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Swallowed Up By The Ground: Sinkholes!

The Sixth Sinkhole. Sounds like the title of a horror story. It probably is for some.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/u...rces-three-homes-to-be-evacuated-9135334.html

'Sixth' sinkhole destroys house in Ripon, North Yorkshire and forces three homes to be evacuated

The Independent. Adam Withnall. 18 February 2014


Yet another sinkhole has opened up in flood-hit Britain, the sixth this month, leaving one house on the brink of collapse and two more homes evacuated.

Police were called in at around 5.40pm yesterday after a 25ft-wide crater appeared underneath properties on Magdalen's Close in Ripon, North Yorkshire.

A fire service spokesperson said they had “successfully rescued” a dog at the property, and that there were no occupiers present at the time.

Last night police officers went from house to house warning neighbours about what had happened, as the British Geological Society warned that Ripon is one of the most at-risk areas for sinkholes in the whole country.

The region in north-east England is known for its large deposits of gypsum, a soft material that dissolves much quicker than the surrounding limestone - particularly after persistent heavy rainfall.

Images from the scene showed extensive damage to the affected property, and the fire service called in specialist engineers amid fears it would collapse.

The sinkhole is believed to be the sixth to have opened up across built-up areas and transport routes this month alone.

A house and three flats were evacuated after a crater opened up in a back garden in Croxley Green, near Watford on Sunday.

On Saturday, 17 homes were evacuated after a giant 35ft-wide and 20ft-deep hole appeared in a quiet cul-de-sac in Hemel Hempstead, also in Hertfordshire.

Last week a 10-mile stretch of the M2 in north Kent was closed after a 15ft-deep hole was discovered in the central reservation, while in Barnehurst, southeast London a crater appeared just feet from a child's trampoline.

And at the start of February a teenager's car was swallowed up into a 30ft-deep sinkhole on a family's driveway in High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire.

In Ripon, where an ambulance was stood down after it became apparent there had again been no injuries caused by the sinkhole, Local resident Barry Dyason, 34, said: “Most of the people from the emergency services seem to have gone now, it's mainly people from the utility companies who are still there.

“This area is quite well known for gypsum deposits, and there have been properties affected by subsidence - but not sinkholes, that I've heard of.

“There's been some rain around here, but nothing like the floods seen in other parts of the country.

“It's alarming, you see these things reported on television but don't expect it to happen so close to you. Hopefully lightning wouldn't strike twice in such a small area.”
Looks like the whole country's going down the plughole. They haven't even started fracking, yet.
 
Kilkenny sinkhole cordoned off to protect public
10m by 15m hole located in field close to former lead and zinc mine
http://www.irishtimes.com/news/environm ... -1.1695325

The sinkhole that opened up in a field in Galmoy, Kilkenny, on Saturday. Photograph: Dylan Vaughan

Conor Kane

Tue, Feb 18, 2014, 01:00

Officials have moved to reassure the public that a sinkhole which appeared close to a former zinc and lead mine shaft at the weekend does not present a danger.

The hole, which is 10 metres deep and 16 metres in circumference, was discovered in a field owned by farmer Eddie Cavanagh on Saturday morning in Co Kilkenny.

It is directly above a mine shaft which was part of the Galmoy Mine operation that closed recently near Crosspatrick, close to the Kilkenny/Laois border.
Mr Cavanagh saw the hole when he looked out his kitchen window on Saturday and realised its extent when he went outside to examine it.

His wife, Mary Hilda Cavanagh, said, “What frightened us was that two days before, on the Thursday evening, Eddie and [their son] Brian had been spreading soiled water there. They drove over it.”

The field is normally used for grazing and for cutting silage but is left unused between October and March.

“I wouldn’t be in a hurry into the field again,” said Ms Cavanagh, a Fine Gael councillor. Her husband notified the mining company and the 22-acre field was immediately secured by Lundin Mining – owners of Galmoy – who also informed Kilkenny County Council, the Department of Energy and Natural Resources and the Environmental Protection Agency.

The council also blocked the road, about 200m away, as a precaution.
“It’s quite sheer and quite dramatic,” said Kilkenny city and county manager Joe Crockett, who visited the site on Saturday. “It’s well set back from the road and is behind the main mining complex at Galmoy. The field was cordoned-off and security personnel were put on the site by the company, just to protect public safety.”
 
"It is directly above a mine shaft.."

I'd be inclined to put this in 'Underground'. My working definition for a sinkhole is that it is mainly caused by water eroding and dissolving soft rocks, usually sedimentary.

