Giant Sinkhole in Guatemala City
Giant Sinkhole Guatemala. A huge sinkhole in Guatemala, crashed into being on Sunday, reportedly swallowing a three story building and echoing a similar, 2007 sinkhole in Guatemala City. The sinkhole has likely been weeks or even years in the making floodwaters from tropical storm Agatha caused the sinkhole to finally collapse.
The sinkhole appears to be about 60 feet 18 meters wide and about 30 stories deep, said James Currens, a hydrogeologist at the University of Kentucky.
Sinkholes are natural depressions that can form when water saturated soil and other particles become too heavy and cause the roofs of existing voids in the soil to collapse.
Another way sinkholes can form is if water enlarges a natural fracture in a limestone bedrock layer. As the crack gets bigger, the topsoil gently slumps, eventually leaving behind a sinkhole.
It’s unclear which mechanism is behind the 2010 Guatemala sinkhole, but in either case the final collapse can be sudden, Currens said.