
DAISETTA, Texas — Regulators continued monitoring a massive sinkhole which has swallowed up oil field equipment, poles and some vehicles since surfacing just outside the southeast Texas community of Daisetta.
Television news footage showed a tractor, some oil field equipment and some telephone poles falling into the sinkhole as it grew near Daisetta, which has a population of around 1,000 and is located about 60 miles northeast of Houston.
The sinkhole was believed to have grown to at least 600 feet long and 200 feet deep by Wednesday night.
Sinkholes are rare and often take up to two weeks to stabilize, said Geoffrey Paine, a geologist and geophysicist with the University of Texas.
Sure have heard alot about them lately for them to be considered rare. There was one in Mexico just a few weeks ago. I remember one in Tucson a few years ago too.
Good point.
Homes built over limestone caverns are known to be prone to sinking, too.
Sinkholes can develop from the collapse of cavern roofs as you note limestone is prone to.
They can develop when an aquifer is lowered precipitously.
In this case, I wonder if the sink hold could be linked to removal of oil under the area?
Good question.
The sinkhole was believed to have grown to at least 600 feet long and 200 feet deep by Wednesday night.
...cause everything's bigger in Texas. (or so I've been told...)
Good catch. :-)
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