Mine shafts are man-made, although the final collapse of one might be triggered by the weight of wet ground bearing down on it. And mines are often dug in hard rock, often of igneous origin, which doesn't erode or dissolve so easily.

But some cases are not so easy to identify. Mines have been dug in sedimentary rock, for chalk or flint (or even coal!), so finally an expert will have to opine whether a hole is a sinkhole or a collapsed mine-working.
 
rynner2 said:
"It is directly above a mine shaft.."

I'd be inclined to put this in 'Underground'. My working definition for a sinkhole is that it is mainly caused by water eroding and dissolving soft rocks, usually sedimentary.

Mine shafts are man-made, although the final collapse of one might be triggered by the weight of wet ground bearing down on it. And mines are often dug in hard rock, often of igneous origin, which doesn't erode or dissolve so easily.

But some cases are not so easy to identify. Mines have been dug in sedimentary rock, for chalk or flint (or even coal!), so finally an expert will have to opine whether a hole is a sinkhole or a collapsed mine-working.

The Bayou Corne sinkhole is above a salt mine. They have been waiting one and a half year for it to collapse completely. Still it only devours some trees once in a while.
 
Sinkholes are deep holes that suddenly open up on the surface. I don't think that what's underneath the hole, making it happen, actually matters so much. :)
 
Pietro_Mercurios said:
Sinkholes are deep holes that suddenly open up on the surface. I don't think that what's underneath the hole, making it happen, actually matters so much. :)
One is essentially man made, while the other is produced by nature.

The distinction is important if rescue or repair work is needed, because the workers need to know exactly what they are dealing with. In particular, how dangerous the hole still is. Shoring up a mine in hard rock is simpler and safer than trying the same thing in soft rock country.
 
rynner2 said:
Pietro_Mercurios said:
Sinkholes are deep holes that suddenly open up on the surface. I don't think that what's underneath the hole, making it happen, actually matters so much. :)
One is essentially man made, while the other is produced by nature.

The distinction is important if rescue or repair work is needed, because the workers need to know exactly what they are dealing with. In particular, how dangerous the hole still is. Shoring up a mine in hard rock is simpler and safer than trying the same thing in soft rock country.
Well, yes. But the business end on the surface would still be a, sinkhole. :)
 
The business end of a sinkhole is underground, sometimes deep underground. The processes of erosion and and dissolving carries on as long as there is slightly acidic water available, so sinkholes continue to grow, getting deeper and more extensive.

The hole at the surface is a secondary effect, created when the ground falls into the void below. ;)
 
A hole is a hole,is a hole.

That's the whole of the matter, the whole truth,the whole thing in a nutshell. Truth shall make us whole.

There's a whole lot of shaking going on! A whole lot of sinking, too!

BASTA!
 
This one's in a class of its own...

Crawley leaking sewer pipe forces A23 closure

Part of a major road in West Sussex will be shut for the rest of the week after a hole was caused by a leaking sewer pipe.
The hole appeared on a section of the A23 north of the[?] Crawley on Sunday.

The road has been shut northbound between the Fleming Way and Lowfield Heath roundabouts for repairs.
Thames Water said it was working with West Sussex County Council and the emergency services to put diversions in place.
"The closure is expected to last beyond this week while investigations continue," the spokesman said.
"We are sorry for any inconvenience this may cause and will open the road as soon as it is safe to do so."

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-sussex-26937118

...it's a Stinkhole! 8)
 
Baltimore had another 'sinkhole', and your 'umble correspondent was johnny- at- the- rat-hole!

It happened about a mile from my house, and I know the area quite well. Having once been a working journalist, I felt obliged to ramble down there and see what I might see.

It was no sinkhole-it was a landslide. There's video, and you can see how the slope gave way. People who lived on 26th Street had been asking for some action for years-there was a pronounced slant to the pavement that had been increasing for years.

That tunnel is very important, when that one is out of service, rail freight stands still on the east coast, it's a major choke point. Some real inconvenience(Sir Toppem Hat would have said it 'upset the arrangements')came years ago when there was a serious fire in another part of that same tunnel. The railroad sent earth moving machines(finally) and had service restored in jig time.

What will become of 26th Street, I cannot say. The homes are close to the tracks, and may have been damaged. Time will tell.

Thank God for no injuries or loss of life. We'll miss the parking places, though.
 
