The key drivers for this ongoing #sinkhole incident are still to be resolved…but we can perhaps suggest that this is an example of what happens when we don’t use, engineer, and/or map the Earth in the best possible way… www.bbc.co.uk/news/article... - ThreadSky

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seismatters.bsky.social • 18 days ago

The key drivers for this ongoing #sinkhole incident are still to be resolved…but we can perhaps suggest that this is an example of what happens when we don’t use, engineer, and/or map the Earth in the best possible way…

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cz9nw4z5g9qo

Comments

andygeology.bsky.social•18 days ago

They could usefully have consulted a geologist for some of today's reporting rather than the y9 geography text book they appeared to be basing commentary from what I read at lunchtime.

seismatters.bsky.social•17 days ago

Why? What was the issue?

andygeology.bsky.social•17 days ago

Just an incredibly simplistic description of carbonate dissolution and references to Ripon (where gypsum not chalk is the issue).
BGS press office have obviously now briefed out accurate information.

seismatters.bsky.social•17 days ago

How simple? Too simple? Erroneous? Putting aside the mention of Ripon, of course…

katejj.bsky.social•18 days ago

"The evacuated properties were built about three years ago, on the site of a former sand quarry." I feel there's a parable about that somewhere...

drewbrayshaw.bsky.social•18 days ago

99.9% chance it's burst pipe because a) that's almost always what it is, globally: water from the pipe break washes away the fines and makes a void, and b) if it was a karst feature or tunnel collapse probably all the water would have drained into the lower void instead of being there in the hole.

seismatters.bsky.social•18 days ago

I guess that’s why I added “engineer”, given the housing development is seemingly only 3 years old. Note that, I guess, the pipe *could* be much older than that…

drewbrayshaw.bsky.social•18 days ago

yeah, and it need not have broken at first. a small leak is enough to make a void in sand or fines, and when the void gets big enough the pipe sagging into it can be what causes the break

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