A three-story house in Swansea Head, New South Wales, has had to be evacuated after a sinkhole opened up beneath it on Tuesday 27 May 2014. The hole is reportedly about 10 m wide and at least 20 m deep, and was discovered by neighbours on Tuesday afternoon while the residents of the house were out; it is unclear if it opened up gradually or suddenly.
The Swansea Heads sinkhole. Sidney Morning Herald.
Sinkhole are typically caused by the erosion of soft sediments or limestone beneath the surface, creating voids that can open up unexpectedly. However on this occasion the hole has been linked to a mining operation that formerly occupied a site now used for luxury housing, and which was abandoned in 1953. Officers from the Mine Subsidence Board suspect that the house lies on top of a former furnace shaft associated with the mine.
The approximate location of the Swansea Heads sinkhole. Google Maps.
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