Pietro_Mercurios said:
A quiet suburban street in Hemel Hempstead.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/u...hole-opens-up-in-hemel-hempstead-9130618.html

Homes evacuated after giant sinkhole opens up in Hemel Hempstead

Police say chasm is 20ft deep and 35ft wide
Hemel Hempstead hole: Work to take "three more months"

Residents made homeless nearly four months ago when a large hole appeared in a Hemel Hempstead street have been told it could be three more months before they can return.

The hole, about 35ft (9m) wide and 20ft (6m) deep, opened up in Oatridge Gardens on 15 February.
A housing association said remedial work to strengthen the ground had taken "longer than expected".
Residents said it was "nice to have a bit of honesty".

Six days after the hole appeared it was filled with foamed concrete and investigation shafts were drilled around the estate to discover the size of the problem.

The Hightown Praetorian and Churches Housing Association (HPCHA) said that of the 48 houses on the estate, 15 households were living in their homes.
Fourteen are in rented accommodation organised by HPCHA and the insurer's loss adjuster and four are staying with families and friends.
The association said it was working with the remaining 15 households still in hotel accommodation to find more suitable temporary accommodation, if they wanted it.

A spokeswoman said it had been difficult for the contractor to estimate the timescale for completion of the works.
"Hightown has advised [residents] it could be up to three months before the utilities are restored," she said.
"This is being stated in good faith but may vary."

David Ketley, who has been living in a hotel, said residents kept being given dates to move back but those deadlines were not being met.
"The news [about three months] is not great - I think it was expected given all the issues they have had but it was nice to have a bit of honesty," he said.

Preliminary investigations by an engineering geologist have shown the hole was probably caused by mining in the area a century ago.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-be ... s-27631497
 
Fears torrential rain 'will open up' 200ft sink-hole near Cowshill

A landowner fears a massive 200ft (60m) deep sink-hole which has opened up near his home will get bigger.
Torrential downpours are forecast later in County Durham and John Hensby, 71, said he had been warned the 110ft (35m) wide hole would grow.

It opened up about 260ft (80m) from Mr Henby's house in Cowshill near Bishop Auckland, above an old lead mine.
Durham County Council has closed a nearby footpath. Mr Henby said he was worried about sheep falling in.
The retired salesman lives in a stone two-storey house built in the 1870s and owns 10 acres of former mining land.

His partner Sam Hillyard, 39, spotted the sink-hole on Thursday while she was out shooting rabbits.

Mr Hensby, who has lived in the former mine manager's house for six years, said: "We heard enormous rumblings hours before it opened up and then it appeared.
"I'm not worried about my house as it is on stable land - not actually on a mine.
"We don't think our lives are in mortal danger or anything like that, but all the local farmers have been warned as we don't want any sheep wandering over and getting swallowed up."

Mr Hensby believes the sink-hole is due to 19th Century iron or lead mining, though he has been unable to find evidence of a shaft that may have collapsed.
He added: "The hole is stable at the moment, but we know there is torrential rain coming and the hole will get bigger - which is a real worry.
"Long-term what will happen to a hole so big - we will just have to wait and see."

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-tyne-28918105
 
A sinkhole 20 by 30 meters (65 by 98 feet) in size has been found near a Uralkali mine in Russia's Perm region. While the company says the development is of no further threat, locals fear the whole nearby town could go underground.

The sinkhole was first discovered by Uralkali's Solikamsk-2 mine workers on November 18. According to local emergency services, it's located some two miles from the mine itself, in an old abandoned mine.

Old, out-of-use garden patches were affected by the accident, and there is no danger to locals, as the sinkhole is in no close proximity to any residential buildings, the company said.

There are no "catastrophic" effects of the sinkhole neither for the company, nor for the locals, Uralkali CEO Dmitry Osipov said, adding that the incident has been localised. ...

http://rt.com/news/207371-giant-sinkhol ... -uralkali/
 
A 45-year-old woman fell into a 9ft sinkhole while hanging out washing in a Melbourne backyard. She had to swim to stay afloat in the sinkhole.

The woman was hanging clothes in the Springvale South backyard when the ground gave way. She fell 3m into the grass sinkhole, which was part-filled with water. Paramedic Stephanie Palamberis said that the woman’s head went under the waist-deep water at one stage and she was forced to swim because she couldn’t touch the bottom.

“She fell with the dirt and mud, dropping about three metres and landing in waist-deep water,” she said. “The woman told us she couldn’t touch the bottom of the hole, so was trying to swim and stay afloat, to avoid the risk of further mud collapses.” ...

http://www.irishexaminer.com/world/woma ... 99769.html
 
Vid at link.

Two men have been caught on CCTV having a lucky escape from their car as it teetered on the edge of a sinkhole.

