GEOLOGY

Detailed explanation-1: -If there is not enough support for the land above the gaps, a sudden collapse of the land surface can occur. Sinkholes are most common in what geologists call “karst terrain.” These are regions where rock types below the land surface can dissolve naturally by groundwater circulating through them.

Detailed explanation-2: -Sinkholes are all about water. (This is called “weathering".) Water washes away the soil and residue from the voids in the rock. Lowering of groundwater levels can cause a loss of support for the soft material in the rock spaces that can lead to collapse.

Detailed explanation-3: -Sinkholes are common where the rock below the land surface is limestone, carbonate rock, salt beds, or rocks that can naturally be dissolved by groundwater circulating through them. As the rock dissolves, spaces and caverns develop underground.

Detailed explanation-4: -Karst Topography is the formation of landforms due to solution and deposition on any limestone or dolomitic region by the action of groundwater or surface water.

Detailed explanation-5: -In a process that can last hundreds, sometimes thousands, of years, the water gradually dissolves small parts of the rock, enlarging its natural fissures and joints and creating cavities beneath. As the process continues, the loose, unconsolidated soil and sand above is gradually washed into these cracks and voids.