Amazing Big Hole’s in the Earth

There are many big holes in the world becouse of human made or naturel happens. These are the biggest. And there are no photoshops on pictures…


Mir Mine is an abandoned open pit diamond mine located in Mirny, Eastern Siberia. The mine is 525 m deep and has a diameter of 1200 m. It was the first and one of the largest diamond pipes of the USSR. Mir Mine was discovered on June 13, 1955 by Soviet geologists Yuri Khabardin, Ekaterina Elagina and V.Avdeenko during the large Amakinsky Expedition in Yakut ASSR. It was operated for almost 50 years, finally closing on April 30, 2004 while in operation, Mir Mine gave out 2 million carats annually. It takes trucks close to 2 hours to drive from the bottom to the top.

Mirny diamond mine from east Siberia. Mirny is 525 m. depth and 1.25 km in diameter.
Mirny

Mirny

Kimberly Hole, South Africa. It is a diamond mine

The Big Hole is an open-pit mine in Kimberley, South Africa and claimed to be the largest hole excavated by hand.
From 1866 to 1914 up to 50,000 miners dug the hole with picks and shovels, yielding 2,720 kilograms (6,000 lb) of diamonds. The Big Hole has a surface of 17 hectares (42 acres) and is 463 metres (1,520 ft) wide. It was excavated to a depth of 240 metres (790 ft) but then partially infilled with debris reducing its depth to about 215 metres (710 ft) since then it has accumulated water to a level 40 metres (130 ft) below the surrounding land surface, leaving 175 metres (570 ft) of the hole beneath water. The underground Kimberley Mine was mined to a depth of 1097 metres.
There is currently an effort in progress to register the Big Hole as a World Heritage Site.

Kimberly Hole is about 1097 m. depth

Bingham Canyon Hole, UTAH. Its depth above 1 km and about 4 km width

Deep Blue Hole is 60 mil away from Belize and it is very amazing…Its depth is 145 m. and 400 m. width

A blue hole is a submarine cave or sinkhole. They are also called vertical caves.
Blue holes are roughly circular, steep-walled depressions, and so named for the dramatic contrast between the dark blue, deep waters of their depths and the lighter blue of the shallows around them. Their water circulation is poor, and they are commonly anoxic below a certain depth; this environment is unfavorable for most sea life, but nonetheless can support large numbers of bacteria.

Diavik Diamond Mine from Canada

The Diavik Diamond Mine is a diamond mine in the North Slave Region of the Northwest Territories, Canada, about 300 kilometres (186 miles) north of Yellowknife. It has become an important part of the regional economy, employing 700, grossing C$100 million in sales, and producing 8 million carats (1600 kg) of diamonds annually. The area was surveyed in 1992 and construction began in 2001, with production commencing in January 2003. It is connected by an ice road and Diavik Airport with a 5,235-foot (1,596 m) gravel runway regularly accommodating Boeing 737 jet aircraft.

In Guetemala becouse of heavy rain this hole is open and destroyed a lot of house.

Photos by Hubble Space Telescope

1. Two astronauts work in the payload bay of space shuttle Columbia in March of 2002, completing upgrades to the Hubble Space Telescope. The mission was the fourth visit to Hubble since its launch in 1990. A crew of seven astronauts performed five spacewalks, adding an advanced camera, new solar panels, new steering equipment, and a more efficient power system to the orbiting telescope.
2. The Hubble telescope drifts back into space with Earth as its backdrop on Christmas Day 1999 following a successful servicing mission. Seven astronauts aboard space shuttle Discovery completed three spacewalks over six days to replace the telescope's worn and outdated equipment, including its failing gyroscopes, and perform several maintenance upgrades. Astronauts had a firm return day for this mission—they needed to finish their work and return to Earth before New Year's Day to avoid possible Y2K problems. They landed safely on December 27.

3. Sunlight glints off the Hubble Space Telescope as it sits suspended over the cargo bay of space shuttle Discovery during a February 1997 servicing mission. It was during this mission that astronauts installed Hubble's Near Infrared Camera and Multi-Object Spectrometer (NICMOS), which used technology not available when Hubble was launched in 1990 to provide some of the most stunningly detailed images of faraway galaxies and nebulae.

