Sinkholes
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Kilometers-long cracks dry up water reserves in Kerala, India, following worst flooding in a century


Strange Sounds
Sat, 15 Sep 2018 12:00 UTC
kerala crack
© ManoramaManjeri assistant geologist Subhesh Thottiyil and V Amrita inspecting the crack.
A total of 491 people were killed in monsoon rains in Kerala since May 29. But, now the flood-hit state has to face a new problem. Giant earth cracks are drying up rivers and wells. Geologists were sent to investigate the strange post-flood phenomenon.

Pamba River is now almost dry after overflowing during the devastating monsoon rains in Kerala since May 2018.

A series of issues including soaring mercury level, unprecedented dip in water level of rivers, sudden drying-up of wells, depletion of groundwater reserves and mass perishing of earthworms have caused widespread concern in various parts of Kerala after the devastating deluge last month.


Comment: Kerala food stocks down by a third following worst flood in a century


The flood-battered Wayanand district, known for its rich biodiversity, recently experienced an unprecedented mass die-off of earthworms, causing concern among farmers who attributed it to the rapid drying up of earth and change in soil structure.

Comment: According to this video, this has been going on in Kerala since at least May 2018, which is when the monsoon rains were reported to have begun:

All around the world bodies of water are disappearing below ground due to earth movements: And below you can see just some of the monster sinkholes, gaping fissures and devatating landslides reported recently:

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Large sinkhole opens in downtown Terre Haute, Indiana


wthr.com
Wed, 12 Sep 2018 18:05 UTC
SINKHOLE
A large sinkhole has opened in pavement near an intersection in downtown Terre Haute.

The sinkhole appeared Wednesday after a Terre Haute Fire Department ladder truck drove over the pavement on Ohio Street at the intersection of Fourth Street.

Our partners at the Tribune-Star report firefighters heard the collapse and stopped to check out the cause of the noise.

Terre Haute Police sent a notice via social media indicating the intersection was closed.

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Giant sinkholes forming in backyard of new Hagerstown, Maryland neighborhood

Aliah Williamson
localdvm.com
Mon, 10 Sep 2018 09:16 UTC
sinkhole
Some homeowners in Hagerstown are finding themselves in deep trouble thanks to the recent appearance of some rather large sinkholes.

Seth Linde says he and his wife discovered a massive sinkhole in his backyard on Saturday. His home is in the Rosewood Village community and his home was built in the Fall of 2016.

Linde says his wife nearly fell into the growing sinkhole.

They called the non-emergency dispatch number and responding emergency officials were concerned by the size of the hole.

"Everybody's afraid to even put any tools down there. I estimated it to be about 15 feet deep," said Linde.

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2 families displaced after large sinkhole opens in New Port Richey, Florida


wafb.com
Thu, 06 Sep 2018 11:10 UTC
The sinkhole opened between the two houses and is 20 feet deep and 40 feet wide.
The sinkhole opened between the two houses and is 20 feet deep and 40 feet wide.
Two Florida families are homeless after a large sinkhole opened up between their houses on Wednesday.

Officials responded to the area and deemed both structures unsafe, but no other homes are threatened.

No one was inside either house when the 20-foot deep, 40-foot wide hole formed.

The families did not accept Red Cross assistance and are instead making other arrangements.

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More and bigger sinkholes on Yamal tundra, Russia

Atle Staalesen
The Barents Observer
Fri, 31 Aug 2018 19:44 UTC
Sinkhole in Yamal filled up with water.
© A. Khomutova, ikz.ruSinkhole in Yamal filled up with water.
The formations believed to be created by eruption of natural gas from the ground are of growing concern both to researchers and the oil and gas industry in the far Arctic peninsulas of Yamal and Gydan.

One of the biggest formations is located only about four kilometers from a gas pipeline leading from the huge Bovanenkovo field, a project operated by Gazprom. This formation is now growing and has reached a diameter of more than 60 meter and a depth of about 200 meters.

The first sinkholes were discovered in 2014 and since then at least ten big-size holes have been mapped. In addition, there are indications that several more major holes are in the making. Researchers told RIA Novosti that they on the two Arctic peninsulas have discovered several small hills which they believe could be «gas bubbles» ready to burst.
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Mexican football team left without pitch after giant sinkhole appears

Dave Fraser
The Sun (UK)
Mon, 03 Sep 2018 14:59 UTC
A massive sinkhole suddenly formed at a Mexican football pitch
© Golders/TwitterA massive sinkhole suddenly formed at a Mexican football pitch
A football pitch has been left in utter ruin after a giant sinkhole formed in the centre of the field.

The incident is thought to have occurred after the pipes under the water sprinkler system apparently started leaking.

The affected pitch, in Cuajimalpa de Morelos, Mexico, now sports a gigantic sinkhole, well over six metres deep.

