Sinkholes
S


Binoculars

Canada: Mysterious Craters Endanger Quebec Residents, Stump Experts


Global Winnipeg
Fri, 27 May 2011 00:00 UTC
Image
© Global NewsSo far, no one can explain why these craters are suddenly appearing in Quebec City.
They began appearing last week - massive, mysterious craters on a hill in Quebec City.

"I've lived here 30 years, it's a mystery," said resident Edwin Richard.

About 40 sinkholes between five and eight meters wide began eating out a hill in the Charlebourg borough. They're so big, they've put nearby homes in danger. On Friday, experts were on hand to try to figure out what's causing the craters.

"We have a problem here, it's not possible to say the cause," said city engineer Marcilio Gama Coehlo.

"We spoke to specialists at the ministry and at the university - they have no idea," said city engineer Daniel Lessard.

The only thing they do know is that the hill used to be the site of a sand pit.

For now, the only thing they can do is more tests.
Read More...
Bizarro Earth

Canada: Sinkholes Have Residents Fleeing Quebec City Neighborhood


CBC News, Canada
Fri, 27 May 2011 10:20 UTC
Sinkhole
© CBC/Radio-CanadaQuebec City officials said experts will be on this Charlesbourg district site Friday to find out what's causing sinkholes.
Officials in Quebec City are trying to figure out what's caused dozens of sinkholes to appear in a north-end neighbourhood.

They served evacuation papers on Wednesday to about 15 homes and one business in the city's Charlesbourg district.

Almost 40 holes between five and eight metres wide appeared in the last week. The holes were mostly found in a field, but another was in a resident's driveway. One is big enough to fit a car.

"The field is is like, there is nothing, no trees or anything and you see everywhere some holes, some deeper than others, like 30 or 40 holes everywhere on the field. You can see this is not normal. You can see this is a problem on this land," said city spokesperson François Moisan.
Read More...
Info

UK: Mysterious hole sparks fears in Harlesden

Kate Ferguson
London 24
Wed, 11 May 2011 19:25 UTC
Image
© UnknowwnRay Szynowski says the hole myseriously appeared without any sign of what caused it
Residents were shocked to find this gaping hole as they arrived back from work late one afternoon.

The crevice, which is some 3ft deep and 2ft wide, appeared in Leopold Road, Harlesden without any sign of what caused it.

Concerned residents spotted the hole shortly before 5pm last Wednesday, and rushed out to put up makeshift barriers and scrawled a 'danger' sign warning motorists and pedestrians of the hazard.
Read More...
Bizarro Earth

Huge sinkhole appears in Germany! Usedom Island has a Grand Canyon now

Matthais Bannert
bild.de
Fri, 29 Apr 2011 19:14 UTC
Image
© Unknown
About 50 meter long and four meter deep! On the Baltic Sea island Usedom (Mecklenburg-Western-Pomerania) the earth has opened up. The gaping ravine looks like the little brother of the Grand Canyon in the USA.

Did ancient hollows collapse? Or did a meteorite hit there? The hole gapes right in the middle of a field close to Zirchow. BILD reporter Andreas Weihrauch (21) discovered it while going for a walk. He believes: "Sand has collapsed here. There are patterns on the walls of the sinkhole." And: The ravine runs square into a little lake. "Mysterious bubbles are rising up there."
Read More...
Bizarro Earth

Large crack in the ground appears in the Michigan Upper Peninsula

FixedByDoc
YouTube
Fri, 07 Jan 2011 12:31 UTC
I took a drive to see another YouTube friend today and to take a look at a huge crack opening up here in my neck of the woods. Neat stuff...


Comment: Sott.net has picked up a few more incidents of the ground opening up since this report was made:

February 25: Large Crack Opens in the Earth in Southern Peru

March 7: Pakistan: Giant Fissure / Crack Opens in the Ground in Seagi Gulistan

March 18: Everett, Washington: Land Crack Appears, Neighborhood is Sinking

Read More...
Bizarro Earth

Pennsylvania: Residents Fearful of Growing Sinkhole Danger

Susan Koomar, Mallory Vough, and Kristine Porter
UpperSaucon
Sat, 02 Apr 2011 10:52 UTC
Image
© Kristine PorterThe Brookwood Group estimates that this sinkhole opened up within the last month.
Sinkholes are an undermining fact of life in the Lehigh Valley - a region where rainwater relentlessly wears away limestone.

