Mysterious Sinkhole in Morocco Grows to 60 Meters Deep, Sparks Earthquake Link Speculation

This enormous chasm is raising questions within the local community of Had Oulad Frej. Some do not rule out a possible link with the deadly earthquake that struck the Al Haouz province a month ago, even though the locality is located about 200 kilometers from the epicenter of the earthquake. The chasm continues to widen and now has a diameter of 20 meters and a depth of 60 meters, according to the owner of the land on which it appeared, as reported to Hespress.

The phenomenon is certainly rare, but not unprecedented, explains Abdderrahmane Haradji, professor of geology and geomorphology at the University Mohammed Iᵉʳ of Oujda, noting that similar cases have been recorded in various regions of the world. Last year, a 25-meter-diameter chasm appeared in the Alcaparrosa mine in Tierra Amarilla (Chile). In the Turkish province of Konya, there are more than 2,000 such sinkholes, he details.

For now, a direct link between the appearance of the Had Oulad Frej chasm and the Al Haouz earthquake cannot be established, analyzes Haradji, stressing that several factors can