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A sinkhole is a depression or hole in the ground caused by some form of collapse of the surface layer. The term is sometimes used to refer to doline, enclosed depressions that are also known as shakeholes, and to openings where surface water enters into underground passages known as ponor, swallow hole or swallet.
Aug 7, 2017 · A sinkhole is a depression in the ground that has no natural external surface drainage. Basically, this means that when it rains, all of the water stays inside the sinkhole and typically drains into the subsurface. Sinkholes are most common in what geologists call, “karst terrain.”
Jul 3, 2024 · A sinkhole is a hole in the ground that forms when water dissolves surface rock. Often, this surface rock is limestone, which is easily eroded, or worn away, by the movement of water.
A sinkhole forms when these chewed-up sublayers can no longer support surface sediments hovering over the void left by erosion.
A sinkhole is an area of ground that has no natural external surface drainage--when it rains , the water stays inside the sinkhole and typically drains into the subsurface. Sinkholes can vary from a few feet to hundreds of acres and from less than 1 to more than 100 feet deep.
Apr 8, 2024 · When the soil ‘ceiling’ collapses, you end up with a hole exposing a cavity previously hidden underground.
Aug 7, 2017 · A sinkhole is a depression in the ground that has no natural external surface drainage. Basically, this means that when it rains, all of the water stays inside the sinkhole and typically drains into the subsurface. Sinkholes are most common in what geologists call, “karst terrain.”
Jun 28, 2024 · sinkhole, topographic depression formed when underlying limestone bedrock is dissolved by groundwater. It is considered the most-fundamental structure of karst topography. Sinkholes vary greatly in area and depth and may be very large.
Nov 2, 2023 · How Sinkholes Form. Also called sinks, sinkholes owe much to water. A sinkhole usually forms by erosion caused by frequent exposure to water. It comes down to the type of rocks underlying the soil (as opposed to the soil above called the overburden).
Why do sinkholes matter? Like landslides, sinkholes can devastate small areas. Natural sinkholes are a potential threat throughout 20% of the United States. [1] Florida, Texas, Alabama, Missouri, Kentucky, Tennessee, and Pennsylvania are most sinkhole-prone because of their bedrock.
