Two sinkholes in west Texas near the town of Wink are growing rapidly according to a study by Southern Methodist University led by professor Zhong Lu and researcher Jin-Woo Kim. The first sinkhole formed in 1980 and the second in 2002. Both are believed to be originally caused by extensive oil and gas extraction in the region from the 1920's through the 1960's.
While these sinkholes collapsed long ago, the study has found that the areas around them are still subsiding rapidly. Research has indicated that the ongoing sinking is linked to groundwater conditions. Beneath this part of Texas are deep-seated salt beds. Changing groundwater levels can lead to the dissolving of these salt deposits which in turn causes the overlying ground to sink. While this is not a high population area, a major collapse could be costly due to the large amount of oil and gas industry equipment and infrastructure in the area.
The sinkholes themselves have been fenced off, but the surrounding areas continue to subside. One of the sinkholes is surrounded by an area with a radius of 500 meters that is sinking at a rate of 1.6 inches per year. The eastern edge of the second, smaller sinkhole is collapsing at nearly 1.2 inches per year. In addition to the growing sinkholes, the study found that new sinkholes may be forming. One area just under a mile away from the smaller sinkhole is subsiding over 5 inches per year.
In order to collect measurements in this area, the research team used interferometric synthetic aperture radar (InSAR) which allowed them to take ground elevation measurements via satellite that are accurate to under an inch. Sinkholes are notoriously difficult to predict, but this technology allows the researchers to monitor their formation and growth accurately.
A large sinkhole in Daisetta, Texas, U.S.A. started growing again on Sunday, April 2, roughly 15 ye...
The sinkhole begun to form on Friday, July 14, 2017, in the Pasco County's Land O' Lakes community n...
6 cars were buried under the ground after a massive sinkhole opened up in the parking lot of the Tan...
A residence collapsed due to a large sinkhole that opened in a Russian village. A sinkhole is a dep...
Earlier this month on August 2nd, a large sinkhole formed in the backyard of a country home in Ipswi...
On Tuesday, November 8th, two small sinkholes formed beneath a 5 lane street in Fukuoka, Japan. T...
A sinkhole that opened up in Chile over the weekend could fit the Washington Monument inside. Offic...
A massive sinkhole that threatens a house suddenly emerged in Mexico. The sinkhole opened in a fiel...
Three separate cameras in Russia catch a sinkhole being created a few meters away from a residential...