Notable sinkholes from around the globe
In late January 2015, a Prince George’s County family narrowly escaped from their car before it was swallowed by a sinkhole caused by a water main break, according to the Associated Press.
To explore this geological phenomenon, we took a look at some of the more notable sinkholes to form worldwide, as well as a few that made headlines in Maryland in the last 10 years.
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- A view of a sinkhole opened up at the intersection of Laurier Avenue E and Waller Street, near the University of Ottawa, in Ottawa February 21, 2014. The sinkhole is about eight meters (26 feet) wide and 12 meters (39 feet) deep. REUTERS/Blair Gable
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- New York City firefighters work at the scene where a sinkhole opened up in Brooklyn, New York on August 4, 2015. New Yorkers living in the borough of Brooklyn woke to a strange sight on Tuesday — a giant sinkhole had swallowed an enormous chunk of road. The sinkhole, formed by the natural process of erosion, appeared early in the morning at an intersection in the neighborhood of Sunset Park, according to the Fire Department. The gaping hole exposed torn pipes and crushed asphalt at the intersection of Fifth Avenue and 64th Street. No one was hurt. (Kena Betancur/AFP/Getty Images)
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- New York City firefighters work at the scene where a sinkhole opened up in Brooklyn, New York on August 4, 2015. New Yorkers living in the borough of Brooklyn woke to a strange sight on Tuesday — a giant sinkhole had swallowed an enormous chunk of road. The sinkhole, formed by the natural process of erosion, appeared early in the morning at an intersection in the neighborhood of Sunset Park, according to the Fire Department. The gaping hole exposed torn pipes and crushed asphalt at the intersection of Fifth Avenue and 64th Street. No one was hurt. (Kena Betancur/AFP/Getty Images)
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- A worker of New York City Department of Environmental Protection attends an emergency where a giant sinkhole opened up at Sunset Park in Brooklyn, New York on August 04, 2015. (Kena Betancur/AFP/Getty Images)
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- In this Saturday, July 18, 2015 photo, men work to pull Lynn Parsons’ SUV out of a sinkhole caused by a water main break on eastbound Indian School Road near American’s Parkway in Albuquerque, N.M. Parsons, of East Mountain, was on her way to buy groceries when the pavement underneath gave way and her SUV sank into the street up to the driver’s side window with water spraying everywhere. (Roberto E. Rosales/The Albuquerque Journal)
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- In this Saturday, July 18, 2015 photo, Lynn Parsons’ SUV sits in a sinkhole caused by a water main break on eastbound Indian School Road near American’s Parkway in Albuquerque, N.M. Parsons, of East Mountain, was on her way to buy groceries when the pavement underneath gave way and her SUV sank into the street up to the drivers side window water spraying everywhere. (Roberto E. Rosales/The Albuquerque Journal)
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- This image made from video provided by the Hillsborough County Fire Rescue, shows the property where a sinkhole reopened, Wednesday, Aug. 19, 2015, in Seffner, Fla. The sinkhole reopened in the exact same location where one swallowed a man as he slept in his bed more than two years ago. The new hole is 17 feet wide by 20 feet deep,according to code enforcement director Ron Spiller. (Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office via AP)
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- In this photo taken Sunday, Feb. 22, 2015 and made available Monday, Feb. 23 view from above of the chasm that opened Saturday and enlarged in the night, forcing the evacuation of about 380 people, in the Pianura district of Naples, Italy. (AP Photo/Ciro Fusco, Ansa)
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- Cars swallowed by a sinkhole that occurred after a water main break in Bladensburg, Md., Tuesday, Jan. 27, 2015. A water main break caused a sinkhole in a suburban Washington, D.C. neighborhood, swallowing up a family’s car just after they escaped in Bladensburg Maryland on Tuesday morning. (Jose Luis Magana/AP Photo)
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- An NBC Washington photo shows a car swallowed up by a sinkhole that was caused by a water main break in Bladensburg. (NBC Washington)
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- A picture taken on May 3, 2014, shows people visiting “The Gateway to Hell,” a huge burning gas crater in the heart of Turkmenistan’s Karakum desert. The fiery pit was the result of a simple miscalculation by Soviet scientists in 1971 after their boring equipment suddenly drilled through into an underground cavern and a deep sinkhole formed. Fearing that the crater would emit poisonous gases, the scientists took the decision to set it alight, thinking that the gas would burn out quickly and this would cause the flames to go out. But the flames have not gone out in more than 40 years, in a potent symbol of the vast gas reserves of Turkmenistan, which are believed to be the fourth largest in the world.
