You better get your shovel and pick ready, because you are about to discover the biggest hole dug by hand, and you will be stunned. There’s just no other word for it.
People like big things nearly as much as we like comparing big things. Whether it’s measuring largest cup size, or the tallest mountain, our insatiable desire for records never ends. Even going down into the Earth we will find a record if one exists. And there are records below the surface. Plenty of them actually. But this record brings the subterranean to the surface in a big way.
Before we really dig into this fact we have a little brain teaser for you. How long does it take to dig half a hole 3 feet by 3 feet by 4 feet? We will reveal the answer at the end of the fact.
There have been a lot of big holes dug by people over time. Some of the largest ever have been dug with the assistance of earth moving equipment, which makes a big job easy. But before massive machinery entered the scene, there was only one way to dig a hole, and it was by hand.
The deepest hole dug by hand has had two contenders for the title. The Kimberly Mine in South Africa has for a long time laid claim to being the deepest hole dug by hand. It’s a massive hole too. Its depth today is a bone shattering 175 metres (574 ft) deep. Since 1924 Kimberley’s tourism industry has used its size as a tourist attraction, claiming it to be the biggest hole in the world. But following extensive studies by a historian and author, this claim has now been contested.
The other contender for the record of the deepest hole dug by hand is the Jagersfontein mine, another diamond mine in South Africa. It reached a depth of 201 metres (660).
Both mines have had some infill since reaching their deepest point. The Kimberly mine, also known as the Big Hole is said to have reached a depth of 240 metres (790 ft) before it was filled somewhat, and then the bottom was filled with water, as it is today.
Regardless of which hole in particular is the deepest ever dug by hand, both are fantastic examples of what people are capable of achieving.
The answer to our brain teaser…You can’t dig half a hole.
