seeder Posted April 10, 2013 #1 Share Posted April 10, 2013 The Russian city being 'eaten alive': Cars, buses, and trucks disappear beneath the earth as they are swallowed by giant sinkholes Citizens of Samara live in daily fear of the ground disappearing beneath them Dozens of holes have sprung up across the city in recent weeks The sinkholes have left a trail of devastation and reportedly claimed one life Lots of pics there too http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2306085/Samara-The-Russian-city-eaten-alive-giant-sinkholes.html Call that a pothole? Russian cabbie falls into huge sinkhole (or...why the hell did you tempt fate like that?) 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coffey Posted April 10, 2013 #2 Share Posted April 10, 2013 That's wierd, they have been a few reports of them in the US as well in the last few months. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ashotep Posted April 10, 2013 #3 Share Posted April 10, 2013 They are bad in Florida, that is where a man lost his life not long ago and they couldn't even find his body. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lightly Posted April 10, 2013 #4 Share Posted April 10, 2013 I'm guessing pumped out oil / gas pockets underneath? .. or water coming or going... i'll get back to ya lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seeder Posted April 10, 2013 Author #5 Share Posted April 10, 2013 I'm guessing pumped out oil / gas pockets underneath? .. or water coming or going... i'll get back to ya lol Old mines even, maybe, but the link did say how it can happen naturally. Funny enough, I just came across the 'other' big sinkhole story...its got bigger! quote: " The Bayou Corne sinkhole is growing…faster " . The sinkhole that was a grave concern when it was the size of a football field is now the size of the Superdome in New Orleans. The sinkhole that caused explosions and odors and forced the evacuation of hundreds of residents had now expanded by 12 acres in the course of a weekend to the tune of rumblings, tremors and giant smelly gas bubbles coming from underground. The escaping gas is being burnt to avoid a massive explosion. http://www.louisianaweekly.com/sinkhole-at-300-ft-is-superdome-sized/ Hope my house isnt over one... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Orcseeker Posted April 10, 2013 #6 Share Posted April 10, 2013 That's wierd, they have been a few reports of them in the US as well in the last few months. That's because they leech out the groundwater in the US and make the groundwater water levels unsteady and it results in sinkholes. Wouldn't say it is anything weird. Simply people ignoring warnings and research data and pumping litre after litre into their backyard pools or having their sprinklers on 24/7 in Florida predominately. Greed and ignorance is solely to blame in these situations. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wickian Posted April 11, 2013 #7 Share Posted April 11, 2013 Unless there's are records of sink-hole numbers in the past(before we started pumping out so much ground water, gas and oil) then it's hard to say conclusively what the cause is. I haven't looked into the phenomenon so I don't know if we have those numbers reliably or not. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coffey Posted April 11, 2013 #8 Share Posted April 11, 2013 That's because they leech out the groundwater in the US and make the groundwater water levels unsteady and it results in sinkholes. Wouldn't say it is anything weird. Simply people ignoring warnings and research data and pumping litre after litre into their backyard pools or having their sprinklers on 24/7 in Florida predominately. Greed and ignorance is solely to blame in these situations. Ah didn't know that, obviously the media likes to miss information like that out of their articles, makes it less mysterious. lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seeder Posted April 11, 2013 Author #9 Share Posted April 11, 2013 Unless there's are records of sink-hole numbers in the past(before we started pumping out so much ground water, gas and oil) then it's hard to say conclusively what the cause is. I haven't looked into the phenomenon so I don't know if we have those numbers reliably or not. as per the info in the middle of the article, it says: "It is thought the holes have been caused as ice thaws and melts into the ground, with the excess water causing soil decay underneath Samara's roads. Sinkholes are common hazards in mining regions, plaguing areas where miners have burrowed into layers of soluble minerals and accidental floods have followed.But natural sinkholes can take thousands of years to form and vary in size. They are usually the result of what are known as Karst processes, which occur when a layer of rock such as limestone underneath the ground is dissolved by acidic water. Typically rainfall seeps through the soil, absorbing carbon dioxide and reacting with decaying vegetation. As a result, the water that reaches the soluble rock is acidic. The acidic water then erodes the soluble rock layers beneath the surface creating cavernous spaces. Then, when it is no longer supported because of the cavity below, the soil or sand over the limestone collapses into a sinkhole. The collapse of the surface can happen suddenly or over a few hours. Heavy rainfall or poor drainage systems can trigger a collapse. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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