A mysterious burning crack is releasing gas since two weeks in a small village named Columbe situated in the Ecuadorian Andes.
The steam started coming out of the earth about 15 days ago after a controlled burn of weeds…
A column of steam and gas continues to emanate from a mysterious crack that opened up in a hill near Columbe, in Chimborazo, Ecuador.
The area has been evacuated because officials still don’t know if the gas expelled by the unexplained underground fissure are toxic.
En Columbe, #Colta, donde se produce el afloramiento de gases subterráneos. Hoy nueva inspección con @IGecuador. pic.twitter.com/I25CNXJRBC
— Pablo Morillo Robles (@pmorillo35) January 27, 2016
Investigations are ongoing.
Soil and gas samples have been taken by technicians of the Geophysical Institute of the National Polytechnic School.
Is that strange geological phenomenon linked to nearby volcano?
[Recorrido] Técnicos de @IGecuador toman muestras de gases para determinar origen #SGR #Chimborazo. pic.twitter.com/wfiAsUjjFC
— Riesgos Ecuador (@Riesgos_Ec) January 27, 2016
The strange phenomenon has most probably a volcanic origin as the burning crack and the gas emanations are located approximately 45 km from the Chimborazo volcano.
But officials try to rule out a volcanic origin saying the burning crack was created by the controlled burn.
According to geologists, the ground remains incandescent and ejects gas since 2 weeks because the soil is full of organic matter, which is a good fuel. There are indeed several immortal fires burning around the world. Discover 3 in the U.S. 🙂 More strange geological news on Strange Sounds or Steve Quayle.