Earlier last month, a hunter in Wyoming was out in the foothills of the Bighorn Mountains when he came across a crack in the earth. The next time anyone went to see it, just a few weeks later, it had grown to a gigantic gash—2,250 feet long (that’s two-fifths of a mile*) and 150 feet wide. 

“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,” hunting company owner Sy Gilliland told local news outlet KUSA.

As far geologists can tell, the crack formed as the result of a landslide: water under the ground weakened the land and helped it slip from its previous configuration. The result: the giant, mysterious crack. It’s “not uncommon,” CBS Denver reported, for this type of slide to occur, but it’s also not wise for anyone to go near it right now—no matter how amazing it might be. 

 

Since so many people have commented and asked questions, we wanted to post an update with a little more information. An…

Posted by SNS Outfitter & Guides on Monday, October 26, 2015

 

Bonus finds: T.S. Eliot poem about a gourmand cat, South Dakota state flag, mysterious ancient earthworks

Every day, we highlight one newly lost or found object, curiosity or wonder. Discover something unusual or amazing? Tell us about it! Send your finds to sarah.laskow@atlasobscura.com. 

*This sentence was edited for accuracy.