Blue Hole NM Collapse?

[VikingDives]

The city's biggest concern is the safety of the divers, but they understand that this is an issue where Mother Nature has the final say...

 

[kinoons]

At the moment the websites for blue hole still list it being closed.

 

[VikingDives]

I completed another assessment dive of BH on Tuesday. There is nothing new to report, except a rock that fell on the other side of the hole (near the 20' platform), and "the crack" at about 70' and to the right of the grate, appears a bit larger.

The bottom is much more interesting as it has changed significantly but does not appear dangerous. The collapse appears to have begun at about 40 feet.

The USGS has divers who are also geologists (I think it's USGS, it might be the Army Corps of Engineers). At any rate, those folks will be conducting a structural assessment this week. Several of us are meeting with them this week to try to provide some assistance and background.

The folks from the City of Santa Rosa would like to reopen, but the main concern remains the safety of the diving community. We're hopeful the USGS assessment will provide them with a quick answer so things can return to normal.

I'll update when I know more.

 

[Capt'n Dave]

Ok. All the rumors on Facebook are wrong. I dove it the day before yesterday.

There was a major collapse on the northeast wall. There is a debris field of "new rock" that goes from about the anchor point of the (former) 25-foot platform to the area where the cross and treasure chest are.

I told the folks from the city that everything appeared stable. The collapse appears to have come from about 40 feet, but the viz was only about 6-10 feet so I may be wrong.

The city is contacting some geologists for options/options but they are planning to be closed through next weekend.

I'm going to talk with them again today, and I'll post updates if things change.

Here is a pick of what’s covering the grate and info

On July 4th, officials from the Blue Hole Convention Center in Santa Rosa NM sent out the following update related to the closure of the dive site due to a structural collapse in a portion of the west wall:
"To give a little detail the debris field is 53ft wide x 35ft deep. Some of the bigger rocks that came down range from 4ftx4ft to 10ftx14ft size pieces. We would like to thank you all for your patience in this matter. As for a short update we will be meeting with the Army corps of engineers in the next few weeks to further assess the impact of this situation and the integrity and safety of blue hole. We would like everyone to know we are doing our best to get this site back as soon as possible but our main goal is to make sure Blue Hole is as safe as possible for the dive community."
We've also attached one of the photos they shared.

 

[boulderjohn]

Here is a pick of what’s covering the grate and info

On July 4th, officials from the Blue Hole Convention Center in Santa Rosa NM sent out the following update related to the closure of the dive site due to a structural collapse in a portion of the west wall:
"To give a little detail the debris field is 53ft wide x 35ft deep. Some of the bigger rocks that came down range from 4ftx4ft to 10ftx14ft size pieces. We would like to thank you all for your patience in this matter. As for a short update we will be meeting with the Army corps of engineers in the next few weeks to further assess the impact of this situation and the integrity and safety of blue hole. We would like everyone to know we are doing our best to get this site back as soon as possible but our main goal is to make sure Blue Hole is as safe as possible for the dive community."
We've also attached one of the photos they shared.

Wow! That is seriously more than I was expecting.

 

[Capt'n Dave]

Wow! That is seriously more than I was expecting.

Yes, they are saying it is impeding the flow so I think they are discussing how to remove some of it pending the surveys

 

[robertsdecker]

The entire area is unstable, filled with sinkholes of various sizes, almost all of them dry. Those sinkholes are testimonies to unstable conditions far below. The rock there is sandstone, and that sandstone must be sitting on top of deeper limestone formations. Those limestone formations assumedly have cave features that collapse from time to time.

One of the biggest nearby water-filled sinkholes is Rock lake, located just west of town. It is about 280 feet deep, and 400-500 feet across. Over the years I have dived it, I have come across places where sections of wall have recently collapsed. The lake is fed by vents in many places. The biggest ones are on top of the debris cone on the east wall, meaning that the water is coming up through many feet of loose rubble. There is a vent near the bottom of the east descent line, at about 180 feet. It goes into the wall, not down into the debris. When I first noticed it, I was sure it was new, because I don't remember seeing it there before.

There are small vents on the very bottom. You can see them in the fall, when the algae bloom dies and the bottom is temporarily blackened by dead algae. When you see light spots in that black, it is from the water seeping up from below.

People who dive Rock Lake park in the grassy are on the east side. One autumn in a particularly dry year, that grassy area was wet, with water seeping up from below. I would not be surprised if someday a group of cars suddenly vanished into a newly enlarged Rock Lake.

That would be very spooky

 

[VikingDives]

The information from Blue Hole is correct. There is no impedance of the flow, however. The grate was unaffected.

I'll try and get some video posted this week, but for those of you who know Blue Hole, the debris field stretches from the area where the 25' platform was anchored, to the treasure chest.

 

[CycleCat]

The report Capt'n Dave shared says the debris field is 35 feet deep. That's nearly half the depth at Blue Hole. Is it really that much?

 

[kinoons]

The report Capt'n Dave shared says the debris field is 35 feet deep. That's nearly half the depth at Blue Hole. Is it really that much?

I think we’re talking dimensions across the bottom of the hole - 35 feet by 53 feet. Not that blue hole just lost 1/2 of its depth.