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Sinkholes
Main Causes and Impacted Areas in America
According to Britannica, a sinkhole is described as a depression in the earth's surface. These hazards can pose quite the threat to man-made infrastructure, for they can occur directly under buildings, bridges, or roads; moreover, the actual hole can form abruptly, meaning it can be difficult to prepare for such an event.
Sinkholes can form various ways; one of them being via erosion. Erosion, according to Dictionary.com, is the process of earth being broken down, either via water, wind, chemicals, etc. When the earth is broken down, it becomes weaker and may collapse into itself. This collapsing is what leads to a sinkhole. Not all earth is as easily dissolvable as others; for example, evaporites and carbonates can easily be eroded away by ground water.
The map above shows general outlines of the plausible areas where sinkholes can occur. As stated in the text, there are certain rock formations more susceptible to erosion, which can lead to a sinkhole, and the highlighted states have some of those rock formations.
Sinkholes can also form from human activities.
An excavator, which is used for digging at large construction sites
Since sinkholes form when there is little support for the top earth to remain aloft, if human activities weaken that support, a sinkhole can form. Activities such as over-digging in an area, spilling chemicals that can erode rock, broken draining systems that leak water into the earth, and more can all lead to a weakened foundation.
Below is a video of a sinkhole forming under the water in Bayou Corne, Louisiana, due to the carelessness of a mining company.
Sinkhole in Louisiana Swallows Trees - Caught on Tape 2013 | The New York Times
Thus, sinkholes are rather unpredictable occurrences that can result in thousands of dollars in damage. Though there are many natural reasons for their formation, human activities can cause the issue as well. It is only through the knowledge of how these hazards are formed that a solution can be reached
Sites accessed-
https://www.businessinsider.com/where-youll-be-swallowed-by-a-sinkhole-2013-3
https://www.usgs.gov/special-topic/water-science-school/science/sinkholes?qt-science_center_objects=0#qt-science_center_objects
https://www.conserve-energy-future.com/causes-effects-and-types-of-sinkholes.php
https://www.theatlantic.com/photo/2018/08/sinkholes-when-the-earth-opens-up/568762/