Fortunately, no one was playing on the field at the time when the hole first appeared - with no injuries as yet reported.
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Giant sinkhole in Oxford, Nova Scotia grows to at least 38 metres in diameter

Danielle d'Entremont
CBC News
Fri, 31 Aug 2018 20:00 UTC
At this point, the children's playground and community centre are off limits.
© Paul Poirier/CBCAt this point, the children's playground and community centre are off limits.
Another tree is on the verge of being gobbled up by a sinkhole that just keeps growing

An unpredictable sinkhole in a Nova Scotia park that has already swallowed up large trees and some picnic tables is now at least 38 metres in diameter.

The crater began as a small indentation in Oxford and suddenly opened up Aug. 20 when the ground under it collapsed. It grew another three metres overnight Wednesday.

Amy Tizzard, a geologist with the Nova Scotia Department of Energy and Mines, said it's too early to tell how big the sinkhole will get.


Comment: See also: Giant sinkhole opens up in Oxford, Nova Scotia

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Huge sinkhole forces hundreds to evacuate in Seoul, South Korea

Kim Hyun-bin
The Korea Times
Fri, 31 Aug 2018 13:56 UTC
A large sinkhole was detected early Friday in Geumcheon-gu, southern Seoul, forcing 200 nearby residents to evacuate.
© YonhapA large sinkhole was detected early Friday in Geumcheon-gu, southern Seoul, forcing 200 nearby residents to evacuate.
A large sinkhole was detected early Friday at a parking lot of a Seoul apartment complex, forcing 200 residents to evacuate.

According to fire authorities, land is collapsing in a section 30 meters wide, 10 meters long with a depth of six meters in Geumcheon-gu, southwestern Seoul. Next to the apartment complex is a construction site.

Two hundred residents at the two apartment buildings near the site have been evacuated, while two people were escorted to the hospital citing psychological trauma.

"There was a large collapse sound last night," said Kim, a 58-year-old apartment resident. "I couldn't sleep and came outside and found the ground has collapsed."

The sinkhole occurred next to a construction site for a 30-story studio apartment. However, no workers were on site at the time.

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California's loss of ground water is causing it to sink at an alarming rate

Cornell University
Phys.org
Wed, 29 Aug 2018 12:00 UTC
california
© CC0 Public Domain
The San Joaquin Valley in central California, like many other regions in the western United States, faces drought and ongoing groundwater extraction, happening faster than it can be replenished. And the land is sinking as a result-by up to a half-meter annually according to a new Cornell University study in Science Advances.

Despite much higher-than-normal amounts of rain in early 2017, the large agricultural and metropolitan communities that rely on groundwater in central California experienced only a short respite from an ongoing drought. When the rain stopped, drought conditions returned and the ground has continued to sink, according to researchers.

"With the heavy storms in early 2017, Californians were hopeful that the drought was over," said Kyle Murray, a Cornell doctoral candidate in the field of geophysics. "There was a pause in land subsidence over a large area, and even uplift of the land in some areas. But by early summer the subsidence continued at a similar rate we observed during the drought."

Comment: Sinkholes and fissures have become a worldwide phenomenon of late, so is it just consumption of water that has lead to California's drought and subsidence - considering 2017 had higher than average rainfalls - or is there more happening below ground that the scientists have yet to discover?

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Large sinkholes drain lagoon in Mexico


Strange Sounds
Thu, 23 Aug 2018 12:00 UTC
Laguna de Chakanbacán
Before and after picture of the lagoon in Mexico. Several sinkholes fissured in the bottom of Laguna Chakabacan in Mexico.
Since Sunday evening, the, located in Quintana Roo, Mexico is being drained by large sinkholes, killing a high number of fish, turtles, swamp crocodiles and eels, among other species. The sinkholes are about six meters deep and up to 10 meters wide, and have already drained practically 80% of the water contained in the 200 hectares and up to 10 meters deep lagoon of Chakanbacán. OMG!

According local reports, a loud roar was heard on Sunday. Just after, the lagoon started to drain underground. By Wednesday morning almost 3/4 of the lagoon had dried up. And this is not the first time that such a surprising and unexpected phenomenon has occurred in the area.

Yesterday, the authorities of the Environmental Protection Agency (PPA), Institute of Biodiversity and Natural Protected Areas in Quintana Roo (Ibanqroo), National Forestry Commission (Conafor), National Water Commission (Conagua), Federal Environmental Protection Agency (Profepa), Cocodrilia and ejido authorities, have started investigating the cause of the problem, pictured below: Sinkholes! Large sinkholes!

Comment: The explanation that this is solely due to karst rock below doesn't take into account the other notable geological anomalies, that include gaping fissures, monster sinkholes and devastating landslides, which are occurring all over the world and with a worrying regularity. For more information, see: Sinkholes: The groundbreaking truth

See also:

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