Sinkholes around the world, manmade and natural, show what happens when earth opens up
An expanding sinkhole in West Virginia is threatening to swallow a police department building.
Sinkholes can be manmade or naturally occurring.
Here are a few sinkholes that have appeared around the world in the past several years.
Whether a result of human error, climate change, or the earth's ever-changing terrain, the sudden appearance of sinkholes can threaten lives and livelihoods.
A small sinkhole that appeared in a West Virginia parking lot last year has expanded so much that it now threatens to swallow up a city's police department building.
And recently, two massive sinkholes opened up in Villa Nueva, Guatemala, on Saturday after the region experienced heavy rainfall, according to The Associated Press. At least three people were injured and two — a mother and daughter — are missing. Search efforts continued on Monday, AP reported. The sinkholes opened up in the middle of a major roadway for Villa Nueva, which is located about 10 miles south of Guatemala's capital.
Sinkholes can be naturally occurring or manmade. They most commonly occur in areas with "karst terrain," where the rocks below the surface "can naturally be dissolved by groundwater circulating through them," according to the US Geological Survey.
When the water beneath the land slowly dissolves and carries away the rock, eventually the ground collapses often in very dramatic form.
In cities, sinkholes can emerge after a water main break or a burst pipe. They can also occur in areas where there is abundant rain, according to National Geographic.
At least in the US, there is no database tracking the number of sinkholes, according to the USGS. Oftentimes, they go unreported, especially when they happen in rural areas.
The damages can be extensive, however, from financial tolls to deaths. In the past 15 years, the USGS estimates that sinkholes cost at least $300 million per year on average in the US. And the costs are probably much higher, the agency states. It's unclear how many have died from this phenomenon.
Here are some sinkholes that emerged in the past several years.
Hinton, West Virginia, November 17, 2022
A small sinkhole that appeared in a West Virginia parking lot last year has grown so large that it now threatens to devour a small city's police department.
The sinkhole first appeared next to the local police station in Hinton, a city in southern West Virginia with a population of just over 2,200, in June 2021, according to local news outlet WVNS.
At first, the sinkhole — caused by a failing drain underneath the road — was just six feet wide and 30 feet deep, local news station WSAZ reported.
Officials tried fixing the problem, but heavy rains from the recent Hurricane Nicole made the hole grow significantly. Now a section of the police department's building has been left teetering on the edge.
Copiapó, Chile. July 30, 2022.
A sinkhole estimated to be about 105 feet wide and 656 feet deep — about as long as a basketball court and as tall as a nearly 50-story building — emerged near a mining site in northern Chile, according to the National Service of Geology and Mining, a Chilean government agency.
Karmei Yosef, Israel. July 22, 2022.
Sinkholes don't have to be wide to be deadly. One man was pulled to his death at a party in Karmei Yosef, a town about 25 miles outside Tel Aviv, when a sinkhole opened under a swimming pool.
The couple who owns the property was arrested on suspicion of negligent manslaughter, according to The Washington Post.
Mexico City, Mexico. June 27, 2022.
Workers repair a sinkhole that appeared in Iztapalapa, a highly populated neighborhood in Mexico City. Water supply was cut off for more than 30 neighborhoods.
Villa Nueva, Guatemala. June 19, 2022.
A sinkhole in Villa Nueva, Guatemala, about 10 miles south of Guatemala City, appeared after the country experienced heavy rainfall.
Ein Gedi, Israel. October 31, 2021.
A cluster of sinkholes can be seen by the Dead Sea shore near the Ein Gedi oasis in Israel.
As the body of water shrinks due to climate change, thousands of sinkholes have appeared over the years with more to be expected.
Jerusalem, Israel. June 7, 2021.
Part of a parking lot in Jerusalem collapsed and swallowed several cars. Hospital officials at the time said it could have been caused by the highway tunnel construction nearby, according to The Guardian.
Puebla, Mexico. May 29, 2021.
This over 400-feet chasm first began as a small sinkhole measuring 15 feet wide, located in a rural area of Puebla, Mexico. Dogs fell in the hole and were rescued by local firemen.
The National Water Commission, which manages Mexico's national water resources, initially blamed the sinkhole on natural causes, The New Yorker reported.
A study later revealed that the cavity may have been caused by overexploitation of groundwater, soil erosion, and heavy rainfall, according to the Mexico News Daily.
Others have argued that the cause was linked to Bonafont, a water-bottling plant, according to The New Yorker.
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. October 28, 2019.
A bus was caught in a 20-feet-deep sinkhole that opened in downtown Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
There was only one passenger and a driver aboard the bus, the Port Authority of Allegheny County said at the time. The passenger sustained a minor injury.
Moscow, Russia. October 1, 2019.
A traffic tunnel was reportedly flooded due to a sinkhole in Moscow, Russia, according to Reuters.
Dazhou, China. October 7, 2018.
Excavators work at a sinkhole that destroyed a sidewalk in Dazhou, China on October 7, 2018. Two people died due to the collapse, according to Reuters.
Heilongjiang, China. August 4, 2018.
Two cars plunged into a sinkhole after Harbin, a city in the Heilongjiang province in northeast China, experienced heavy rain, according to Yahoo News.
The three people in the cars were not injured. The sinkhole was about 86 square feet, according to a report.
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