictures: Giant craters suddenly appear around the world</a></strong></p><p style=";text-align:left;direction:ltr"></p><p style=";text-align:left;direction:ltr"> <strong><a href="http://www.arabiaweather.com/content/في-أستراليا-حفرة-تبتلع-جزءآ-من-قصر"><span style="font-size:13px; line-height:1.6em">In Australia, a hole swallows part of a palace</span></a></strong></p><p style=";text-align:left;direction:ltr"></p>