Houses collapse into sinkhole in Manchester, England.

Two houses have been partially destroyed by a sinkhole in Manchester, England, and it is thought the situation will get worse before it is brought under control. The situation began on the evening of Wednesday 20 January 2021, when a three metre wide sinkhole appeared suddenly outside the houses, in the Abbey Hey area of the city, swallowing a parked car, and prompting local emergency services to evacuate the four houses closest to the hole. The frontages of two of the houses collapsed into the hole later that evening, and there is concern that the remainder of the buildings is sagging and likely to also collapse.

 

Damage to houses caused by a sinkhole in the Abbey Hey area of Manchester, England, on 20 January 2021. Sean Hansford/Manchester Evening News.

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.

 

 

Emergency services attending the scene of a sinkhole in the Abbey Hey area of Manchester, England. Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service.

 

The cause of this particular sinkhole is still unclear. United Utilities initially described the hole as having been caused by a collapsed sewer, but has now changed statement, and is describing the cause as being under investigation. Manchester has suffered an increasing number of sinkholes in recent years, despite being built largely on sand and sandstone, silicate rocks which are not prone to dissolution. Domenico Lombardi of the University of Manchester has attributed these problems to the city's aging sewer system, combined with the presence of some former mined in the city, a rising population (which means more water consumption and wastewater generation), and a increasing rainfall in the area over the past decade. Where water and sewage pipes passing through soft sandstone or unconsolidated sands begin to leak, they can generate sinkholes very quickly as large amounts of water suddenly start flowing in directions not causes by natural drainage.

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Magnitude 1.1 Earthquake in Manchester, England.

The British Geological Survey recorded a Magnitude 1.1 Earthquake at a depth of 3 km beneath Salford, Greater Manchester, slightly after 5.00 am British Summertime (slightly after 4.00 am GMT) on Wednesday 25 June 2014. This was not a large quake, and there was no danger of any damage or injuries, though people did report feeling it locally.

The approximate location of the 25 June 2014 Salford Earthquake. Google Maps.

Earthquakes become more common as you travel north and west in Great Britain, with the west coast of Scotland being the most quake-prone part of the island and the northwest of Wales being more prone  to quakes than the rest of Wales or most of England.

The precise cause of Earthquakes in the UK can be hard to determine; the country is not close to any obvious single cause of such activity such as a plate margin, but is subject to tectonic pressures from several different sources, with most quakes probably being the result of the interplay between these forces.

Britain is being pushed to the east by the expansion of the Atlantic Ocean and to the north by the impact of Africa into Europe from the south. It is also affected by lesser areas of tectonic spreading beneath the North Sea, Rhine Valley and Bay of Biscay. Finally the country is subject to glacial rebound; until about 10 000 years ago much of the north of the country was covered by a thick layer of glacial ice (this is believed to have been thickest on the west coast of Scotland), pushing the rocks of the British lithosphere down into the underlying mantle. This ice is now gone, and the rocks are springing (slowly) back into their original position, causing the occasional Earthquake in the process.

Witness accounts of Earthquakes can help geologists to understand these events, and the structures that cause them. If you felt this quake, or were in the area but did not (which is also useful information) then you can report it to the British Geological Survey here.

See also...

 Magnitude 1.5 Earthquake to the northeast of Wigan.

The British Geological Survey recorded a magnitude 1.5 Earthquake at a depth of 8 km, about 1 km to the northeast of Wigan, in...


 Magnitude 1.8 Earthquake in the Lake District, Cumbria.

The British Geological Survey recorded a Magnitude 1.8 Earthquake at a depth of 4 km approximately 5 km north of the village of...


 Magnitude 2.6 Earthquake of the Lancashire coast.

The British Geological Survey recorded a Magnitude 2.6 Earthquake at a depth of 10 km, beneath the Irish Sea roughly 30 km off the...

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Magnitude 1.5 Earthquake to the northeast of Wigan.

The British Geological Survey recorded a magnitude 1.5 Earthquake at a depth of 8 km, about 1 km to the northeast of Wigan, in greater Manchester, slightly after 6.05 pm British Summertime (slightly after 5.05 pm GMT) on Sunday 20 October 2013. A quake this size is extremely unlikely to cause any damage or injuries, but may have been felt locally. 

The approximate location of the 20 October 2013 Wigan Earthquake. Google Maps.

Earthquakes become more common as you travel north and west in Great Britain, with the west coast of Scotland being the most quake-prone part of the island and the northwest of Wales being more prone  to quakes than the rest of Wales or most of England.

The precise cause of Earthquakes in the UK can be hard to determine; the country is not close to any obvious single cause of such activity such as a plate margin, but is subject to tectonic pressures from several different sources, with most quakes probably being the result of the interplay between these forces.

Britain is being pushed to the east by the expansion of the Atlantic Ocean and to the north by the impact of Africa into Europe from the south. It is also affected by lesser areas of tectonic spreading beneath the North Sea, Rhine Valley and Bay of Biscay. Finally the country is subject to glacial rebound; until about 10 000 years ago much of the north of the country was covered by a thick layer of glacial ice (this is believed to have been thickest on the west coast of Scotland), pushing the rocks of the British lithosphere down into the underlying mantle. This ice is now gone, and the rocks are springing (slowly) back into their original position, causing the occasional Earthquake in the process. 

Witness accounts of Earthquakes can help geologists to understand these events, and the structures that cause them. If you felt this quake, or were in the area but did not (which is also useful information) then you can report it to the British Geological Survey here.

See also Magnitude 1.8 Earthquake in the Lake District, Cumbria, Magnitude 2.6 Earthquake of the Lancashire coast, Earthquakes off the Lancashire coast, Magnitude 2.1 Earthquake in Cheshire, England and Magnitude 1.2 Earthquake in the Peak District, Derbyshire.

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