Sinkhole Montreal

Sinkhole Montreal the latest puzzling pit:

Not more than a week has passed since the Kansas sinkhole in Hoss' hayfield emerged without warning, and now a second hole in the ground has just given way. This time in the middle of a busy street in downtown Montreal Canada.

At approximately 25-feet across (so far) Montreal's sinkhole, however, is considerably smaller than the one which continues to grow in the state of Kansas. 

Nevertheless, it still managed to suck down an entire backhoe -- sans its operator, thankfully.

Sink-holing is relatively rare in Kansas, but the metropolis of Montreal and parts thereabout have regularly done battle with them. In fact, this newest one is the third or fourth to develop in that particular neighborhood, some of which have swallowed up more than one vehicle!

The Toronto Sun reports that, as with most of the other sinkholes that suddenly appeared in their region, the cause of this latest one is most likely decrepit infrastructure as well.

A sewer main had been leaking for weeks in that exact location, its effluence slowly but surely undermining the earth right beneath the pavement.

Hoss' pocked pasture, on the other hand, is still being investigated, as there is no known geological reason for why the bottomless pit should have begun growing there overnight.

No scientific explanation has yet been offered either, but usually in rural areas like Kansas heavy rains or severe droughts are the culprits. Especially when soluble soils, which are notoriously unstable, are involved.

As can be seen by the dramatic image above, sinkholes can pose significant hazards and some people have actually died as a result. Fortunately though no one was hurt in either recent episodes. 

You can view more images of Sinkhole Montreal here, and see a picture of the massive Kansas sinkhole too, plus learn about the science behind this weird phenomena, here.

What to do about Kansas sinkhole

Huge pockets of collapsing earth, like the Kansas sinkhole that formed overnight this week in Dalton Hoss' cow pasture, are becoming a frequent occurrence now.

Normally sinkholes develop after periods of heavy rain and flooding or where man has wantonly overdeveloped, shifting rock and soil deposits and thereby compromising the land's natural integrity.

But, assuming Kansans know what they're talking about, the Kansas sinkhole is an anomaly in that there aren't any large wells, caverns or mines in the area, and the region hasn't experienced that much precipitation either.

In fact, experts theorize that the recent lack of normal rainfall throughout large swaths of America over the past several years could be the clue as to why sinking land is on the rise lately.

It's basically yet another symptom of a hotter, ailing planet, they say.

Whether through excess water or drought conditions, the destabilizing effect on soil containing large amounts of soluble rock such as limestone, gypsum and salt, could be the same: It gives out suddenly, in the process of crumbling or resettling creating massive cave-ins.

Geologists familiar with sinkhole dynamics claim nearly 20 percent of communities in the United States are situated on the type of potentially unstable earth -- called 'karst terrain' -- that could one day, without warning, start to sink.

Key U.S. states where sink-holing is not so rare are Alabama, Florida, Kentucky, Missouri, Pennsylvania, Tennessee and Texas. But the phenomena has been spreading.

What should we do with our new, fast-growing bottomless pits, besides exercising an abundance of caution when taking pictures of them? Why, fill these ever-expanding holes in the ground with tons and tons of trash, of course!

Unless, like Americonic Art, you intend to repurpose your garbage.

(Read about Sinkhole Montreal next.]