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- Residents look at the damage from a sinkhole on Marley Neck Rd. in Glen Burnie on Wednesday. (Baltimore Sun/Al Drago)
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- A picture taken on May 3, 2014, shows people visiting “The Gateway to Hell,” a huge burning gas crater in the heart of Turkmenistan’s Karakum desert. The fiery pit was the result of a simple miscalculation by Soviet scientists in 1971 after their boring equipment suddenly drilled through into an underground cavern and a deep sinkhole formed. Fearing that the crater would emit poisonous gases, the scientists took the decision to set it alight, thinking that the gas would burn out quickly and this would cause the flames to go out. But the flames have not gone out in more than 40 years, in a potent symbol of the vast gas reserves of Turkmenistan, which are believed to be the fourth largest in the world. (Igor Sasin/AFP/Getty Images)
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- Concrete is poured into a 4.5 metre (15 feet) wide sinkhole on the driveway of a house in Walters Ash, southern England February 6, 2014. The hole swallowed a car which was not recovered and the nine meter deep crater is now being filled with 300 tonnes of concrete. REUTERS/Eddie Keogh
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- A car is seen in a sinkhole in Holiday, Florida, in this November 10, 2014, handout photo provided by Pasco County. Residents in central Florida on Tuesday monitored the threat of a hole that swallowed a car sitting in a driveway and forced six families to evacuate their homes. (Pasco County/Handout/Reuters)
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- A car rests in a sinkhole in the road outside the Crimean capital Simferopol, September 28, 2014.A sinkhole about eight meters wide and deep opened up on Saturday night on the road between Nikolayev and Yevpatoria highway; killing six people tavelling in a car which fell into the pit, according to local media. (Pavel Rebrov/Reuters)
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- A sinkhole collapsed part of the National Corvette Museum in Bowling Green, Ky., swallowing 8 cars. (National Corvette Museum)
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- A sinkhole collapsed part of the National Corvette Museum in Bowling Green, Ky., swallowing 8 cars. (National Corvette Museum)
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- A sinkhole collapsed part of the National Corvette Museum in Bowling Green, Ky., swallowing 8 cars. (National Corvette Museum)
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- A sinkhole collapsed part of the National Corvette Museum in Bowling Green, Ky., swallowing 8 cars. (National Corvette Museum)
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- A sinkhole collapsed part of the National Corvette Museum in Bowling Green, Ky., swallowing 8 cars. (National Corvette Museum)
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- Concrete is poured into a 4.5 metre (15 feet) wide sinkhole on the driveway of a house in Walters Ash, southern England February 6, 2014. The hole swallowed a car which was not recovered and the nine meter deep crater is now being filled with 300 tonnes of concrete. (REUTERS/Eddie Keogh)
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- The rear portion of a residential home is consumed by a sinkhole November 14, 2013 in Dunedin, Florida. According to reports, the large sinkhole began to form between two houses the morning of November 14, and has grown to size of about 30 feet wide by 30 feet deep. (Pool Photo by Luke Johnson-Pool/Getty Images)
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- The rear portion of a residential home is consumed by a sinkhole November 14, 2013 in Dunedin, Florida. According to reports, the large sinkhole began to form between two houses the morning of November 14, and has grown to size of about 30 feet wide by 30 feet deep. (Pool Photo by Luke Johnson-Pool/Getty Images)
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- Buildings collapse into a sinkhole at the Summer Bay Resort on U.S. Highway 192 in Clermont, Florida, Monday, August 12, 2013. Guests had only 10 to 15 minutes to escape the collapsing buildings at the Summer Bay Resort on U.S. Highway 192 in the Four Corners area, located about 7 miles east of Walt Disney World resort, where a large sinkhole- about 60 feet in diameter and 15 feet deep- opened in the earth late Sunday. (Red Huber/Orlando Sentinel/MCT)
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- Guests had only 10 to 15 minutes to escape the collapsing buildings at the Summer Bay Resort on U.S. Highway 192 in the Four Corners area, see Monday, August 12, 2012, located about 7 miles east of Walt Disney World resort, where a large sinkhole – about 60 feet in diameter and 15 feet deep – opened in the earth late Sunday, August 11. (Red Huber/Orlando Sentinel/MCT)
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- A building sits partially collapsed over a sinkhole at Summer Bay Resort near Disney World in Clermont, Florida. The 40 to 60 foot sinkhole opened up under the resort building reportedly beginning late August 11 into early August 12. There were no injuries or deaths reported. (Gerardo Mora/Getty Images)
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- People take pictures Monday, August 12, 2013 after a sinkhole swallowed two building at Summer Bay Resort in Orlando, Florida late Sunday night. (Red Huber/Orlando Sentinel/MCT)
