Record Rains & Flooding Behind Rash Of Sinkhole Collapses In Britain - 9 In Past Month, More To Come
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A team from the British Geological Survey [BGS] is on its way to inspect the site. It said there had been almost a five-fold increase in reports of sinkholes since the winter storms began.
Dr Vanessa Banks BCS’s team leader for shallow geohazards and risks said the spate of recent incidents could be explained by the “increasing amount of moisture moving through the ground.” She added: “A range of factors can trigger sinkhole collapse such as heavy rain or surface flooding.”
Last year, Dr Anthony Cooper, a principal geologist at BGS, said Ripon was particularly susceptible to sinkholes, with a history of similar incidents dating back to 1834 when a 65ft hole was recorded. In 1997, four garages collapsed into a huge sinkhole that only just missed a neighbouring house. Cooper warned that sinkholes are likely to become more frequent as weather patterns involving drought followed by heavy rain become common.
Speaking to the Telegraph, he explained why so many sinkholes are opening up now: “When you get heavy rainfall the ground fills up with water, and groundwater levels rise. The area above where the sinkhole is develops buoyancy and as the hole beneath the ground drains out the covering materials become heavier, and eventually the support from the ground beneath and the water in the rocks is gone, and the land collapses.”
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http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2014/feb/18/sixth-sinkhole-in-a-month-wrecks-north-yorkshire-home