- If you've never thought of holes as mysterious,
wait until you hear about these.
On the property of Caynton Hall
in Shropshire England there are a number
of small openings that look like
ordinary rabbit holes.
But if we've learned anything from Alice,
it's that there's never just a rabbit down there.
The holes actually lead to an underground series
of chambers know as the Caynton caves.
But these are no natural phenomenon.
The caves are actually man made
and were hollowed out from sandstone
to create arched hallways, chambers, columns,
and alcoves.
It's not known for sure who built the caves or why.
Historic England has listed the caves
as being from the 18th or 19th century,
but local legend has it that the caves
could be nearly 700 years old.
Some believe that they may have even been
used as a secret meeting place
for members of the Knights Templar.
In more recent decades,
the caves seem to draw visitors practicing black magic
which has led to the caves being sealed
from the public in 2012.
Located off the I-205 outside of Portland Oregon,
is maybe one of the most bizarre roadside
attractions that there is.
You'll be able to spot the mystery deluxe hole
by the giant sculpture of a red eyed rodent
with a shovel set up behind it.
The hole itself isn't much bigger in diameter
than a sewer manhole
and is equipped with a ladder that
leads down a tunnel into the earth.
The hole was discovered by the property owner
who goes by the amazing name of Barron Mind.
You'll need permission to go exploring, though,
since it's in Barron's backyard.
No one knows how the hole got there
or even how deep it goes.
But most experts agree that
it didn't happen naturally.
Visitors can explore the tunnels
but you have to sign a safety waiver first.
But once inside,
the mystery hole is said to be full
of healing powers which have been dubbed
the enchanting vapors
of encouragement.
Well, seems like an odd title
but whatever sells.
Cenote Esqueleto,
also known as the temple of doom,
is one of the most dangerous scuba diving
spots in the entire world.
It's located just outside of Tulum Mexico
near the Caribbean coast
and is part of the white caves system
that was formed over 12,000 years ago.
For those brave enough to enter,
the only way in is through a 25 foot diameter
hole in the earth.
And there's no easy way down.
So, the best way in is
to just jump into the water 20 feet below.
But then once inside,
you can start exploring the massive cave
system which measures over 143 miles
and is part of the world's largest
underground river.
And these aren't just your average
awe inspiring underwater caves.
During an exploration mission in March of 2008,
divers found the remains of a mastodon
that measured 141 feet long
and the bones of a teenage girl
from the paleo Indian period
which are the oldest evidence
of humans living in the Americas.
Who knows what else is down there.
Go find out for yourself,
if you're brave enough.
Located near Rock Springs in Edwards county Texas,
the devil's sinkhole is a massive chasm
made of limestone.
The hole itself is approximately 40 by 60 feet
and opens to the largest single chamber cave
in Texas 400 feet below.
Local residents officially discovered it in 1876
but experts believe that evidence found around the site
suggests that nomadic tribes were using the area
between 4500 and 2500 BC.
Archeologists also believe it may have originally
been a sacred place for native peoples
hundreds of years ago.
Unfortunately, most of the artifacts
were taken by explorers or treasure hunters
or simply destroyed when the cave was briefly
used for mining bat guano for fertilizer.
Visitors are no longer allowed inside
but that's probably a good thing.
The sinkhole is home to the largest
colony of Mexican free tail bats in the world
and as dusk sets in during the summer,
nearly three million bats take flight
through the opening.
Okay that would not be fun
just having bats flying around you.
Oh, mama no.
Ain't nobody got time for that.
On May 30 2010 a massive sinkhole opened
up in Guatemala City during hurricane Agatha.
The enormous sinkhole was 65 feet wide
and 300 feet deep.
And it was so big,
it took out an entire city block
including a three story factory.
15 people were killed
and another 300 local residents were evacuated.
Experts believe that the ground had actually
been eroding for years
but a number of factors leading up to that day
caused the disaster
including huge amounts of rain from the hurricane,
the eruption of the Pacaya volcano only
a few days before,
and leaking and unstable sewer pipes.
But this wasn't the first time that
a sinkhole struck the city.
Only three years earlier,
on February 23 2007,
a sinkhole collapsed in the northeast
of the city killing five people.
That hole was 330 feet deep
and cost the city $2.7 million to repair
the damage and fill the hole.
Located in Catawba Virginia,
the ominously named murder hole,
is a thing of local legend.