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- Buildings collapse into a sinkhole at the Summer Bay Resort on U.S. Highway 192 in Clermont, Florida, Monday, August 12, 2013. No one was injured but about three dozen resort goers left behind car keys, medication and other personal belongings inside their luxury condominiums after the crumbling edifices were evacuated. (Red Huber/ Orlando Sentinel/MCT)
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- Summer Bay Resort employees install barricades around the collapsed building by a sinkhole at Summer Bay Resort near Walt Disney World on August 12, 2013 in Clermont, Florida. No injuries or victims during the incident. (Gerardo Mora/Getty Images)
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- Buildings collapse into a sinkhole at the Summer Bay Resort on U.S. Highway 192 in Clermont, Florida, Monday, August 12, 2013. Guests had only 10 to 15 minutes to escape the collapsing buildings at the Summer Bay Resort on U.S. Highway 192 in the Four Corners area, located about 7 miles east of Walt Disney World resort, where a large sinkhole- about 60 feet in diameter and 15 feet deep- opened in the earth late Sunday. (Red Huber/Orlando Sentinel)
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- Inspectors photograph a section of the Summer Bay Resort after a large sinkhole opened on the property’s grounds, in Clermont, Florida August 12, 2013. Dozens of guests at the Florida resort near Walt Disney World were evacuated early Monday, when at least two buildings partially collapsed due to the sinkhole, guests and resort employees said. (David Manning/Reuters photo)
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- A section of the Summer Bay Resort lies collapsed after a large sinkhole opened on the property’s grounds in Clermont, Florida August 12, 2013. Dozens of guests at the Florida resort near Walt Disney World were evacuated early Monday, when at least two buildings partially collapsed due to the sinkhole, guests and resort employees said. (David Manning/Reuters photo)
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- A section of the Summer Bay Resort lies collapsed after a large sinkhole opened on the property’s grounds in Clermont, Florida August 12, 2013. Dozens of guests at the Florida resort near Walt Disney World were evacuated early Monday, when at least two buildings partially collapsed due to the sinkhole, guests and resort employees said. (David Manning/Reuters photo)
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- Tourists walk past a section of the Summer Bay Resort after a large sinkhole opened on the property’s grounds, in Clermont, Florida August 12, 2013. Dozens of guests at the Florida resort near Walt Disney World were evacuated early Monday, when at least two buildings partially collapsed due to the sinkhole, guests and resort employees said. (David Manning/Reuters photo)
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- A construction vehicle lies where it was swallowed by a sinkhole on Saint-Catherine Street in downtown Montreal, August 5, 2013. (Christinne Muschi/Reuters photo)
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- A construction vehicle lies where it was swallowed by a sinkhole on Saint-Catherine Street in downtown Montreal, August 5, 2013. (Christinne Muschi/Reuters photo)
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- A construction vehicle lies where it was swallowed by a sinkhole on Saint-Catherine Street in downtown Montreal, August 5, 2013. (Christinne Muschi/Reuters photo)
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- An aerial view of a sinkhole at 240 Faithway Drive in Seffner, Florida that opened up, killing Jeffrey Bush is seen March 4, 2013. The sinkhole is exposed as demolition of the house continues. (Dirk Shadd/Tampa Bay Times/MCT)
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- Demolition crews and Hillsborough County Fire Department watch as the house, where Jeffrey Bush was swallowed by a sinkhole, is demolished in Seffner, Florida March 3, 2013. Florida rescue workers ended their efforts on Saturday to recover the body of Jeffrey Bush, who disappeared into the sinkhole that swallowed his bedroom while he slept and demolished the suburban Tampa home due to its dangerous conditions, a rescue spokeswoman said. (Scott Audette/Reuters photo)
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- Jeff Bush’s cousin Kyle Balcom (L) and brother Dustin Bush react after he was consumed by a sinkhole while lying in his bed last night, March 1, 2013 in Seffner, Florida. First responders were not able to reach Bush after he disappeared and now say it is a recovery mission. (Edward Linsmier/Getty Images)
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- An aerial view of a sinkhole at 240 Faithway Drive in Seffner, Florida that opened up, killing Jeffrey Bush is seen March 4, 2013. The sinkhole is exposed as demolition of the house continues. (Dirk Shadd/Tampa Bay Times/MCT)
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- A giant sinkhole caused by the rains of tropical storm Agatha is seen in Guatemala City on June 1, 2010. Collapsed roads and highway bridges complicated rescue efforts after Agatha drenched Central America, burying homes under mud and killing at least 175 people. (Daniel LeClair/Reuters)
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- A sinkhole off CR 252 in Lake City, Fla. is seen Thursday morning, March 3, 2005. The sinkhole in Lake City that is continuing to grow and threatening a two-story home has prompting a boil water advisory for nearby residents. The hole, measuring 100 by 235 feet and 45 feet deep by Thursday, swallowed a tree beside the house and large cracks were developing in the foundation of a side building attached to the house. (The Florida Times-Union, Jon M. Fletcher)