The driver and the passenger managed to get out of the car just minutes before the tarmac gave way underneath it and the vehicle flipped over and fell upside down in to the hole in a busy road in China.

The hole, which appeared at the centre of a busy junction in Jinjang City in China’s eastern Fujan province, was caused by the collapse of sands beneath the road’s surface, though it was not created until half an hour before the incident, when a large, heavy-weight truck ran over the weak spot and caused the tarmac to collapse. ...

http://www.independent.ie/world-news/as ... 85680.html
 
Giant 'sinkhole' appears in Upper Basildon front garden
_79791538_img_6371.jpg

The hole has been described as one of the largest in either the south or east of England

A "massive" sinkhole has appeared in the front garden of a house in Berkshire.
The 10m (32ft) wide and 5m (16ft) deep crater formed outside the family home of Sarah Jenkins, in Upper Basildon, near Reading.
Ms Jenkins said: "It's massive and it's getting bigger all the time."

Consultant engineer Dr Clive Edmonds described it as "one of the larger of the hole sizes to appear".
The hole first appeared on 5 December but is continuing to grow.
Ms Jenkins added: "The only access to our property has been across our neighbour's garden.
"It's taken out quite a bit of the driveway and garden and it's sitting underneath my children's climbing frame, so it's very serious.
"It's dangerous. Living with this is absolutely dreadful."
'Manmade tunnels'
The house sits on top of an old brick factory, which was active in the 19th Century.
Tunnels run under the street at 16m (52ft) beneath ground level
.

_79791540_img_6372.jpg

Ms Jenkins is yet to have a decision from her insurance company about the damage

Dr Edmonds, a partner at Peter Brett Associates which is investigating the case, said this meant the pit should be more accurately described as a crown hole, rather than a sink hole.
"That's when a collapse is due to manmade tunnels in the ground beneath rather than naturally formed," he said.
"Size-wise it's as large as any that are recorded on the chalk in southern and eastern England.
"It's definitely had an impact as it's in close proximity to the property."

Ms Jenkins said John Lewis Insurance had yet to make a decision on her claim, but she was hoping for an answer before Christmas.
The company turned down a previous claim in February, when a smaller hole appeared in the driveway in which her car became stuck.
"The expense is crippling and this new hole is unbelievable," she added.
John Brady, head of commercial at John Lewis Insurance, said: "This is an ongoing investigation that we are taking very seriously and treating as a matter of urgency.
"However, until we have a final decision from our risk assessors, we are unable to comment further."

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-berkshire-30518983
 
Hole closes A30 in Cornwall on National Pothole Day

_80296115_a30hole.jpg

The hole on the A30 is about 4ft wide

A hole has opened up on the A30 and closed part of the main road through Cornwall on National Pothole Day.
The Highways Agency said the hole was 4ft (1.2m) wide and closed the westbound carriageway near Scorrier.
One lane of the carriageway remains closed as engineers examine the extent of the damage.
A mining expert said it was probably part of an old copper mine and approximately 200-years-old.
The hole, on the verge of the road, is thought to be approximately 15ft (4.5m) deep.

_80298201_a30holetraffic.png

Traffic had to be diverted off the A30 due to the hole

Stuart Dann, director of Mining Eye Ltd, has seen the hole and said: "There's a nice clean wall of rock that tells me that this is the top of a workings site - not a shaft.
"It's the top of an old copper mine and probably about 200-years-old.
"The whole of the area is absolutely riddled with mine workings."
Highways Agency area manager Julian Strong said: "At the moment we do not know what has caused the hole but we are working as quickly as we can to understand what has happened and identify a solution."

_80302018_a30hole.jpg

The director of a mining company said he thought the hole was on the line of a known copper lode

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-cornwall-30834585
 
Sinkholes worry me on a visceral level. But I can't stop reading about them :(
 
UPDATE: A30 westbound lane to remain closed over weekend as 15ft deep hole investigations continue
First published Friday 16 January 2015
Last updated 15:44 Friday 16 January 2015

UPDATE: Friday 3.40pm. Drivers are warned that one lane on the westbound A30 near Redruth will remained closed over the weekend and delays are expected at rush hour this evening as work to investigate a hole that appeared beside the road continues.
The road was closed on Thursday afternoon after the hole appeared next to a section of the A30 between the A390 at Scorrier and the A3047 at Redruth. One lane was reopened later in the day.

