Recent Sinkholes Across America

Sinkholes Across America

What the heck is a sinkhole and how do they happen? Many people are starting to ask as it seems they are popping up all across America. A sinkhole can go by many name but what it is, is a natural depression or hole in the surface topography caused by the removal of soil or bedrock, often both, by water. Sinkholes may vary in size from less than a meter to several hundred meters both in diameter and depth, and vary in form from soil-lined bowls to bedrock-edged chasms.

They may be formed gradually or suddenly, and are found worldwide. Sinkholes form on the surface because material below the surface has been removed by mining extraction or occurred naturally from dissolution of carbonate rock by naturally acidic water. At some point, the force of gravity can cause a collapse of the ceiling of the cave or shaft, creating a sinkhole on the surface. Sinkholes are formed when the supporting water table runs dry and the ground no longer has this strata to stand on. This happens in the states of Florida and Georgia in the US because they have more underground rivers than most. The ground simply collapses down the now dry rivers that were once filled with water. These are the first real signs of a major drought.

See the most recent buzz on Recent Sinkholes Across America

Read more at Coup Media Group-SciTech