See Huge Texas Sinkhole Now Over 1,000 Feet Wide
Sinkholes really aren't anything new to us, but some of them have gotten so large over the years that they become extremely dangerous to persons and property in their vicinity.
You might even recall back in 2013 when the New York Times posted a video about a monstrous, devastating sinkhole in Louisiana.
Today though, the country's focus has moved to the small Texas town of Daisetta, which is not too far Northeast of Houston.
According to the USGS, this sinkhole first appeared in September 2008 in a salt dome.
Apparently, when fluids were injected into this former dome, the salt began to dissolve causing a 60-foot deep sinkhole that covered several acres and destroyed many buildings, cars, telephone poles and oil tanks.
Now, over the past fifteen years, according to an article from newsweek.com, this sinkhole has grown to over 1,000 feet wide and around 400 feet deep.
What Causes A Sinkhole To Begin?
The USGS says:
Sinkholes are common where the rock below the land surface is limestone, carbonate rock, salt beds, or rocks that can naturally be dissolved by groundwater circulating through them. As the rock dissolves, spaces and caverns develop underground. Sinkholes are dramatic because the land usually stays intact for a while until the underground spaces just get too big. If there is not enough support for the land above the spaces, then a sudden collapse of the land surface can occur.
Just look at this YouTube video from ABC13 Houston and you can see how massive this thing is.