Sinkholes
S


Arrow Down

30-Foot sinkhole appears near Federal Courthouse in Boston

Doug Saffir
boston.com
Wed, 12 Mar 2014 11:54 UTC
Image
Sink hole behind Fed Courthouse Northern Av pic.twitter.com/aN6BYFCRHe
- John GrelandBPD (@captaingreland) March 12, 2014
The weather in New England has been chaotic over the last few months, but there hasn't been anything that really qualifies as a natural disaster. Until Wednesday.

Several news outlets reported that a large sinkhole appeared behind Joe Moakley Federal Courthouse on Northern Avenue in South Boston.

No injuries were reported and that the area was fenced off as a crew worked to contain and repair the damage. A 30-foot sinkhole certainly isn't the worst this country has seen, but for Boston, that's pretty bad.

BostInno said that Boston Police Captain John Greland's tweet (see above) was the first report of the sinkhole. But Wednesday night, local news outlets were on scene with live coverage.
Read More...
Arrow Down

School bus slides into sinkhole in Conneaut, Ohio - no children hurt


newsnet5.com
Wed, 12 Mar 2014 06:12 UTC
Image


Loaded bus slides into sinkole, March 11, 2014.


Officials say no children were hurt when a loaded school bus slid partially into a sinkhole on a city street in northeast Ohio, nearly flipping it.

A school official in Conneaut said the pavement collapsed as the bus passed on Monday afternoon, causing the rear wheels to fall into the hole. The angle of the bus in the hole caused problems for rescue workers trying to get the 30 elementary-aged children off the bus.

School superintendent Kent Houston tells The Star-Beacon that the kids were more scared than anything. They were transferred to another bus for the ride home. A wrecker was called to extract the bus.

The sinkhole may have been caused by one of the water leaks that have resulted from the extreme weather this winter.

Source: AP
Read More...
Arrow Down

Second sinkhole appears in Bloomington, Illinois

Kevin Barlow
The Pantagraph
Wed, 12 Mar 2014 05:55 UTC
Image
© KEVIN BARLOW, The PantagraphOfficials from the city of Bloomington discuss options after another sinkhole was reported Tuesday on Locust Street — the second in the city in two days. A wrecker was able to free the truck, but Locust Street will remain closed for several days while repair work continues.
Spring isn't even officially here yet and already Bloomington City Engineer Kevin Kothe is tired of dealing with sinkholes.

For the second time in as many days, the Bloomington Public Works Department was called Tuesday to the scene of a vehicle stuck in a sinkhole. As a result, Locust Street will be closed to through traffic for water and sewer repair for several days, he said.

"Because of the safety issues with that street, we had to close it as well," he said.

That comes a day after a sinkhole on Monday forced the closure of the 900 block of North Lee Street. A car wheel sunk through the pavement, unveiling an underground hole several feet deep that remained under repair Tuesday.

The latest problem surfaced when a Union Pacific heavy machinery truck was eastbound on Locust about 11:15 a.m. The driver's side rear dual wheels got stuck in a sinkhole near the intersection of Locust and Western Avenue.
Read More...
Arrow Down

Three metre-deep sinkhole on school field in Ramsgate, UK

Tom Barnes
Isle of Thanet Gazette
Thu, 06 Mar 2014 10:45 UTC
Image
School staff believe the hole could be a remnant of the Townley House estate
A three metre-deep sinkhole has opened up on the playing fields of Chatham and Clarendon Grammar School in Ramsgate.

The hole has left staff baffled since it was first discovered when one student's foot fell through the ground as he was playing football around a fortnight ago.

The pit has now grown to approximately one metre by two metres wide and is between 10 and 12 feet deep.

"We will be keeping all children and staff off the field until it has been surveyed. Hopefully by the end of this week we will have an idea of exactly what's happening underground."

Staff do not believe that the opening is a conventional sinkhole, but a long forgotten well or cesspit linked to the Townley House estate.

Teacher Chris Freeman said: "It doesn't appear to be a normal sinkhole, like the one that opened up on the M2 for example.

"It is bad enough that it has stopped our games until we can find out what caused it. Our playing fields have suffered enormous amounts of flooding- they have been saturated since Christmas.

"Some of the school grounds used to be part of the Townley House estate and we believe this could be either a well or an old Victorian cesspit linked to the estate.

A team of geophysical surveyors from Maidstone will inspect the field next week to determine what has caused the hole and whether it poses any further danger.

The school is also checking Victoria era plans of the area to try and solve the mystery of what has actually caused the hole.

Read More...
Galaxy

Heaven and Earth: Unusual natural events and strange phenomena from around the world in February/March 2014

Last Messages
YouTube
Fri, 07 Mar 2014 10:07 UTC
Image
© Martin Rietze/National
This video compiles footages of strange phenomena of all kinds, including awesome natural events or beautiful phenomena from around the world in the last few weeks. Just a small sample of what we've seen already this year!

