Guatemala Sink Hole - A Sign of coming times?
It was like something out of the movie Signs. A gaping, perfectly circular sinkhole appeared Sunday in Guatemala City, devouring a three-story building and killing at least one man in the process.
The Guatemala City sinkhole, estimated to be 60 feet (18 meters) wide and 300 feet (100 meters) deep, appears to have been triggered by the deluge from tropical storm Agatha.
Some believe the two Guatemala City sinkholes are linked to government neglect of the area, and are calling for better accountability so that something like this doesn't happen again with worse results. “If there have now been two holes that have appeared along the same line, chances are there could be a third one developing elsewhere,” said Luis Figueroa, a journalist living in Guatemala.
But geological experts are cautious about assigning blame. Looking at photos of the most recent Guatemala sinkhole, it's clear that there were preexisting conditions – an underground cavity that may have been present for generations, says Mark Kasmarek, a groundwater hydrologist with the United States Geological Survey (USGS). "Once the roof of that cave becomes compromised through time, it can no longer support what's on top of it," he says.
But simply filling the hole won't help without first studying the geological makeup of the surrounding area to determine the underlying factors that caused the collapse.
The Guatemala City sinkhole, estimated to be 60 feet (18 meters) wide and 300 feet (100 meters) deep, appears to have been triggered by the deluge from tropical storm Agatha.
The country has some experience with large sinkholes, as it turns out. In 2007, a 330-foot-deep sinkhole opened up in Barrio San Antonio, just 15 blocks away from the current one in Ciudad Nueva. That sinkhole is thought to have been caused by a broken storm drain pipe that over time weakened and washed away the ground above it.
Some believe the two Guatemala City sinkholes are linked to government neglect of the area, and are calling for better accountability so that something like this doesn't happen again with worse results. “If there have now been two holes that have appeared along the same line, chances are there could be a third one developing elsewhere,” said Luis Figueroa, a journalist living in Guatemala.
But geological experts are cautious about assigning blame. Looking at photos of the most recent Guatemala sinkhole, it's clear that there were preexisting conditions – an underground cavity that may have been present for generations, says Mark Kasmarek, a groundwater hydrologist with the United States Geological Survey (USGS). "Once the roof of that cave becomes compromised through time, it can no longer support what's on top of it," he says.
But simply filling the hole won't help without first studying the geological makeup of the surrounding area to determine the underlying factors that caused the collapse.
Check out the video below for a better view:
