A massive sinkhole in southern China opened up near a construction site in Guangzhou, consuming a group of buildings.
Refill
Workers in the southern Chinese city of Guangzhou (map) worked into the night filling in a large sinkhole that opened up under a group of multi-storey buildings on January 28. (Watch video of the buildings collapsing into the hole.)
The sinkhole, estimated to be about 30 feet (9 meters) deep and between 1,000 and 3,200 square feet (100 and 300 square meters) across, appeared near a subway construction site, according to news reports.
A Sinkhole’s Destruction
Despite the loss of a group of buildings (pictured), no injuries were reported. Construction workers noticed the land starting to sink and were able to warn people in time to evacuate.
The first building collapsed into the hole around 4 p.m. (local time), and three adjacent buildings went later that evening, according to reports from The Telegraph.
Filled In
Although it's unclear whether construction work caused the collapse of Monday's sinkhole (pictured filled in), there are numerous reports of previous sinkholes around China produced through improper infrastructure maintenance.
According to the U.S. Geological Survey, sinkholes are common in areas where the underlying rock is made of limestone, carbonate rocks, salt beds, or other rocks that are easily dissolved by water.
As the water circulates through cracks and pores in the rock, the liquid gradually eats away at the formation until an empty pocket forms. It gets larger and larger until the overlying soil and rocks collapse, forming a sinkhole.
Aftermath
The sinkhole that formed in the southern Chinese city of Guangzhou (pictured) is, unfortunately, not a new occurrence for the country.
Many areas of the world are susceptible to these sudden formations, including the U.S. Florida is especially prone, but Guatemala, Mexico, and the area surrounding the Dead Sea in the Middle East are also known for their impressive sinkholes. (See pictures of a sinkhole in Beijing that swallowed a truck.)
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