4. At 43.5 feet (13.2 meters) tall, the Hubble Space Telescope towers over space shuttle Endeavour's payload bay during the first mission to upgrade the telescope's systems in December 1993. The mission's most important objective was to fix Hubble's infamous vision problem. An incorrectly shaped primary mirror meant the telescope could not focus all the light from an object to a single sharp point, which left a fuzzy halo around images. Two devices that acted as corrective eyeglasses were installed, and a clear-seeing Hubble has been making remarkable cosmic discoveries ever since.

5. Space shuttle Columbia and the Hubble Space Telescope drift 360 miles (579 kilometers) over the Earth's surface during a servicing mission in March 2002. During the mission, astronauts installed a new refrigeration system in Hubble's Near Infrared Camera and Multi-Object Spectrometer (NICMOS), which had been inactive since 1999, when it depleted the nitrogen ice that had cooled it since 1997.

6. During the first Hubble servicing mission in December 1993, astronauts installed new solar arrays (left) designed to reduce the thermal "jitters" experienced when the telescope transitioned from cold darkness into warm daylight.

7. Astronaut Story Musgrave moves through space shuttle Endeavour's cargo bay (center) during deployment of the Hubble Space Telescope's new solar array panels. Musgrave was on the last of five spacewalks in the 1993 mission, the first service flight to Hubble. Astronaut Jeffrey Hoffman's arm is visible in the lower left corner.

8. With the Hubble Space Telescope looming behind him, astronaut Steve Smith prepares to use a specially designed ratchet during the telescope's second servicing mission in 1997. Astronauts performed four days of spacewalks during the ten-day mission, installing new instruments and making repairs.

9. After a 2002 servicing mission, the Hubble Space Telescope sports new solar arrays on its outside and new instruments inside.

(Courtesy: NASA & National Geographic)

Haj pilgrim in 1953

The pilgrimage is associated with the life of Muhammad, but the ritual of the Hajj itself was considered ancient even during his lifetime in the 7th century. Many Muslims believe that it goes back to the time of Abraham in 2000 BC. Pilgrims would join processions of tens of thousands of people, who would simultaneously converge on Mecca for the week of the Hajj, and perform a series of rituals. Each person would walk counter-clockwise seven times about the Kaaba, the cubical building towards which all Muslims pray, kiss the sacred Black Stone on its corner, run back and forth between the hills of Al-Safa and Al-Marwah, drink from the Zamzam Well, go to the plains of Mount Arafat to stand in vigil, then proceed to Muzdalifah to gather pebbles, which they would throw at a rock in Mina to perform the ritual of the Stoning of the Devil. The pilgrims would then shave their heads, perform an animal sacrifice, and celebrate the three day global festival of Eid ul-Adha.

Penguins of Falklands

The Falkland Islands are not just famous for the 1982 conflict. Hundreds of thousands of penguins – including one of the world’s most northerly colonies of King penguins – live on the archipelago.
The King population, which was once hunted for oil, was virtually wiped out by the late 1800s, but they started to reappear in the 1930s and have been steadily growing in number since.

The Kings and other species are a valuable asset to the Falklands, not least because they attract wildlife enthusiasts and cruise ship day trippers to the islands. Visitors are asked to keep their distance from the birds, and wardens usually keep watch.

Beautiful Desktops

(Courtesy: National Geographic)

Diamond Cost $ 16,000,000

Large diamond weighing 84.37 carats, which was sold 14 November, 2007 at Sotheby `s auction of $ 16,000,000. Diamond weighs 101.27 carats, the largest colorless diamond of the exposed for sale over the past 20 years, was presented at Christie's auction in Hong Kong 28 May, 2008. The starting price perfect diamond is $ 6 million. The White Diamond (72 carats) at an exhibition in London.

$8,000,000 — $10,000,000. Estimate $ 8,000,000 - $ 10,000,000. Sotheby’s. Sotheby's. International sale. International sale. Hong Kong. On the territory of the southern African kingdom of Lesotho, was found megacities diamond weighing 478 carats. Jewel officers found a London company «Gem Diamond Mining» while working at the mine Letsen.

Miners British company found stone, which was the 20 th largest ever found diamonds.

The stone is so valuable that, according to experts, even after cutting a diamond can save 100 and possibly 150 carats, and as a result surpass in size and quality of the legendary «Kohinoor», which adorns the crown of Elizabeth II. Preliminary findings have already cost is estimated at 12 million dollars. Soon stone will be sold at the largest diamond exchange, and after cutting its price can fly at times.

