In Arizona Desert, the Mystery Is Deeper Than the Hole

In terms of unexplained mysteries, it's not exactly the Bermuda Triangle. But the discovery of an old, deep hole in Arizona has neighbors scratching their heads. Hector Thompson and his mom Michele were walking near their home in the desert town of Tonopah when they came across a "mystery hole" earlier this week, KTVK reports. There were no warning signs near the hole and nothing covering it. Michele says it was "an accident waiting to happen." And Hector wanted to find out what was in the hole, which he reckoned was "pretty old." A news crew sent a camera into the hole, hitting bottom after nearly 30 feet. It turns out it was mostly full of trash.

The hole is on property that was owned by the Federal Aviation Administration back in the 1950s but is now under the purview of the Bureau of Land Management, KTVK reports in a followup story. The FAA wasn't using the hole, and the BLM doesn't know what it was for. An expert in wells doesn't think it was a well. Despite the hole being around for decades, neighbors apparently hadn't noticed it until recently. Since no one was using the hole or even knew its purpose, the BLM had a crew fill it in on Tuesday. The mystery of the Tonopah Hole may never be solved—but at least no one will fall into it. (Inside the mystery of the "Phoenix Lights.")