Sinkholes
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Sinkholes: Getting to the bottom of science


The Dallas Chronicle
Mon, 18 Mar 2013 06:39 UTC
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© APVanishing: A giant sinkhole under the Tampa home where Jeff Bush was swallowed by the Earth.
The ground suddenly opening beneath our feet is the stuff of nightmares.

In recent weeks, a spate of those bad-dreams-come-true have drawn national attention when the earth seemingly swallowed a man in his Florida bedroom and a golfer in Illinois.

After the widespread coverage of those sinkholes and others, some experts say the phenomena may be scarier in thought than reality.

Only about 20 percent of the country has underground geology that favors the formation of natural sinkholes, the U.S. Geological Survey says. But in developed areas, any pipeline or sewer can collapse in the right circumstances.

"I'd guess there is this primal fear of being swallowed up by the earth and taken to hell,'' said Paul Greene, an associate professor of psychology at Iona College in New Rochelle, N.Y., who works with disaster victims.

"I recall scenes from the movie Ghost when the evil characters die and their souls are taken down in the ground by demons.''

Comment: Scripps Howard News left out countless other incidents last year where people were killed by sinkholes, especially in China:

Sinkhole swallows girl in China

Another sink hole opens up in China killing two - Baby girl's miracle rescue from 33ft-deep crater as busy road collapses

Giant 30m Chinese sinkhole opens up on road and swallows car

Interesting that they should pick out a fundie Christian news aggregator rather than the original alt.news website that has been on top of this since the beginning. In addition, SOTT.net has rationally pointed out that sinkholes are clearly an unexplained natural phenomenon. Although we have not yet determined how they happen or why they suddenly increased in number in 2007, we think at this point that they are probably one result of an infinitesimal but statistically significant slow-down in the rotation of the planet, brought on by solar system-wide 'climate change'. Combined with giant fissures opening up the world over; an increase in the number of strong earthquakes - especially in the last two decades; a weakened planetary magnetic field; and a lower, cooler upper atmosphere... it's clear that sinkholes are yet another Sign of the Times.

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Bizarro Earth

Fairway sinkhole swallows golfer at Waterloo, Illinois course

Marlon A. Walker
The St. Louis Post-Dispatch
Tue, 12 Mar 2013 00:52 UTC
Hole in One
© golfmanna.comHank Martinez , top, Ed Magaletta , right, Russ Nobbe , left, look into the sink hole that swallowed golfer Mark Minhal. Minhal is recovering with a dislocated shoulder from the fall.
Waterloo - It sure wasn't the hole-in-one Mark Mihal had in mind.

While golfing with friends at the Annbriar Golf Course near here Friday, Mihal, 43, a mortgage broker from Creve Coeur, abruptly dropped into the ground on the fairway of the 14th hole. It was the first time a person - and not a ball - has disappeared beneath the turf in the course's 20-year history.

It also was the first time in the memory of folks who study sinkholes in Illinois that a person has fallen into one.

"I was standing in the middle of the fairway," Mihal said Monday. "Then, all of a sudden, before I knew it, I was underground."

Mihal said he fell into the mud floor of an enclosure shaped like a bell, up to 18 feet deep and 10 feet wide. The rescue was precarious, he said, because no one knew whether the surface hole would grow or the enclosure would collapse.

A companion called the course's pro shop, where general manager Russ Nobbe gathered some rope and a ladder and rushed to the rescue. Mihal had dislocated his shoulder, so Ed Magaletta, a friend and a real estate agent, climbed down and put a rope around Mihal's waist so he could be hoisted to safety.

The rescue took less than 20 minutes, but Mihal said his mind quickly went to an incident two weeks ago in Seffner, Fla., where a sleeping man dropped into a huge sinkhole that opened beneath his bedroom. Authorities never recovered the body of that victim, Jeffrey Bush, 36.

"That certainly went through my mind when I was down there," Mihal said. "It looked like it was more room to go down (in the hole). I wasn't too happy to be in there."
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Bizarro Earth

20 foot sinkhole forces Pennsylvania family to evacuate as multiple sinkholes open up across Bethlehem Township

Danielle Johnson and David Chang
NBC10
Mon, 11 Mar 2013 08:54 UTC
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It seemed like any other Sunday for Doris Jenkins. The Bethlehem Township resident got up bright and early to walk her dog. As soon as she stepped out of the house however, she immediately saw something that would change the lives of her and her family forever.

"I came around the corner and said, 'oh my God!'" said Jenkins. "My daughter's car was there. I woke her up and told her to get the car out of there!"

A sinkhole had opened up right in the driveway of her house, located on the 1500 block of 2nd Street. Doris, her daughter Inga Jenkins and her granddaughter Claudia Jenkins were forced to evacuate their house.

"I wasn't thinking that this was how I was going to be spend my Sunday afternoon," said Inga while in tears. "It's pretty upsetting to see your driveway start to fall into a hole."
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Bizarro Earth

Second sinkhole forms in Seffner, Florida, two miles from one that killed Jeff Bush

David Moye
The Huffington Post
Mon, 04 Mar 2013 19:44 UTC

Officials in Seffner, Florida, are investigating a second sinkhole that has formed less than two miles from the one that opened up underneath a house on Thursday and killed Jeff Bush.

The sinkhole is located behind a home and is roughly 10 feet deep. Officials for Hillsborough County Code Enforcement say there are no injuries nor structural damage at this time, WFLA-TV reported.

The hole is straddling across a fence, affecting at least two properties, USA Today reported.

Experts say thousands of sinkholes form yearly in Florida because of the state's geology, though most are small and deaths rarely occur.

"There's hardly a place in Florida that's immune to sinkholes," Sandy Nettles, who owns a geology consulting company in the Tampa area, told the Associated Press. "There's no way of ever predicting where a sinkhole is going to occur."
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Bizarro Earth

Sinkhole that swallowed Florida man grows: Search called off and house to be demolished

Tamara Lush
Huff Post News
Sat, 02 Mar 2013 17:32 UTC
The effort to find the body of a Florida man who was swallowed by a sinkhole under his Florida home was called off Saturday and crews planned to begin demolishing the four-bedroom house.

The 20-foot-wide opening of the sinkhole is almost completely covered by the house and rescuers feared it would collapse on them if they tried to search for Jeff Bush, 37. Crews were testing the unstable ground surrounding the home and evacuated two neighboring homes as a precaution.

Hillsborough County Administrator Mike Merrill said heavy equipment would be brought in to begin the demolition Sunday morning.

"At this point it's really not possible to recover the body," Merrill said, later adding "we're dealing with a very unusual sinkhole."
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Toxic sinkhole threatens Southeastern Louisiana

William Pentland
Forbes
Sun, 03 Mar 2013 00:00 UTC
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A giant sinkhole that sprouted up overnight last summer in Assumption Parish, LA is swallowing trees and belching toxic fumes as it expands across the otherwise sleepy swamp waters of southeastern Louisiana. The sinkhole, which was reportedly caused by a release of natural gas, has been a debacle for residents. The most recent flyover footage of the sinkhole is available here.

Robert Mann, a professor of communications at Louisiana State University, published a local resident's impassioned plea to Louisiana's Governor, Bobbu Jindal, to tackle the problem:
WHERE ARE YOU BOBBY JINDAL?????

Need I remind you there is a sinkhole in Bayou Corne/Grand Bayou, which was declared a State of Emergency by your office on August 3rd, where 150 households were forced to evacuate from the area and are living in campers, hotels, rent houses, etc. There are mini earthquakes, methane, benzene and hydrogen sulfide being released into the community. This community has been through hell and back and are still living a nightmare. In my opinion and many others you have completely turned your back on this community, and you have done absolutely nothing helpful to this community. You haven't even had the decency to come visit the site, do a flyover and meet with residents to show your support and pledge accountability by all parties, Texas Brine and your agencies alike. Your inaction is very upsetting to many people. It is unacceptable and cannot and will not be tolerated. We all understand your aspiration to be president, but what you need to remember is that in the meantime you have a state to run and that is your responsibility, and you have people depending on your leadership. Mr. Jindal, I have asked twice on the news, myself and many others have sent countless emails and letters to your office and to no avail. Seems you are too busy. You simply cannot continue to ignore this disaster and turn your back on a community that is pleading for your help and leadership and you must get personally involved. We await your response, Sir.
As do I . . .
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Recovery effort ends for Florida man presumed dead in sinkhole

Saundra Amrhein
Yahoo! Canada News
Sat, 02 Mar 2013 00:00 UTC
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© Reuters /Brian BlancoPolice tape surrounds a home where a sinkhole opened up and swallowed a man in Seffner, Florida, March 1, 2013.
Florida rescue workers have ended their efforts to recover the body of a man who disappeared into a sinkhole that swallowed his bedroom while he slept in a suburban Tampa home, and the house will be demolished, a public safety official said on Saturday.

