We see news reports of sinkholes opening in various places all over the world. What I never hear about is what’s done afterward. I assume smaller ones, like this one in [Taiwan](https://supercarblondie.com/sinkhole-swallows-tesla-model-y-taiwan/) could be repaired without too much hassle. What about the larger sinkholes in [Turkey](https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11262701/16-giant-sinkholes-open-one-Turkish-region-months.html)?
Is there a way to make land like that usable again? Or do people just sort of put up a sign and hope no one falls in?
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The main issue with sinkholes isn’t filling them, but figuring out why they happened and fixing that underlying issue.
It can be from the simple and obvious pre existing cavity, that someone didn’t survey pre comstruction, caving in.
All the way to a complex shifting of ground table water currents that changed the substrate geology. This can be very compex to fix. Costly to survey thefull extent of newly made/future sinkhole danger zone and find solutions to protect the existing housing and infrastructure from the new situation.
A classic solutuon is driving pylons [sry don’t know the exact technical term in English] into the ground. Or sideways anchors under a particularly fragile and important building at risk.
My experience is different. I grew up in a very rural area where as kids we went into the woods and there were three old sink holes, each one deeper than the next one. The first one was dirt and trees, the second a bit deeper but the third was very deep and the sides well formed.
Many years later we went back and found another one that had a small waterfall in it. Across the street there are quite a few cracks jokingly described as the cracks of the earth. Just across the street again is another sinkhold that for many years people would throw their garbage into when my mom was little back in the 40’s. There are lots of sinkholes still forming there due to the water under the ground. Growing up my mom used to sit in the upper level and look out over a place called mystery valley. The water would flood and dissapear just as fast with no explanation. When the water was high it was colorful from all of the different minerals in the ground. Studying all these things from the past could surely help to answer some modern questions about sinkholes.
My experience is different. I grew up in a very rural area where as kids we went into the woods and there were three old sink holes, each one deeper than the next one. The first one was dirt and trees, the second a bit deeper but the third was very deep and the sides well formed.
Many years later we went back and found another one that had a small waterfall in it. Across the street there are quite a few cracks jokingly described as the cracks of the earth. Just across the street again is another sinkhold that for many years people would throw their garbage into when my mom was little back in the 40’s. There are lots of sinkholes still forming there due to the water under the ground. Growing up my mom used to sit in the upper level and look out over a place called mystery valley. The water would flood and dissapear just as fast with no explanation. When the water was high it was colorful from all of the different minerals in the ground. Studying all these things from the past could surely help to answer some modern questions about sinkholes.
The main issue with sinkholes isn’t filling them, but figuring out why they happened and fixing that underlying issue.
It can be from the simple and obvious pre existing cavity, that someone didn’t survey pre comstruction, caving in.
All the way to a complex shifting of ground table water currents that changed the substrate geology. This can be very compex to fix. Costly to survey thefull extent of newly made/future sinkhole danger zone and find solutions to protect the existing housing and infrastructure from the new situation.
A classic solutuon is driving pylons [sry don’t know the exact technical term in English] into the ground. Or sideways anchors under a particularly fragile and important building at risk.
A famous example is the sinkhole at the Corvette museum in Kentucky.
“The hole will be filled completely with rock, then workers will drill into it to install steel casings, Frassinelli said. Crews will pour grout into the casings, creating a steel and concrete pillar to provide additional support under the floor.”
https://www.detroitnews.com/story/business/autos/general-motors/2014/08/30/corvette-museum-to-completely-fill-in-sinkhole/14872207/
The ones you find on a city street like your first example are usually caused by a flaw in infrastructure, like a leaking water main or sewer. The source of the water can be eliminated and the hole repaired. It would be pointless to repair the hole if you didn’t stop the thing that washed away the road’s foundation.
The type of sinkhole in your second example is caused by natural water flow (or changes to it). It’s still pointless to repair if you don’t change what’s happening with the water. But the ground water or underground river is not something we can turn off the same way as we can with a broken water main.
A famous example is the sinkhole at the Corvette museum in Kentucky.
“The hole will be filled completely with rock, then workers will drill into it to install steel casings, Frassinelli said. Crews will pour grout into the casings, creating a steel and concrete pillar to provide additional support under the floor.”
https://www.detroitnews.com/story/business/autos/general-motors/2014/08/30/corvette-museum-to-completely-fill-in-sinkhole/14872207/
The ones you find on a city street like your first example are usually caused by a flaw in infrastructure, like a leaking water main or sewer. The source of the water can be eliminated and the hole repaired. It would be pointless to repair the hole if you didn’t stop the thing that washed away the road’s foundation.
The type of sinkhole in your second example is caused by natural water flow (or changes to it). It’s still pointless to repair if you don’t change what’s happening with the water. But the ground water or underground river is not something we can turn off the same way as we can with a broken water main.
A sink hole (on a significantly smaller scale than this one pictured) opened in our backyard. We had to call the city to come fill it in for us. It cost a decent amount of money too but IIRC insurance paid for some of it
A sink hole (on a significantly smaller scale than this one pictured) opened in our backyard. We had to call the city to come fill it in for us. It cost a decent amount of money too but IIRC insurance paid for some of it
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