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The Great Blue Hole
Extremes

The Great Blue Hole

More than 300 metres across and 125 metres deep, Belize's ancient underwater sinkhole formed during the last ice age — and it has been swallowing the unwary ever since.

Elena Marsh · February 4, 2026

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The Mountain That Moved
Disasters

The Mountain That Moved

Six underground nuclear tests shifted Mount Mantap 3.5 metres sideways and dropped its summit half a metre. North Korea's third-tallest mountain is no longer where it was.

Simon Whistler Simon Whistler · February 4, 2026
Norilsk: The City the World Cannot Breathe Near
Extremes

Norilsk: The City the World Cannot Breathe Near

Elena Marsh · 5 min read
Plymouth: The Capital Buried in Ash
Disasters

Plymouth: The Capital Buried in Ash

Simon Whistler · 5 min read

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Places Field Notes

Weekly dispatch from Simon Whistler — engineering deep-dives, cost breakdowns, workshop build notes, and tools that actually pay off.

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Nazino Island: Stalin's Cannibal Island
Disasters

Nazino Island: Stalin's Cannibal Island

In spring 1933, over 5,000 Soviet citizens were abandoned on a Siberian island with no food and no way home. Fewer than 2,000 survived thirteen weeks.

Elena Marsh · January 30, 2026