The murder hole is on the 34 acre private property
of Marian and Dan McConnell
who are avid cave divers
and even built their house in view
of the cave entry.
The Appalachian trail runs through this part of Virginia
so the area is full of deep and mysterious caves.
The hole is 100 feet wide
and 120 feet deep
and is the entry way into the daylight cave.
But there are lower levels
that go 234 feet into the earth.
And even led to a chamber with a 75 foot high ceiling.
The cave has attracted explorers for decades
but not all have made it out alive.
In 1958, a student from Virginia Tech's
rope snapped causing him to fall to his death.
And rumor has it that a deserter during
the civil war was thrown into the hole
by angry fellow soldiers
and other rumors of those who commit suicide
by throwing themselves in.
The Siberian mystery craters
have also been referred to as gateways
to the underworld.
The giant craters started appearing throughout
Siberia Russia in 2013.
The three main craters have been found
in the Yamal and Taymyr peninsulas
in the Taz district.
And measure up to almost 100 feet in diameter each.
When reindeer herders discovered the first crater
there was a lot of speculation
on how it was formed.
With theories ranging from asteroids,
stray missiles to aliens.
But the debris that's been found spread
around the holes indicates
that it was actually an explosion
from inside the earth
that left these massive craters.
Experts believe that as the climate has warmed,
the permafrost in these remote locations
has been melting causing a buildup of methane gas.
And over time all that pressure from the gas
had to go somewhere
and bam giant craters everywhere.
Located near Derweze Turkmenistan,
satan's supposed front door is officially
known as the Darvaza gas crater.
Found in a natural gas field in the Karakum desert,
the gas crater measures 226 feet in diameter
and almost 100 feet deep.
It was formed in 1971 when Soviet engineers
began drilling in what they thought was
a huge oil field.
But they had set their equipment up over
a natural gas pocket with the plan
to determine just how much oil
they were sitting on.
But instead the earth collapsed into
the underground cavern below them
completely destroying the rig and camp.
Despite its nickname,
the crater wasn't always a fiery pit of doom.
After the collapse,
scientists were worried that all the poisonous
gas that had been trapped would spread
to the nearby towns.
So, they set it on fire thinking
it would all burn off within weeks.
But over 40 years later
it's still burning.
Blue holes are one of the most beautiful
natural wonders in the world.
And the great blue hole is no exception.
Located 60 miles off the coast of Belize,
the hole is actually a massive underwater sinkhole
at the center of the lighthouse reef.
And it's the largest of it's kind
measuring nearly 1000 feet wide
and 400 feet deep.
The hole was formed during the last ice age
over 1000 years ago.
It was originally a limestone cave
but as the sea levels rose
the cave flooded
and became part of what is now the Caribbean sea.
The cave itself is full of stalactites
which are rock formations
that look like they are dripping.
This and the clear blue water massive reef
and scores of tropical fish
has made the great blue hole
a major tourist destination.
It's also one of the most popular spots
for experienced scuba divers.
Thanks in large part to the explorer Jacques Cousteau
who in 1971 set out to study
what the hole was made out of.
The Xiaozhai Tiankeng also known as
the heavenly pit,
is located in the Fengjie County
Chongqing City China.
And it looks like something straight out
of Pandora.
It's the world's largest sinkhole
with an opening 2053 feet wide
and nearly 2171 feet deep.
Despite being absolutely ginormous,
it wasn't discovered until 1994
when British explorers from
the Royal Geographic Society
just happened to find it.
The heavenly pit is surrounded by
thousands of different plants
that cascade down its sloped walls.
It's also home to many different animal species
including rare geckos
and the snow leopard.
And in the rainy season there's even a natural
waterfall that forms at the sinkhole opening.
The cave is also connected to a five mile long
underground river that runs from the Tianjing
fissure gorge to the Migong River.
And if you're ever up for a hike,
there's a 2800 step staircase
and wooden walkway that lead through
the caves below.
That's pretty intense.
Better get your hiking boots on.
Thank you so much for watching this.
And just a reminder that my brand new limited
edition t-shirt is only available
for a couple more days until June 5th
and once they're gone,
they're gone forever,
so make sure you get yours now,
before they sell out
by clicking the I on your screen now
or the link under this video.
And don't forget I'll have a brand new video
for you tomorrow at three Eastern Standard Time.
I'll see you then.