NG’s Most Popular Images of 2008

Chile Volcano Erupts With Ash and Lightning Captured in National Geographic News's most viewed individual photo of 2008, Chile's Chaiten volcano erupts on May 3 after 9,000 years of silence. The blast may have generated a "dirty thunderstorm." These little-understood storms may be caused when rock fragments, ash, and ice particles collide to produce static charges--just as ice particles collide to create charges in regular thunderstorms. The eruption, which continued off and on for months, forced the evacuation of thousands of residents and cattle from this corner of Patagonia.

2. Lizard-Snake Deadlock Steals the Show
An aptly named winner of the 2008 Wildlife Photographer of the Year contest, "Deadlock" was captured in the dead of night in a Belizean rain forest. U.K.-based David Maitland observed from midnight to 3 a.m. as a rare Morelet's tree frog doggedly refused to become supper for a cat-eyed snake--and still didn't see the conclusion. "I was exhausted," the photographer said. The image may have lost out to a snow leopard photo for the contest's top honors, but "Deadlock"--the second most viewed photo posted on National Geographic News in 2008--appears to be the people's choice.

3. Giant Starfish Among Strange Animals Found off Antarctica

Giant sea stars, or starfish, that measure 24 inches (60 centimeters) across are held by Sadie Mills, left, and Niki Davey of New Zealand's National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research on February 15. They and other researchers collected 30,000 sea creatures--many new to science--during a 35-day census in Antarctic waters in February and March.

4. "Stowstorm Leopard" Is Big Winner

Stalking India's Hemis National Park, an extremely rare snow leopard lives up to its name in U.S. photographer Steve Winter's award-winning National Geographic magazine image.On October 30, 2008, "Snowstorm Leopard" was named best overall photo in the 2008 Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition, organized by the Natural History Museum of London and BBC Wildlife Magazine. "This is the hardest story I have ever done because of the altitude and the steepness of the mountains," the U.S. photographer told National Geographic. "At night it was 30 below zero."

5. Alien-like Squid Seen at Deep Drilling Site

A mile and a half (two and a half kilometers) underwater, this alien-like, long-armed, and--strangest of all--"elbowed" Magnapinna squid is seen in a still from a video clip obtained by National Geographic News and published on November 24. The video--obtained by a Shell oil company ROV (remotely operated vehicle) at an ultra-deep oil- and gas-drilling site--sparked shocked reactions everywhere from the Digg link-sharing site to CNN's Anderson Cooper 360.

6. Giant Stingrays Found Near Thai City

Recreational fishers and biologist Zeb Hogan (wearing cap) hold a live, 14-foot-long (4.3-meter-long) giant freshwater stingray the fishers caught in Thailand's Bang Pakong River on March 31. The species can reportedly grow to 1,000 pounds (450 kilograms), which would make them the largest freshwater fish in the world, Hogan said. After weeks of combing remote Southeast Asian rivers for giant freshwater stingrays, Hogan finally found the creature near the city of Chachoengsao. To his surprise, she gave birth soon after capture.

7. Hurricane Ike Pummels Houston

On September 13 a worker inspects damage in front of the JPMorgan Chase Tower in downtown Houston, Texas, after powerful Hurricane Ike slammed into the Gulf Coast, damaging buildings, flooding streets, and knocking out power for millions of people.With winds reaching 110 miles (177 kilometers) an hour, Ike came ashore above Galveston, Texas, as a strong Category 2 storm just after 3 a.m. ET.

8. Colossal Squid Revealed in First In-Depth Look

The carcass of a colossal squid floats in a tank at the Museum of New Zealand on April 30, giving scientists their first close look at the elusive deep-sea creature. The squid was frozen for months after being caught by fishers off Antarctica in 2007. A dissection of the thawed beast yielded astonishing discoveries, including the animal kingdom's largest eyes and light-emitting organs that may serve as cloaking devices, scientists said.

9. Venus, Jupiter, Moon Smile on Earth

The heavens smiled down on Earth on December 1 in a rare celestial trifecta of Venus, Jupiter, and the moon. People in Asia saw a smiley face while sky-watchers in the United States saw a frown, though we're sure it was nothing personal.

10. "Uncontacted" Tribe Seen in Amazon

Shown in National Geographic News's tenth most viewed individual photo of 2008, members of an "uncontacted" Amazon tribe fire arrows at an airplane above the rain forest borderlands of Peru and Brazil in May. The natural dyes covering their bodies probably signal aggression, native-rights experts say. Later it was revealed that, though this tribe apparently is truly uncontacted, authorities have known about it for decades.

(Courtesy: National Geographic)