The strength of nature and human ability has no defined boundaries. From time to time on our planet earth, some natural phenomena continue to occur that affect us in a unique and different manner. On the other hand, humans have also created some very impressive things in the world using their intelligence and abilities, but sometimes these man-made things can cause big troubles for us. A hole in the ground has always been a topic of discussion for the people, but if it is made in a mysterious way, then it is even more interesting. We have written about some mysterious holes many times before, such as Mel's Hole and Darvaza gas crater, but today we are going to talk about a sinkhole that suddenly appeared in the ground in a very strange way. But before we go further, let's know what does sinkhole actually means. A sinkhole is a hole in the ground caused by some form of collapse of the surface layer. Sinkholes can be natural or man-made.
One such staggering incident happened in Guatemala City in 2010 when a similar hole suddenly appeared in the ground. The hole was about 20 m wide and 90 m deep, and perfectly cylindrical in shape, responsible for swallowing a three-story factory. The sudden formation of this hole raised many questions among people and several reasons were attributed to its formation. Tropical Storm Agatha, the Pacaya Volcano eruption, and sewer pipes leakage were the main reasons behind the formation of this sinkhole. Guatemala City has a very high risk of sinkholes occurrence, a similar sinkhole had collapsed in 2007 in a similar fashion.
According to experts, Volcanic pumice deposits, upon which Guatemala City is built, led to the formation of this sinkhole. The city and its underground infrastructure were built in an area where the land of the first few hundred meters consists mostly of material called pumice fill, which had accumulated during previous volcanic eruptions. These pumice deposits were unconsolidated and of low density, which could easily lead to erosion. The underground leaking sewer pipes went unfixed long enough to create the conditions necessary for sinkhole formation. The fluid from a sewer eroding uncemented volcanic ash, and limestone deposits underlying Guatemala City.
Experts say that sinkholes have natural causes behind their formations, but this sinkhole was mainly artificial because sinkholes are usually formed from limestone but there are no limestone hundreds of meters beneath this city. The tropical storm Agatha is also considered another reason for the formation of this sinkhole, due to the heavy rains from the storm widened the hole's cavity, causing the sinkhole to collapse. But immediately after the sinkhole's collapse, it was started to be filled with large rocks and other debris. But due to its huge size, it took a lot of material to fill its giant empty space.
One such staggering incident happened in Guatemala City in 2010 when a similar hole suddenly appeared in the ground. The hole was about 20 m wide and 90 m deep, and perfectly cylindrical in shape, responsible for swallowing a three-story factory. The sudden formation of this hole raised many questions among people and several reasons were attributed to its formation. Tropical Storm Agatha, the Pacaya Volcano eruption, and sewer pipes leakage were the main reasons behind the formation of this sinkhole. Guatemala City has a very high risk of sinkholes occurrence, a similar sinkhole had collapsed in 2007 in a similar fashion.
According to experts, Volcanic pumice deposits, upon which Guatemala City is built, led to the formation of this sinkhole. The city and its underground infrastructure were built in an area where the land of the first few hundred meters consists mostly of material called pumice fill, which had accumulated during previous volcanic eruptions. These pumice deposits were unconsolidated and of low density, which could easily lead to erosion. The underground leaking sewer pipes went unfixed long enough to create the conditions necessary for sinkhole formation. The fluid from a sewer eroding uncemented volcanic ash, and limestone deposits underlying Guatemala City.
Experts say that sinkholes have natural causes behind their formations, but this sinkhole was mainly artificial because sinkholes are usually formed from limestone but there are no limestone hundreds of meters beneath this city. The tropical storm Agatha is also considered another reason for the formation of this sinkhole, due to the heavy rains from the storm widened the hole's cavity, causing the sinkhole to collapse. But immediately after the sinkhole's collapse, it was started to be filled with large rocks and other debris. But due to its huge size, it took a lot of material to fill its giant empty space.
0 comments:
Post a Comment