A Crack In the Earth—Mysterious 26 Foot-Deep Trench In Northwest Mexico Baffles Scientists

Scientists in the state of Sonora, Mexico remain baffled by the mysterious appearance of trench along Highway 26, between the city of Hermosillo and the Pacific coast.

Like the introduction to an apocalyptic thriller film, the kilometer-long trench, which extends 26 feet deep into the Earth's surface, appeared mid last week completely disconnecting major Highway 26 in the farmlands of northwestern Mexico. In some parts up to 16 feet wide, the crevice has caused major concerns for farm workers and other drivers who use the route to get the coast, and they have been forced to navigate around it.

According to local reports, geological investigations have begun to analyze potential causes for the enormous crack in the surface and the Mexican Civil Protection Unit has said that the fissure may have been triggered by seismic activity tracked last Sunday.

Although Sonora itself has been linked to a very significant seismic event (the 1887 Sonora Earthquake) and recent reports have indicated that seismic activity in the region has more than doubled in the past four decades, local geologists and seismologists are not as easily convinced of the earthquake-driven theory.

"Except for the major influence of San Andreas fault activity, the Sonoran Desert is seismically quitet, with noticeable earthquakes felt less than once per few decades" historical geologist, Robert Scarborough says. "However, slight readjustments to changing conditions do occur."

As an additional theory, scientists are currently investigating local water sources, such as levees that farmers built to trap rainwater, which may have undermined the Earth's structural soil in the area causing the collapse.

As a desert, local fresh water sources in Sonora are very difficult to come by. Underground wells known as "aquifers" often run dry, having left locals to find more innovative ways of trapping fresh water.

"Wells drilled into the Sonoran pediment often do not yield sufficient water for even a single residence" Scarborough says. "Major valleys contain one or more main stream channels, but they are normally dry."

Some investigators believe that the entrapment of rainwater by local levees may have begun to leak, causing an underground stream between aquifers and undermining the integrity of the Earth's crust. Researchers continue to investigate potential causes for the mysterious trench, but in the meantime local governments ask that residents use alternate routes and detours to avoid the kilometer-long traffic nightmare.