A special type of sinkhole - formed by rainwater leaking through the pavement and carrying dirt into a ruptured sewer pipe

Sinkholes, also known as sinks, dolines (in Slavic languages dolina means valley), and cenotes, are formed by the collapse of cave roofs and are a feature of landscapes that are based on limestone bedrock. The result is a depression in the surface topography. This may range anywhere from a small, gentle earth-lined depression, to a large, cliff-lined chasm. Most often there is a small area of rock exposure near or at the bottom of a sinkhole, and a patent opening into the cave below may or may not be visible. In the case of exceptionally large sinkholes, such as Cedar Sink at Mammoth Cave National Park, there may actually be a stream or river flowing into the bottom of the sink from one side and out the other side. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1965x1179, 507 KB) This is a sinkhole in a parking lot at Georgia Tech in Atlanta, GA, USA. A contractor I spoke with said the hole was 32 feet deep. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1965x1179, 507 KB) This is a sinkhole in a parking lot at Georgia Tech in Atlanta, GA, USA. A contractor I spoke with said the hole was 32 feet deep. ... Sacred Cenote, Chichen Itza Cenote (pronounced say-no-tay, plural: Cenotes) is the name given in the southern part of Mexico and Central America to freshwater-filled limestone sinkholes. ... A road destroyed by subsidence and shear. ... Alternate meanings: Cave (disambiguation) This article is about natural caves; for artificial caves used as dwellings, such as those in north China, see yaodong. ... Limestone (CaCO3) is a sedimentary rock composed of the mineral calcite (calcium carbonate). ... Bedrock is the native consolidated rock underlying the Earths surface. ... Cliffs on the banks of the River Severn, near Bristol, England In geography, a cliff is a significant vertical, or near vertical, rock exposure. ... Our earth is composed of three main types of rock, each having been formed in its own special way. ... Mammoth Cave National Park is a U.S. National Park in south-central Kentucky, encompassing portions of Mammoth Cave, the most-extensive cave system known in the world. ... A running stream. ...

Sinkholes often form in low areas where they form drainage outlets for a surface drainage basin. They may also form in high and dry locations. Florida has been known for having frequent sinkholes, especially in the central part of the state. Drainage is the natural or artificial removal of surface and sub-surface water from a given area. ... Basin has several meanings: A watershed, which may be called also a hydrological basin or catchment basin. ... State nickname: Sunshine State Other U.S. States Capital Tallahassee Largest city Jacksonville Governor Jeb Bush (R) Senators Bill Nelson (D) Mel Martinez (R) Official language(s) English Area 170,451 km² (22nd)  - Land 137,374 km²  - Water 30,486 km² (17. ...

Sinkholes are usually but not always linked with a karst landscape. Karst represents a set of surface features that are characteristic of limestone under the soil. In many such regions, there may be hundreds or even thousands of sinkholes in a small area so that the earth as seen from the air looks pock-marked. Often in such areas there are few or no flowing streams on the surface because the drainage is all sub-surface. Karst topography occurs when a landscape is marked by underground drainage patterns. ...

Sinkholes have for centuries been used as disposal sites for various forms of waste. An unfortunate consequence has been the pollution of ground water resources, with serious health implications in such areas. Waste inside a rubbish bin Waste is unwanted or undesired material left over after the completion of a process. ... Pollution is the release of harmful environmental contaminants, or the substances so released. ... Groundwater is any water found below the land surface. ...

Sinkholes also form from human activity, such as the rare but still occasional collapse of abandoned mines in places like West Virginia. More commonly, sinkholes occur in urban areas due to water main breaks or sewer collapses when old pipes give way. They can also occur from the overpumping and extraction of ground water and subsurface fluids. The El Chino Mine located near Silver City, New Mexico is an open-pit copper mine Mining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the earth, usually (but not always) from an ore body, vein, or (coal) seam. ... State nickname: Mountain State Other U.S. States Capital Charleston Largest city Charleston Governor Joe Manchin (D) Senators Robert Byrd (D) Jay Rockefeller (D) Official languages English Area 62,809 km² (41st)  - Land 62,436 km²  - Water 376 km² (0. ... Urban area is a term used to define an area where there is an increased density of man-made structures in comparison to the areas surrounding it. ... A municipal water system is a large system of reservoirs and large-scale piping which supplies fresh water, suitable for human consumption, to houses and other residences. ... Sewers transport wastewater from buildings to treatment facilities. ... Look up pipe in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Groundwater is any water found below the land surface. ...

See also

• Cenote
• Pipe Creek Sinkhole

Sacred Cenote, Chichen Itza Cenote (pronounced say-no-tay, plural: Cenotes) is the name given in the southern part of Mexico and Central America to freshwater-filled limestone sinkholes. ... Pipe Creek Sinkhole near Swayzee in Grant County, Indiana, is one of the most important paleontological sites in the interior of the eastern half of North America. ...

External links

• Kapsia Cave : Exploration of a Sinkhole in Arkadia