Sinkholes are utterly terrifying. They can range from just a few inches to hundreds of feet in depth, and they often open up without warning, instantly swallowing whatever sat on the ground above them moments before. A very small sinkhole usually isn't much more than an inconvenience, but a large one, well...
If you want a demonstration of the terrifying destructive power of a giant sinkhole, look no further than this chilling video of one opening under an Illinois soccer field yesterday. Fortunately, nobody was playing on the field at the time, or this could have been a much darker story...
Philadelphia's @6abcactionnews shared this heart-stopping security footage from the Alton Parks Department, which oversaw the now-ruined soccer field. Everything happened within mere moments. The ground underneath a lightpole on the field started to dip like a tarp filling with water, finally giving way only five seconds later. The tall lightpole was completely swallowed as debris and dust shot up dozens of feet into the air. I shudder to think what might have happened if this occurred in the middle of a soccer match...
The cause of the sudden sinkhole was soon linked to a surprising source: an underground mine collapse. According to WGN-TV , local quarry New Frontier Materials operated underground mines roughly 150 feet below the Gordon F. Moore Community Park, the site of the accident. The mines directly below the soccer fields started "having issues" early Wednesday morning, resulting in the huge sinkhole around 8:30 am. Fortunately, no injuries were reported above or below the ground!
On YouTube, photograhy company 618 Drone Service uploaded aerial footage depicting the aftermath: a mawing, near-perfect circle situated at almost the exact center line between two soccer fields. Michael Haynes, director of Alton Parks & Recreation, reportedly estimated that the sinkhole was 100 feet across and at least 50 feet deep, if not more. The soccer fields and parking lots are closed until further notice while geologists and engineers survey the site. A spokesperson for New Frontier Materials wrote that the company would work with the city to "remediate this issue as quickly and safely as possible."
Sinkhole Warning Signs
Most of us don't have active mines operating directly beneath our homes, but dangerous sinkholes can occur naturally due to underground erosion opening up big cavities in the earth. The ground above that void is unsupported, and anything sitting on top of it is potentially in great jeopardy, depending on how large the sinkhole beneath it is.
Sinkholes are obviously hard to detect, being that they're underground and out of sight. However, there are a few potential warning signs that homeowners should never ignore. Advanced Geosciences, Inc. (AGI) highlights seven sinkhole warning signs , including dropping or cracking in your foundation, round circular depressions in the earth, and "crocodile cracks" (named for their crocodile skin-like pattern) appearing in concrete or pavement. If you think you might have a sinkhole on your property, call your insurance company and your local State Geological Survey. As that terrifying video from Alton, Illinois, made clear, it doesn't take long for a sinkhole to turn disastrous.
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