All the water in the Doubs section of the river that flows through the east of France is sucked into the ground by cracks and craters in the riverbed.
Fish carcasses and stones are left after the river disappears. (Photo: AFP).
The river bed is composed of limestone which is very easy to crack. (Photo: AFP).
The more than one-kilometer stretch of the Doubs river that flows between the communes of Pontarlier and Morteau in the Franche-Comté province, France, has completely dried up since last week, although rainfall is still abundant, Strange Sounds reported yesterday. The river section disappeared along with the flora and fauna. According to geologists, this unprecedented event was caused by large cracks and craters in the river bed.
The area where the river flows through is left with only pebbles and dead fish. The chairman of the local fishing association said the last time this happened was during a severe drought in 1976. The researchers explain that the riverbed is composed of limestone, so the large crack sucks it up. River water goes to the ground like a suction hose. It is possible that many spring floods have washed away the sediment above the cracks and craters.
Two weeks ago, the 13km-long Risle River in Normandy also suddenly disappeared. The cause is believed to be a large sinkhole appearing in the river bed.