SINKHOLES AND LANDSLIDES

• SINKHOLES ARE DEPRESSIONS OR OPENINGS IN THE GROUND SURFACE. THEY

ARE GENERALLY FORMED AS THE RESULT OF A COLLAPSE IN THE CEILING OF
AN UNDERGROUND CAVITY OR CAVERN. SINKHOLES TYPICALLY DEVELOP
SLOWLY, BUT CAN ALSO FORM SUDDENLY WHEN A COLLAPSE OCCURS.
• SINKHOLES NATURALLY OCCUR IN AREAS UNDERLAIN BY SOLUBLE
CARBONATE OR EVAPORITE ROCKS LIKE LIMESTONE, DOLOMITE, GYPSUM,
AND SALT.
• THE THREE TYPES OF SINKHOLES ARE:
• DISSOLUTION SINKHOLES;
• COVER-SUBSIDENCE SINKHOLES;
• AND COVER-COLLAPSE SINKHOLES.
• DISSOLUTION SINKHOLES OCCUR WHERE THERE IS LITTLE SOIL OR VEGETATION OVER
THE SOLUBLE ROCK.
• AGGRESSIVE DISSOLUTION OCCURS WHERE FLOW IS FOCUSED IN PRE-EXISTING
OPENINGS IN THE ROCK , SUCH AS ALONG JOINTS, FRACTURES, AND BEDDING PLANES,
OR IN THE ZONE OF WATER – TABLE FLUCTUATIONS WHERE THE GROUND WATER IS IN
CONTACT WITH THE ATMOSPHERE.
• THEY TYPICALLY DEVELOP GRADUALLY.
• COVER-SUBSIDENCE SINKHOLES TEND TO DEVELOP GRADUALLY WHERE THE
COVERING SEDIMENTS ARE PERMEABLE AND CONTAIN SAND.
• COVER-COLLAPSE SINKHOLES TEND TO DEVELOP ABRUPTLY AND CAUSE
CATASTROPHIC DAMAGES. THEY OCCUR WHERE THE COVERING SEDIMENTS CONTAIN
SIGNIFICANT AMOUNTS OF CLAY.
• KARST TERRAIN
• IS A TYPE OF TOPOGRAPHY THAT IS FORMED BY DISSOLUTION OF BEDROCK
IN AREAS UNDERLAIN BY LIMESTONE, DOLOSTONE OR, AS IN SOME WESTERN
STATES, GYPSUM.
• SUCH TERRAIN HAS UNDERGROUND DRAINAGE SYSTEMS THAT ARE REFLECTED
ON THE SURFACE AS SINKHOLES, SPRINGS, DISAPPEARING STREAMS OR EVEN
CAVES.