The Science of Sinkholes: Formations, Types and Global Hotspots
Suddenly, the ground under your feet starts to sink into a vast deep crater that can swallow up your vehicle, the highways, and buildings in mere seconds. It is not a scene from a science fiction film; it's the actual geological occurrence of a sinkhole. Some sinkholes develop over several hundred years, but others can form suddenly and without warning. It is critical to modern urban planning and safety to understand the geographical zones at risk, the types of architecture likely to suffer sinkholes, and the conditions that can precipitate their appearance. What is a Sinkhole? A sinkhole, also known as a shake-hole, swallow-hole, or doline, is a hole or depression in the ground caused by the collapse of the upper layers of the earth. They are found mostly in landscapes with karst topography, where the underlying bedrock is composed of rocks that can dissolve in water, such as limestone, dolomite, gypsum, and salt. Acidic rainwater percolates into the ground, over millennia, eating...