Abstract
Subsidence from sinkhole collapse is a common occurrence in areas underlain by water-soluble rocks such as carbonate and evaporite rocks, typical of karst terrain. Almost all 50 States within the United States (excluding Delaware and Rhode Island) have karst areas, with sinkhole damage highest in Florida, Texas, Alabama, Missouri, Kentucky, Tennessee, and Pennsylvania. A conservative estimate of losses to all types of ground subsidence was $125 million per year in 1997. This estimate may now be low, as review of cost reports from the last 15 years indicates that the cost of karst collapses in the United States averages more than $300 million per year. Knowing when a catastrophic event will occur is not possible; however, understanding where such occurrences are likely is possible. The US Geological Survey has developed and maintains national-scale maps of karst areas and areas prone to sinkhole formation. Several States provide additional resources for their citizens; Alabama, Colorado, Florida, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Minnesota, Missouri, Ohio, and Pennsylvania maintain databases of sinkholes or karst features, with Florida, Kentucky, Missouri, and Ohio providing sinkhole reporting mechanisms for the public.
Highlights
Subsidence from sinkhole collapse is a common occurrence in areas underlain by water-soluble rocks such as carbonate and evaporite rocks, typical of karst terrain, a landscape with features such as sinkholes, sinking streams, and springs, which reflect the presence of subsurface voids or caves (Ford and Williams 2007)
The purpose of this paper is to describe the current status of mapping karst areas, but focuses on sinkhole risk areas in the United States (US) and the availability of associated public resources such as sinkhole mapping efforts and databases
Subsidence from sudden sinkhole collapse is a geologic hazard in karst areas of the United States resulting in estimated economic losses of more than $300 million dollars a year
Summary
Subsidence from sinkhole collapse is a common occurrence in areas underlain by water-soluble rocks such as carbonate and evaporite rocks, typical of karst terrain, a landscape with features such as sinkholes, sinking streams, and springs, which reflect the presence of subsurface voids or caves (Ford and Williams 2007). The term Bkarst^ has been widened to include both features that reflect surficial dissolution processes (epigenic karst), and more recently, features that reflect dissolution processes at depth (hypogenic karst); both result in subsurface voids with the potential for subsidence, sudden sinkhole collapse, or cave development (Palmer 1991, 2000; Klimchouk 2007; Palmer and Palmer 2009, 2011). Tihansky (1999) categorized the three main sinkhole types in Florida (dissolution, cover-subsidence and cover-collapse) that develop from the processes of dissolution and suffosion, noting that some sinkholes are a combination of types and can form in different phases.
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