Sinkholes
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Bizarro Earth

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

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© 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."

Bizarro Earth

Large crack in the ground appears in the Michigan Upper Peninsula

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


Bizarro Earth

Pennsylvania: Residents Fearful of Growing Sinkhole Danger

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© 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.

Bizarro Earth

US: Sinkhole At Hillsborough Landfill Expands as Walls Collapse

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.

Bizarro Earth

California, US: Landslide Forces Evacuation of Ranch



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.

Bizarro Earth

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

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.

Alarm Clock

Everett, Washington: Land Crack Appears, Neighborhood is Sinking


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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."

Bizarro Earth

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


Info

UK: It's a 'hole' big mystery

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© UnknownHole in Eton Close, Burton
A mysterious hole has caused 'anger and confusion' among residents after being left unfilled and unattended for almost a year.

The hole, which is the size of a small car, appeared in Eton Close, Burton, in April last year and despite repeated attempts by homeowners no-one will lay claim to the 'disaster'.

One resident, who asked not to be named, said: "No-one has any idea why the hole was dug in the first place - it just popped up all of a sudden.

"The situation just continues to go from the sublime to the ridiculous and it has now been left for more than 11 months - nearly a whole year. It has obviously caused problems for all of the people in the road as it is not a small hole - it is as big as a small car.

"Some residents received anonymous notes at the end of last year telling them to sort out the problem.

"The borough council has been involved and could not come out last year due to the bad weather.

Bizarro Earth

Large Crack Opens in the Earth in Southern Peru

Puno Crack
© El ComercioThe mysterious crack measures 100 meters wide and three kilometers long.
The sudden appearance early in the morning of an enormous crack, measuring 100 meters wide and three kilometers long, caused confusion among residents of the Huacullani district in the Chucuito province, department of Puno.

The exact cause of the crack in the earth still unknown. Peru's geophysical institute ruled out the occurrence of an earthquake in the region, but what is clear is that the ground opened up and large blocks of earth can be observed scattered throughout the area.

The event, recorded Wednesday morning, caused the collapse of one house located in the rural community of Llorohoco. Four people managed to escape, but the youngest in the family, five-year-old Jean Carlos Vilcanqui Acero, is missing.