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Start of the Time Travel
The Martin’s Hole today: A unique formation with an extraordinary geological creation story!
Destination of the Time Travel
The moment sunlight first passed through the Martin’s Hole. The exact date is unknown, but it is estimated to have occurred 20,000 to 50,000 years ago.
Millions of Years Ago
The story of the Martin’s Hole began deep underground. During the formation of the Alps, the rocks (limestone and flysch) in the area of the future hole were subjected to intense deformation. The rocks were pushed past each other along descrete thrust faults and fractures.
Tens of Thousands of Years Ago
The critical moment: As uplift and erosion slowly brought the fractured rock to the Earth’s surface, the damaged rock in the future Martin’s Hole area desintegrating faster than the surrounding material. This created cave-like depressions on both sides of the ridge, which grew larger over time.
One day, the cavities extended so far into the mountain ridge that they connected, forming a hole. For the first time, sunlight shone through the mountain—this is the incredible moment we aim to experience with our time travel! Since then, the hole has continued to grow.
Today
At its highest point, the Martin’s Hole is now 18 meters tall. For comparison, the bypass tunnels in Flims are approximately six meters high and nine meters wide.
Would You Like a Souvenir From This Time Travel?
Hike the Sardona World Heritage Trail over the Segnes Pass to Elm and take a photo from Elm when the sun shines through the Martin’s Hole twice a year!