And Down Goes Everything...

My final posting for 2010 is in regards to an article that I read at: http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2010/06/photogalleries/100601-sinkhole-in-guatemala-2010-pictures-world/#/guatemala-city-sinkhole_21110_600x450.jpg. A giant sinkhole in Guatemala City, Guatemala has made the top 10 list for photo stories of the year. Wikipedia defined a sinkhole as a "natural depression or hole in the Earth's surface caused by karst processes — the chemical dissolution of carbonate rocks" It may come from very saturated ground that just gives in and falls an indefinite length.

The one that occurred earlier this year was 60 feet wide and 300 feet deep. It took a three-story building down with it. This is really quite something. I would encourage you to click on the link and check out the six photos they offer. It does seem so unreal because it is so perfectly round. Most communities can rebuild and recover from natural disasters such as tornadoes, hurricanes, and mudslides. But from the various sinkholes that I have seen throughout the world, they are left as-is. With this one in Guatemala City, it sits right in the middle of town. A very bad place for one to occur. I will be curious to see what measures they take in trying to cover it up or barricade it to keep someone from falling in.

One last bit of research by googling Guatemala City sinkhole has led me to another article by National Geographic. It states that this is not a real sinkhole. That there is no limestone or carbonate rocks underneath the city. In fact, it is made up of loose volcanic pumice. Nature has sped up a process set in motion by humans. Leaking plumbing from the building over thousands of years could have led to this massive hole. Nevertheless, this is a truly horrific situation.