But residents who keep a close eye on gaps in the ground say recent heavy rains have made the problem visibly worse.

Some fear for the safety of youngsters, who might meet danger in places like Tatamy, where a 40-foot sinkhole (known locally as the "Forty Footer") yawns about a mile from Trisha Street.
Read More...
Bizarro Earth

US: Sinkhole At Hillsborough Landfill Expands as Walls Collapse

Keith Morelli
Tampa Bay Online
Wed, 23 Mar 2011 14:29 UTC
Sinkhole_1
© Tampa Bay OnlineThe sinkhole is in an older part of the 3,300-acre tract at 1596 County Road 672, which opened as a landfill in 1984.
The sides of the sinkhole that swallowed up part of the Southeast County Landfill in Lithia four months ago collapsed last night. The avalanche of dirt did not widen the gaping 129-foot crater, but did deepen it by about 10 feet, officials said.

No one was injured and it is believed the dirt collapse was caused by the process that is aimed at filling the hole that is now estimated to be about 60 feet deep.

"We anticipated some movement, some additional sloughing of sidewall as a result of the pressure grouting," said Richard Siemering with HDR Engineering, which works with the Hillsborough County Solid Waste Department. He said the collapse delayed the process only a couple of hours until assessments could be made.

The grout is forced into the ground to shore up the bottom of the hole, he said, and it exerts pressure in all directions, including up. That can cause the bottom of the hole to shift and that's what caused the sides to fall in.
Read More...
Bizarro Earth

California, US: Landslide Forces Evacuation of Ranch

Scott Weber
NBC Los Angeles
Sat, 19 Mar 2011 12:05 UTC


A landslide near the small town of Somis in Ventura County forced the evacuation of a residence and several horses.

According to the Ventura County Star, a piece of land about 200 yards long and 100 yards deep moved downhill about 100 feet on a ranch located in the 7600 block of Bradley Road. A residence and 63 horses were being moved.

The landslide started around 6:30 a.m. A local property manager reported seeing trees falling and sliding on a hillside and contacted the Fire Department.

The cause of the landslide was not immediately known. A local geologist was called to investigate, the Star reported.

No injuries were reported.
Read More...
Bizarro Earth

US: Landslide Shuts Famed Californian Highway 1 as Big Chunk Falls Into The Sea


The Daily Mail, UK
Fri, 18 Mar 2011 20:51 UTC
It is the most scenic highway in America, but a big chunk of California's Highway 1 has fallen into the sea after a landslide.

Stunned drivers watched as a forty-foot section tumbled into the Pacific below after several days of rain.

The landslide, at 5pm on Wednesday, happened 12 miles from Carmel. A two-mile stretch is now closed for repairs which are expected to take several days.

California Highway_1
© Associated PressNo through road: A 40ft section of California's Highway 1 fell into the Pacific after a landslide.
Read More...
Alarm Clock

Everett, Washington: Land Crack Appears, Neighborhood is Sinking


King5
Fri, 18 Mar 2011 16:35 UTC

Image
EVERETT, Wash. -- People living in the Valley View neighborhood of southeast Everett are waiting and watching. A two story house on their block is tilted at a 20 degree angle and could collapse at any moment.

A crack in the earth that first appeared six weeks ago is now threatening about four homes. The City of Everett has "red tagged" the home on Burl which is collapsing. That means no one is allowed near the property.

A "yellow tag" was posted on two other properties where the land is giving way.

A surface slide in the area of Rob and Margaret Lund's house caused their deck and cement patio to completely collapse.

"There is nothing to stop this from happening again and again," said Rob Lund.

Recent heavy rains has caused the sliding to accelerate in the neighborhood. Neighbors said the problem appears to be getting much worse.

"If that house goes, the land will go with it," said Steve Mosman, who lives right next door to the collapsing home. "It would pull our land down with it. We just don't know what is going to happen."
Read More...