Weird Gaps In Utah Wilderness are Mind-blowing for Internet

People like to scour Google Earth for strange stuff on the earth's surface. Someone ran across these deep 20 ft. wide cracks in the eastern part of Utah and wanted to know more. It is just as strange up close.

Something Called Gilsonite Found Only in Utah

There is a substance that is black and oily that they used for road base early in the last century. It was named for one of the men, Samuel Gilson, who developed a use for it and promoted it. It is called Gilsonite and has quite a history.

The black substance runs in straight lines up and down the hills of the Uintah Basin. It can vary from a few inches thick to as much as 20 ft. down and running straight for miles.

Starting in 1888, they began to dig the Gilsonite out of the ground and leaving these massive cracks running through the country side. What is left from these early mining activities is what the internet discovered.

Gilsonite Still Being Mined and Used All Over the World

Because of its oil based qualities, Gilsonite is used to stabilize bore holes in drilling operations. It is also used for ink in printers and still as a road base with asphalt. It also has been used for roofing materials.

The mining of Gilsonite has become more high tech and moved underground. Unlike mining in the early days, it no longer leaves long deep trenches in the ground. Many of the bigger deposits have been mined out.

Read More: Ancient Quarry? Mysterious Site In The Corner Of Utah

Now you know the story of this unique organic material and why it created huge mile long gaps in the ground in eastern Utah.