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 .

What is a sinkhole? 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, “ …

Some sinkholes are caused by leaky underground pipes (talk to your utility company) and some are old construction pits or other buried materials that have settled. Check your homeowner's insurance policy to see if you might be covered (depending on which state you live in, most insurance policies don't cover damage due to natural sinkholes).

Aug 4, 2023 · Sinkholes are wonders of nature: They can appear suddenly and be enormous, sometimes large enough to swallow whole buildings. Sinkholes form when the rock beneath the surface, such as limestone,...

Jul 3, 2024 · Sinkholes vary from shallow holes about one-meter (three-feet) deep, to pits more than 50 meters (165 feet) deep. Water can drain through a sinkhole into an underground channel or a cave. When mud or debris plugs one of these underground caves, it fills with water to become a lake or a pond.

The following is a list of sinkholes, blue holes, dolines, crown holes, cenotes, and pit caves. A sinkhole is a depression or hole in the ground caused by some form of collapse of the surface layer. Some are caused by karst processes —for example, the chemical dissolution of carbonate rocks [1] or suffosion processes. [2] .

Dec 18, 2017 · Geologists classify sinkholes in three major types: dissolution, cover-subsidence, and cover-collapse sinkholes. But the truth is, we also have artificial sinkholes, caused by different human activities. Let’s have a detailed look at the most common types of sinkholes and what makes each different.

Sinkholes are pits in the ground that occur in areas where water collects without external drainage. Essentially, a sinkhole is any hole in the ground formed by erosion and the drainage of water. It can be just a few meters across or large enough to swallow a whole building.

Jan 2, 2019 · Today we’ll be taking a look at 11 of the largest sinkholes in the world, measured by depth. Source: wikimedia.org. While sinkholes are normally formed by dissolving deposits of stone such as limestone or gypsum, the sinkhole in Guatemala City was different: It was caused by erosion of volcanic pumice underground.