Area Manager, Julian Strong said, “We have been working at the site since Thursday afternoon and have carried out an initial excavation to a 15 foot depth.
“This has shown hard rock around the area of the hole and under lane one of the carriageway. However safety is paramount and we will not open both lanes of the carriageway until we are absolutely sure it is safe to do so.”
Highways Agency contractors have been at the site around the clock since the hole appeared and will continue to work as quickly as possible over the weekend to gain a clear understanding of the situation and rectify it as quickly as possible.

Delays are expected to be minimal over the weekend, but there may be delays later today (Friday) during the rush hour.
Highways Agency advice to drivers planning to use that section of the A30 is to check the latest conditions before they travel.

http://www.falmouthpacket.co.uk/new...5ft_deep_hole_investigations_continue/?ref=mr
 
15ft hole to close A30 on Monday
By WBEsme | Posted: January 18, 2015
9345820-large.jpg


One lane of the A30 will remain closed until Monday while works to fill a 15ft hole are carried out.
Despite earlier estimates, the Highways Agency has said the westbound lane of the duel carriageway will remain closed until Monday at the earliest while investigation and infilling works to the 15ft gap are carried out.
The hole, which is four metres wide, appeared at the side of the A30 on Thursday between Scorrier and Redruth and authorities believe it is part of an old mineshaft.
The lane closest to the hole has been closed since Thursday over safety fears, however, experts have said hard rock around the drop suggests that it should not affect the integrity of the road.

Highways Agency contractors have been working at the site over the weekend and a specialist three tonne drill has been brought in to help with their investigations.
Julian Strong, area manager at the Highways Agency, said: “We’re checking that the road itself hasn’t been badly affected by this hole, and that the substrates below the road are sufficient for the road to still carry heavy traffic. We’re pleased with the results of our excavations so far, and should be able to keep one lane open to traffic.
“The next step will include introducing concrete to reinforce where material has been lost, and we’ll need to allow that concrete to cure, which is likely to require the lane to remain closed for at least part of Monday.
“However, we will reopen the closed lane as soon as our engineers are satisfied that it is safe to do so.”
The agency has said short delays are expected and is advising motorists to check the latest traffic conditions before they travel.
Cyclists are also advised to avoid the area and leave the A30 at A390 or A3047.


Read more: http://www.cornishman.co.uk/8203-15ft-hole-close-A30-Monday/story-25884328-detail/story.html#ixzz3PG1bG8Sl
 
19 January 2015 Last updated at 09:18
Large sinkhole appears on golf course
_80356709_sinkholethree.jpg

The sinkhole appeared following heavy rain

A large sinkhole has appeared near a green on the UK mainland's most westerly golf course.
The 9ft (3m) deep, 22ft (7m) long hole was caused by heavy rain washing away a drain running under part of Traigh Golf Course, near Mallaig.
The club is now having to find money to help it pay the estimated £16,000 cost of the repairs needed.
The sinkhole has been fenced off and the nine-hole course remains open to members.

_80356707_sinkholeone.jpg

_80356705_sinkholetwo.jpg


Traigh, between Arisaig and Mallaig, is known as one of Scotland's most picturesque courses because of its views to Skye and the Small Isles.
The club's insurance will cover some of the cost of the repairs, but it still expects to have to raise thousands of pounds.
About 200 tonnes of sand will be needed to fill the hole near the seventh green.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-highlands-islands-30877780
 
7 February 2015 Last updated at 10:30
Ten-metre hole appears in Gravesend family's back garden
_80849470_80849469.jpg

The hole appeared overnight after snow had fallen

A hole more than 33ft (10m) deep has opened up in the back garden of a house in Kent.
The day before the hole appeared, a "dark shadow" appeared in the garden of the family home in Gravesend.
Melanie Andrews said her two daughters had been playing near it in the snow and jumping over it.
The hole then appeared overnight on Wednesday. Surveyors are due to assess it next week to find out whether it has been caused by subsidence.

BBC reporter Ian Palmer said the Gravesend area was known for so-called deneholes which could appear after heavy rain.
Dr Helen Reeves, of the British Geological Survey, explained how deneholes appeared, and said: "What happens is you have the soil above a void in the ground and water ingresses into the ground.
"It takes the soil down and obviously falls into the hollow. And you usually need an excess of water for this to happen."

Mrs Andrews said: "My initial reaction was, 'where has the earth gone'? My first question was, where had such an amount of earth just disappeared to?"

_80849466_80849464.jpg

The hole first appeared as a "dark shadow", the family said

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-kent-31193548
 
I love how the workmen try to demolish the street lamp and it then swings round and tries to fall on them!
 
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