In the past month or so we have seen: Unusual solar activity including an X class flare - Aurora Borealis much further south than usual, including southern UK - Huge waves off coast of California, Brazil, UK - England battered by record storms, floods and sinkholes - Severe drought in California, followed by extreme storms and floods - US cities in the East frozen still - Strange skies over Europe - Ecuador Tungurahua volcano erupts - Strange 'hailstone' falls over Nevada - Weird pulsating orange Earth phenomena melts ice and boils water - Amazing sinkhole in the Corvette Museum - New York sinkhole swallows car - Popocatelpetl Volcano, Mexico eruptions - Sakurajima, Japan spectacular volcanic eruption - Large fireball over Maine, USA - Huge eruption from Volcano Pacaya in Guatemala
Read More...
Arrow Down

Massive sinkhole repaired in Milwaukee, Wisconsin

A.J. Bayatpour
fox6now.com
Thu, 06 Mar 2014 10:10 UTC
Image
Massive sinkhole at Palmer & Townsend in Milwaukee

A massive sinkhole that formed at the intersection of Palmer and Townsend on the Milwaukee's north side created a world of headaches for homeowners and DPW crews.

"It was like two days ago when it first started. I was coming out of the crib and I heard some water rushing so I looked over there and I couldn't see where it was coming from. I looked down and it was a hole the size of a golf ball," said Anthony Gray who lives near the sinkhole.

The sound of rushing water was the sound of a broken watermain. In order to clamp down on the problem, workers needed to dig up the street and turn off the water.
Read More...
Arrow Down

Fire crew at sinkhole on Skipper Road in Tampa, Florida


The Tamba Bay Tribune
Thu, 06 Mar 2014 09:58 UTC
Image
© CLIFF MCCBRIDEA small hole opened Thursday at the Breezewood Mobile Home Park off Bearss Avenue in Tampa
Hillsborough County Fire Rescue is on the scene of a what is being called a 6-by-9 foot depression in the ground of a mobile home park off of Skipper Road in Tampa.

Two homes were evacuated at the Breezewood Mobile Home Park, 1701 Skipper Road.

The Code Enforcement department and Tampa Electric are sending representatives to the scene.
Read More...
Arrow Down

Sinkhole swallows two vehicles near Hayden Lake, Idaho


KBOI 2
Thu, 06 Mar 2014 10:24 UTC
Image
© Kootenai County Sheriff's Office
Three people were taken to the hospital after two vehicles drove into a sinkhole early this morning near Hayden Lake, the Kootenai County Sheriff's Office says.

Deputies say they found two vehicles that had driven into a large washout on Rimrock Road. Investigators say a culvert under the road failed due to heavy runoff.

The hole ended up being 10 feet wide and about eight feet deep.
Read More...
Bizarro Earth

Most UK sinkholes not covered by home insurance

Christopher Menon
The Guardian
Tue, 04 Mar 2014 01:00 UTC
uk sinkhole
© Colin Parsons/PAOne of two sinkholes that opened on farmland between Sittingbourne and Faversham in Kent.
Once a rare occurrence, a recent spate of holes suddenly appearing raises some tricky questions about insurance

Sinkholes weren't something the average householders thought about in the past - and despite a spate of recent occurrences - are very rare. But if the ground does open up and swallow your house, there is good news and bad news: while insurers will usually pay for your property to be repaired, they are unlikely to cough up for any damage to your garden.

Comment: If these sinkholes, plus all of the other crazy phenomena continue to increase, home insurance will be the last of our worries.
For an interesting new theory on the cause of sinkholes, and the 'opening up' of the Earth recently, make sure to listen to the latest SOTT Talk Radio Show:
Is World War 3 Imminent? Russia vs USA, Sinkholes and Weird Weather

Read More...
Arrow Down

Atlanta sinkhole traps fire truck

Marcus K. Garner
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Mon, 03 Mar 2014 14:41 UTC
Image
© AJC.comA sinkhole engulfed the wheel of an Atlanta Fire Department truck on Monday along Ashby Grove in southwest Atlanta.
A 13-foot sinkhole opened up beneath a Atlanta firetruck early Monday afternoon in southwest Atlanta.

Around 12:45 p.m., Atlanta Fire & Rescue Department spokeswoman Janet Ward said Ladder Truck 1, from Station 1 near Castleberry Hill was going west on Ashby Grove when the road crumbled under the truck.

No one was hurt, Ward said.

"Miraculously, there are little signs of damage," she said.

The truck was quickly rescued from the eight-foot deep sinkhole by department vehicles, the street was cordoned off and City ofAtlanta officials have been notified, authorities said.

The cause of the sinkhole is unknown at this time.
Read More...