NATURE can be extremely powerful and cruel. It can suddenly turn against us in the most unexpected and forceful way we can imagine. On the other hand, it is also serene, beautiful and fills our lives with peace.

The different seasons change as if by magic, each with its own unique presence. No matter how much experts study and learn about its force and awe-inspiring secrets, it still surprises them from time to time.

Geologists have been studying sinkholes for a long time. They are ditches or “holes” in the ground that appear when subsurface material softens and water fills up from either too much rain or underground channels. There are, of course, many types of sinkholes and detailed explanations that go into several other possibilities of why they open up, but that will be a long lesson in geography so we shall leave that for you to look into. But what we are about to “look into” is the recent history of sinkholes that are appearing mysteriously.

The world’s seventh tallest building is being built in Seoul, Korea. All across southern Seoul, sinkholes are forming right in the middle of streets in cities and outside. While construction workers and engineers do not think it is due to the Lotte World Tower under construction, investigators are struggling to find the cause.

Three holes or openings in the ground suddenly appeared in Songpa, southern Seoul and other areas. The construction team is dumbstruck and do not have a clue just as the building is near its completion. An image tweeted on July 21st, by Korean Times showed a gaping huge hole in the city leaving everyone puzzled and afraid. Out of the 120 floors planned, 70 have already been built but work had to be stalled. Residents are concerned for their safety and so are the authorities.

Lotte Moolsan, one of the construction company’s team members does not think the skyscraper is the culprit, as reported by The Associated Press. The United States Geological Survey describes sinkholes as “an area of ground that has no natural external surface drainage — when it rains, all of the water stays inside the sinkhole and typically drains into the subsurface. Sinkholes can vary from few feet to hundreds of acres and from 1 to more than 100 feet deep”.

So, this geological phenomenon has been studied and researched. Then why are the authorities and experts baffled?

Moreover, a lake which is near the tower is getting smaller and that too is an enigma. More water is being pumped into the lake to keep up the level.

The last one was reported to have opened up in front of the National Assembly in Yeouidos, a large island in Seoul, and the hole is one metre in depth. And is just two metres away from a hole that had opened up earlier. So other causes are being looked into. If the construction of the skyscraper is causing the sinkholes there, which is not what experts think, what is the cause of the other ones?

Now let’s move further into Siberia. A helicopter flying over northern Siberia saw a huge hole in the ground. After that two more were discovered around the same area. Discovered by reindeer hunters, the hole is 13 feet across. Researchers think that melted ice deposits on the ground might be responsible but are not ready to confirm. And yes, more holes are opening up. The report by scientists according to The Siberian Times is that as each new hole opens up, they are given a chance to further look into the phenomenon.

Lastly, a mysteriously opened sinkhole was seen in Louisiana, Texas, USA, in August 2012. The 400-foot deep, gaping hole gulped down all the tall cypress trees in the wooded area. An evacuation was ordered for the 150 residents who were alarmed and wanted to know what and why the strange occurrence happened in their area. The reason could be an old closed down salt mine, say researchers.

The Texas Brine Company has looked into and is still looking for an explanation. Highway 70 nearby was closed due to the threat of an explosion because the sinkhole caused a natural gas pipeline to bend and there was threat of an explosion. Is it just a myth that human beings are causing nature to revolt or is there something else to this enigma?