Sinkholes
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Magic Hat

A collection of sinkhole images from around the world

sinkhole
Powerful thunderstorms and widespread flooding caused this sinkhole to open up in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

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Lorry Swallowed By Hole In Chinese Bridge

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© UnknownMay 30th 2011. China. The bridge collapsed in the early hours of Sunday morning, injuring two men.
An investigation is under way in northeast China after a giant hole opened up in a road bridge, swallowing a passing lorry.

Two men who were inside the lorry were injured when the road collapsed beneath their vehicle, causing them to plunge into the river below.

The hole in the bridge measured approximately 14 metres by five metres, and developed in a section of the bridge that was built as an extension in 1995.

Local media reported that authorities suspect the lorry, which was carrying steel pipes, was overloaded.

However, the dramatic hole in the bridge across the Yitong River in Changchun city, the capital of Jilin province, is not the only such incident of a road structure failure in China in recent months.

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

Florida: Sinkhole Opens up in Venus Backyard

Miraculous escape for driver as car falls 20ft into sinkhole at traffic lights during storm


Binoculars

Canada: Mysterious Craters Endanger Quebec Residents, Stump Experts

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© 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.

Bizarro Earth

Canada: Sinkholes Have Residents Fleeing Quebec City Neighborhood

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.

Info

UK: Mysterious hole sparks fears in Harlesden

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© 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.

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

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© 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.