Bassa Wheel

The Diefdijk was intended to protect part of South Holland from flooding from the Betuwe. In 1571 things went wrong. In the Betuwe, a number of river dikes broke and a huge flood of water flowed towards Diefdijk, which in turn collapsed. This is because the Diefdijk runs across an old steam bed and seepage flow causes subsidence. Right there the dike broke and the mass of water plunged through the hole into the hinterland, destroying everything it encountered in its path. At the dike, a fifteen-metre-deep gully hole was left behind, the Schoonrewoerdse wiel. In 1573, history repeated itself and the wheel more or less reached its current size.
The Schoonrewoerdse Wiel is the largest breakthrough hole in the Netherlands (approx. 13 ha). It is also called the Wheel of Bassa, after the Bassa family who lived near the wheel in the past.
Behind breaching holes, the entrained erosion material is deposited in a fan shape. Such deposits are called transshipment grounds. Because transhipments have a favorable soil structure, they are often used for horticulture.
Due to the depth of a wheel, the dike can no longer be repaired in the same place. A new section of dike is built around the wheel, creating a twist in the dike.

Biker