A deep sinkhole that opened suddenly on BLM land in the Five Mile Pass area was filled Wednesday by the state Department of Geologic Hazards after Tooele County engineers determined it was a danger.

The sinkhole, which was between 160 and 180 feet deep and nine feet in diameter, was discovered via satellite imaging three weeks ago.

Louis Amodt, who works in reclaiming abandoned mines for the State Division of Oil and Mining, said the sinkhole, like others in the area, is likely linked to past mining activity. According to Amodt, sinkholes are not uncommon in Utah and heavily-mined areas such as the Ophir Mountains are no exception. A recently repaired hole in Eureka was originally found with a car stuck at the bottom.

Amodt said sinkholes often open when wooden supports inside old mine shafts begin to rot, allowing the shafts to randomly collapse. The abandoned clay mine, to which this sinkhole is attributed, is estimated to be 80 to 100 years old.

Tooele County Commissioner Bruce Clegg helped get the hole filled after the state informed him of the danger it posed.

“This was the deepest and most dangerous hole in the area by far,” Clegg said. “There are others that were relatively shallow, but this one was very deep and dangerous.”

What worried Amodt about the Five Mile Pass hole was its proximity to a popular ATV trail.

“It’s just big enough for a four-wheeler to fall down,” Amodt said. “Someone could easily get hurt or killed.”

In addition, Amodt said snow could cover the hole to create a “hidden hazard.”

The sinkhole was filled by a state crew Wednesday with debris from another part of the mine in about three hours.

Because of the area’s many abandoned claims, Amodt said it was likely sinkholes would continue to appear in the area. He recommended the public report sightings to the Sheriff’s Department or the State Department of Geologic Hazards.