Sink Hole !!

I was told that there was a sink hole at Hawiyat Najm Park (which is about 30 km from a place called ‘Quriyat’ on the Muscat –Sur highway) that is one of the famous tourist attractions of Oman. Intrigued at the name I tried to find out more and heard a lot of stories regarding the ‘hole-in-the-ground’ having been made by a meteorite hitting the ground ages ago. Some even said that the hole was made by ‘extra-terrestrial’ forces. Well, nothing could be farther from the truth ! A little research on the net revealed that ‘Sinkholes’ are a common geological phenomena. These holes are formed by the continued action of water on slightly soluble bedrock (like limestone) in the ground. Wherever there is underground water reacting with such elements, a cavern of sorts is created. Over a period of time this underground cavern becomes bigger and eventually when the roof caves in a sink hole is formed.

I visited the sink hole mentioned above recently and was amazed at the sight. The area is now being developed into a park with the cordoned off sink hole in the middle. There are steps leading to the bottom where crystal clear water can be seen (and swimming is allowed). The steps are fun to go down but a pain climbing up. The water (said to be more saline than the ocean but less than the Dead Sea by one traveller) is deeper at the far end (depth unknown). Since the seashore is not far away from this place I suspect there must be a connection between the water available at the sink hole and the sea. Anyway, the sink hole is a wondrous sight to behold and I was spell bound. Following are some photographs of this famous place (click to enlarge):

The Sink Hole is 20 mts deep and 40 mts wide !
Tourists enjoying a swim.

Note the clear water.

The Deep End.

A View of the Heavens from Below !