Sinkhole in Vancouver

[Paris]

I don't have a link for this, it hasn't made it on the net or the news, A bus had to be rerouted due to a sinkhole

[Alex Cortes]

We are without a doubt witnessing sinkholes in parts of the world where they are unheard of. And on a scale that is completely off the charts in regards to size, and frequency. The media will care little for sinkholes as long as they refer to them as potholes. Yes substrata earth moments can cause sinkholes and have been causing them. Up until a major building or school drops into one of the larger sinkholes. So that everyone is aware of this simple fact, they can and will occur in all parts of the world, regardless of water systems breaking, draught, or anything else used to explain them. Know that they are a hazard and should be given a wide berth.

[Paris]

About two months ago, there was a sinkhole reported here on the local news. I think they are more common, at least they do seem to be reported more often. As we know the planet is under a lot of stress at the moment, so its natural that the ground would be more susceptible to events like sinkholes.
Usually the explanations given by the media for sinkholes is aging pipes or excessive rain. In Vancouver its been quite dry ( for a city on the edge of a rain forest) and unlike most American cities, aging pipes most likely isn't the problem... most of its aging sewers and pipes were replaced before the winter olympics. The entire city underwent a major face lift.

[edina]

Alex, this is some good information on sink hole development, thanks for sharing this.
I'm wondering, are we seeing sinkholes in places that we would not normally see them?
I remember sink holes closing I-25 in Denver a couple of years ago.

Also, this sink hole is probably not newsworthy enough to make it even in the local Vancouver news. This gets me to wondering how many more sink holes we may be experiencing in places we do not associate with sinkholes and yet we do not really hear about. A few weeks ago I saw a short blip of an article about a man that was walking down the sidewalk in Canada, I think it was Montreal???, and he fell through the sidewalk, into a sink hole that had developed there. Another person saw this and came over to try to help him out. I'm not certain why that made news, but the one Paris told us about did not. It's hard to understand these inconsistencies in the news.

Anyway, do you think there are more sinkholes now?
And, it so, how do we explain this odd increase....

[Alex Cortes]

The phenomenon is most common in Florida, Texas, Alabama, Missouri, Kentucky, Tennessee and Pennsylvania, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. The ground beneath these states is rich in easily dissolved rocks such as limestone, carbonates and salt beds. When groundwater flows through these rocks, it eats away at them, leaving behind subterranean holes and caverns. When the roof of one of these caverns collapses, it takes the land above down with it.

Some sinkholes give way gradually and are filled in with dirt or sand from above. Others erode from the surface when easily dissolved rocks are exposed to rain and wind.

The most dangerous sinkholes are those that collapse suddenly. In some cases, the groundwater filling the underground caverns drains away because of drought or because humans divert the flow of groundwater for mining, drinking water or irrigation. Without the water supporting the roof from below, the land above crumbles. In other cases, the roof of the cavern becomes too weak to support the weight of the soil above it.

[lorry]

How do the sinkholes form? Are they indeed related to planet X?

[edina]

Okay, thanks for the personal information Paris, I believe there will be more sinkholes everywhere happening soon. Taxis are much more expensive than buses. I imagine this sinks into their transportation budget....

[Paris]

There might not be a link unless its deemed news worthy. A few people I work with were complaining that they had to take a taxi because the bus was canceled due to a sinkhole.

[edina]

Thanks, Paris, I'll be looking for the link, when you get it.