A garbage truck became trapped in a sinkhole in Augusta, Georgia, after a section of road collapsed beneath it at about 8.00 am local time on Thursday 25 May 2017. Nobody was hurt in the incident and the vehicle has subsequently been removed, but the section of road where it occurred is likely to remain closed for some time while engineers assess the situation and repairs are carried out.
The scene of the 25 May 2017 Augusta sinkhole. Doug Stutsman/The Augusta Chronicle.
Sinkholes
are generally caused by water eroding soft limestone or unconsolidated
deposits from beneath, causing a hole that works its way upwards and
eventually opening spectacularly at the surface. Where there are
unconsolidated deposits at the surface they can infill from the sides,
apparently swallowing objects at the surface, including people, without
trace.
However
on this occasion the sinkhole is believed to have been caused by a damaged sewer or storm drain, which leaded water that washed away soft sediments beneath the road
until it collapsed. A number of houses in the area have been left
without water following the event.
See also...
Follow Sciency Thoughts on Facebook.
