Did you hear the sad news that the largest waterfall in Ecuador, the San Rafael is now changed forever?
It's hard to believe that it was caused by a very large sinkhole!
I began writing in our children's Geology department about the geological natural disaster of karst terrain, and the water dissolving the underground carbonate rocks very slowly for such a long period of time before the surface of the ground caved in dramatically. Most times without anything upon the surface being suspect, or aware.
I wish I could have been within view when the sinkhole happened underneath the San Rafael! Don't you? I would have loved to have seen it especially in slow motion, and rewind and watch it over and over, and feel all the emotions that would go along with the experience.
To watch it happen I think I would be totally petrified! (no pun intended) almost like a retake "Whoa what?!" Then a sinking feeling (oops no pun there either haha) Like "Oh no somebody catch it!" Then, it would go from that to a feeling of awe like "Whoaaaaa! Can we see that again!?"
I began thinking about how this makes an impact on tourism in a large way for these people. Not to mention, if I lived there how sad I would be!
Although this occurred in February 2020, I wonder if you had heard about it. CNN talked about it, and you also find it on NASA's website.
They are not sure what caused this major geological event to swallow up San Rafael in this way, but they suspect that it is probable the curious transpiration was consequential to the hydroelectric plant that was being erected in the nearby vicinity, and not a natural geological event.
I was able to find a beautiful video clip on YouTube where I gained permission to use some of its content to share with you all, and I must say these are breathtaking images I was able to create and edit from the drone footage.
You can see a mighty crater where the waterfall drops into and charters its new path downward and under and beautiful arbor structure hollowed out with carbonate rocks revealing the karst terrain that let water take its toll. Soluble rocks are most certainly not to be taken lightly!
Upon looking into many sinkholes and “blue holes’ all over the world, okay I’ll share this image because I think it is so breath-taking… (and in the public domain as well which gives it a special flare!) I am appalled by how many sinkholes around the world are actually occurring even as we rest in our beds! (A bit disturbing really how many instances so if you live in Florida DON’T look into sinkholes! :D I want you to sleep at night! Haha!
One horrendous story was of a little camping group that was out on the beach with their tents, RV’s, and vehicles, little did they know that they were just too much weight for a ginormous
sink hole below them. And the ocean water on top of the sink was nearly enough to destroy everything in its path. There were survivors, but seeing the imagery was highly disturbing.
You truly never know when your number might be dialed up and you’re done down here.
It is very sobering. But to those of us who know Jesus Christ as our personal and beloved Savior, to walk with him every day in His leading and by His Holy Spirit’s voice within us as it guides us, we are so confident that “He which hath begun a good work will perform it unto the day of Jesus Christ” that he will never give up on us!
I have thought long and hard about a spiritual parallel with this huge geological event. In fact, the thing I keep thinking of, -although not sure if is solidly theological- is the fact this huge powerful waterfall went from all one huge flow at its beginning, to 3 tapered off shoots of waterfall stream, and I could not help it. I thought of the day Jesus had to become human flesh for us and left his Father in Heaven.
Now, I know God is omni-present. However, we know his Spirit is, and I wondered, when Jesus had to leave his Father, and the Father turned his back on his Son for the very first time, was it like that waterfall?
For the first time, a huge sinkhole of sin occurred and destroyed the original beauty God had intended with himself -the Triune God- and Mankind.
Over the thousands of years before Jesus came, that sinkhole seemed to keep growing larger under the surface. Eating away at humanity.
Then boom, it all came to a head. When Jesus Christ died on the cross. He became sin for us and took the sin of the entire world upon himself!
Where one powerful Godhead. Had to part into threes. The Father in Heaven upon his throne, the Son, down here upon earth, and the Holy Spirit manifested into the Believer. I wonder really. How exciting that day will be when the Holy Spirit, the Father the Son, and his Children are reunited like God intended it from the creation of the world? Wow! Now that will be a Heavenly event my friends! A Heavenly!
Which puts me into the subject of the Heavenly Pit (The world’s largest sinkhole.) I'll have to make that another blog article for another time! Won't I?
Cheers everyone!
Janessa Shelton
• Special credit for the use of the YouTube Video by boofsessions.com