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- A giant sinkhole caused by the rains of Tropical Storm Agatha is seen in Guatemala City on May 31, 2010. More than 94,000 people were evacuated as the storm buried homes under mud, swept away a highway bridge near Guatemala City and opened up sinkholes in the capital. (Casa Presidencial / Handout / Reuters)
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- Workers block off the site of a huge sinkhole which occurred overnight in Shiliuzhuang road, in Beijing on April 26, 2011. A section of the road collapsed beneath a truck, slightly injuring the driver and a passenger, who both jumped out the vehicle before it sank into the hole. (STR/AFP/Getty Images)
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- Workers use machinery to fill in a sinkhole that buildings collapsed into near a subway construction site in Guangzhou, south China’s Guangdong province on January 28, 2013. The hole measured about 1,000 square feet across and was around 30 feet deep, but no one was killed, according to a state media report. (STR/AFP/Getty Images)
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- This picture taken on January 28, 2013 shows debris in a sinkhole that buildings collapsed into near a subway construction site in Guangzhou, south China’s Guangdong province. The hole measured about 1,000 square feet across and was around 30 feet deep, but no one was killed, according to a state media report. (STR/AFP/Getty Images)
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- Workers use machinery to fill a sinkhole that buildings collapsed into near a subway construction site in Guangzhou, south China’s Guangdong province. The hole measured about 1,000 square feet across and was around 30 feet deep, but no one was killed, according to a state media report. (STR/AFP/Getty Images)
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- This picture taken on January 29, 2013 shows rescuers filling the sinkhole that buildings collapsed into the night before near a subway construction site in Guangzhou, south China’s Guangdong province. The hole measured about 1,000 square feet across and was around 30 feet deep, but no one was killed, according to a state media report. (STR/AFP/Getty Images)
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- A helicopter hovers over a sinkhole that’s 120-feet wide and 180-feet deep in a gypsum stack at IMC-Agrico’s New Wales plant, southwest of Mulberry, Fla., on June 29, 1994. (Scott Wheeler/Reuters)
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- A local resident throws a stone into a sinkhole near Qingquan primary school in Dachegnqiao town of Ningxiang, Hunan province on June 15, 2010. The hole, 150 meters (492 feet) wide and 50 meters (164 feet) deep, has been growing since it first appeared in January and had destroyed 20 houses when this picture was taken. (Stringer/Reuters Photo)
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- A massive sinkhole, approximately 200 feet by 240 feet, opens up and tears apart the pavement of Soledad Mountain Road, October 3, 2007 in the Mount Soledad neighborhood of La Jolla near San Diego, California. The landslide damaged or destroyed reportedly 6 homes and forced the evacuation of at least 20 others. (Kent Horner/Getty Images)
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- Atlanta police and firefighters secure an area where an enormous sinkhole over a hundred feet in diameter in the parking lot of a Marriott Courtyard hotel collapsed by a break in a sewage culvert on June 14, 1992. The incident, which claimed at least one life, occurred after heavy rain fell through the night. (John Kuntz/Reuters)
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- A car with two passengers fell into a sinkhole at Owings Mills mall on April 28, 2004. The two victims were flown to Shock Trauma. (Barbara Haddock Taylor/Baltimore Sun Photo)
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- A large sinkhole opened on East Monument Street in Baltimore in summer 2012. The sinkhole appeared above a 120-year-old drainage culvert after heavy rains, causing evacuations and closing the road. (Algerina Perna/Baltimore Sun Photo)
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- A large sinkhole opened on East Monument Street in Baltimore in summer 2012. The sinkhole appeared above a 120-year-old drainage culvert after heavy rains, causing evacuations and closing the road. (Algerina Perna/Baltimore Sun Photo)
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- A large sinkhole opened on East Monument Street in Baltimore in summer 2012. The sinkhole appeared above a 120-year-old drainage culvert after heavy rains, causing evacuations and closing the road. (Algerina Perna/Baltimore Sun Photo)
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- A Lochearn woman peers into an approximately 10 foot by 10 foot sinkhole that appeared in her driveway in March 2003. In the photo, a pump is removing water from the hole. (Kim Hairston/Baltimore Sun Photo)
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If You Build It, Will They Come? - SmiLoans
Feb 03, 2015 @ 04:20:15
[…] Notable sinkholes from around the globe In late January 2015, a Prince George's County family narrowly escaped from their car before it was swallowed by a sinkhole caused by a water main break, according to the Associated Press. To explore this geological phenomenon, we took a look at some … Read more on Baltimore Sun […]
F C Brame
Mar 03, 2013 @ 05:25:27
Amazing photos. Thank you for sharing.