A 70-year-old farmer from Stank in southern Cumbria, England, has been treated for chest injuries after falling into a sinkhole on the morning of Thursday 4 March 2021. The farmer was crossing a field on his property on a quad bike when the sinkhole, described as 2 m across and 18 m deep opened up beneath him. He was pulled out by rescue workers from the Cumbria Fire and Rescue Service and Duddon and Furness Mountain Rescue Team, and airlifted to hospital for treatment, although his injuries are not thought to be serious.
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.
In this case the sinkhole is thought to be associated with a disused nineteenth century iron-ore mine, many of which are found in the area. The bottom of the sinkhole was found to open out into a tunnel which extended 10 m in one direction and 4 m in the other, which is thought to be part of an undocumented mineworking.
See also...
Follow Sciency Thoughts on Facebook.
Follow Sciency Thoughts on Twitter.