Jeff Bush, 36, who is presumed dead, was asleep when the other five members of the household who were getting ready for bed on Thursday night heard a loud crash and Jeff screaming.

"Our data has come back, and there is absolutely no way we can do any kind of recovery without endangering lives of workers," said Hillsborough County Fire Rescue spokeswoman Jessica Damico.

She said demolition of the home would begin early on Sunday.

Authorities had not detected any signs of life using listening devices and cameras at the scene.

"There's nothing compatible with life in this situation," Damico said. "There's no way of possible survival."
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Red Flag

Florida sinkhole that swallowed man grows deeper

Tamara Lush
Associated Press
Sat, 02 Mar 2013 12:10 UTC
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© AP Photo/Jeremy Bush, HOJeff Bush
Engineers worked gingerly to find out more about a slowly growing sinkhole that swallowed a Florida man in his bedroom, believing the entire house could eventually succumb to the unstable ground.

Jeff Bush, 37, was in his bedroom Thursday night when the earth opened and took him and everything else in his room. Five other people were in the house but managed to escape unharmed. Bush's brother jumped into the hole to try to help, but he had to be rescued himself by a sheriff's deputy.

Engineers were expected at the home to do more tests after sunrise Saturday. They spent the previous day on the property, taking soil samples and running various tests - while acknowledging that the entire lot was dangerous. No one was allowed in the home.

"I cannot tell you why it has not collapsed yet," Bill Bracken, the owner of an engineering company called to assess the sinkhole, said of the home. He described the earth below as a "very large, very fluid mass."

"This is not your typical sinkhole," said Hillsborough County administrator Mike Merrill. "This is a chasm. For that reason, we're being very deliberate."
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Earth opens up and swallows Florida man sleeping in his bed - still missing as sinkhole grows 100 feet wide

Tina Burnside
CNN
Fri, 01 Mar 2013 04:40 UTC

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A 36-year-old man is missing after a sinkhole opened up under his bedroom in Brandon, Florida.
A 36-year-old man disappeared Thursday night when a sinkhole opened up under his bedroom in Florida, swallowing him as his brother tried to rescue him, authorities said.

Right after the ground started to give way in his home in Brandon, his brother frantically tried to keep him from sinking into the hole, an emergency official said.

The first deputy on the scene pulled the victim's brother from the edge of the growing chasm, said Jessica Damico, a spokeswoman for the Hillsborough County Fire Rescue.

Authorities have been unable to contact the man as the sinkhole expanded. The house was deemed unsafe for rescuers, Damico said.

Late Thursday night, the hole was about 100 feet wide and still growing, authorities said.

Area homes have been evacuated.
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Giant sinkhole opens up in San Francisco

Brock Keeling
sfist
Thu, 28 Feb 2013 07:10 UTC
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© KGO 810's Jenna Lane on Facebook
Around 2:30 a.m. Wednesday morning, a ruptured water main at 15th Avenue and Wawona Street in West Portal sent a "waist high wall of water" rushing down the street, flooding homes and leaving behind a deep sinkhole on 15th Avenue.

Utility crews took about an hour to shut off the water, but that was enough time for the river of water to trap some residents outside of their flooded homes and leave high-water marks on parked cars. One neighbor told KTVU his home had about a foot and a half of water in it. Another neighbor's home received extensive damage to a bedroom where her 14-year-old son had been sleeping.

Crews were on the scene this morning cleaning up the muddy mess with bulldozers and hosing down cars and driveways in the torrent's path.
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Comment: With sinkholes and fissures opening up everywhere, including in places with no water mains, is it leaking water causing the ground to disappear or something else?

Update 2: Arizona highway 'sinkhole' is actually a whole mountain coming apart!

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