Guatemala sinkhole update 2011

The sinkhole has likely been weeks or even years in the making—floodwaters from tropical storm Agatha caused the sinkhole to finally collapse, scientists say. Share Tweet Email. Read This Next Did hallucinogenic booze fuel politics in ancient Peru?

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After writing in different forms throughout the s, he became one of London's most popular playwrights in the early s. The best way to stay updated is by liking our Facebook page — we post even more often there. Rescue operations were on hold until a firefighter, suspended from a cable, could take video and photos above the hole and officials could use the documentation to decide how to proceed. Their bodies were found near the sinkhole, floating in a river of sewage. There is no scientific term for what happened in Guatemala, he said, adding that he recommends the pit be dubbed a piping feature.

Natural sinkholes generally form when heavy, water-saturated soil causes the roof of an underground limestone cavity to collapse, or when water widens a natural fracture in limestone bedrock. But there is no limestone beneath the section of Guatemala City where the new sinkhole appeared, at least not at the depth at which the hole formed, Bonis said.

Instead, nature likely sped up a process set in motion by human actions. Recent eruptions of several volcanoes in Guatemala covered the city in a fresh layer of volcanic ash. If this material got into the city's pipes and drains, it may have clogged the passageways, making ruptures more likely, Bonis said. Heavy rains from tropical storm Agatha may also have overloaded underground sewage or drainage pipes, leading to a growing cavity that eventually collapsed, Bonis speculated.

The geologist added that the new sinkhole shares remarkable similarities with a sinkhole that formed in Guatemala City in They look the same," he said. The danger should not have been news to officials in Guatemala City, noted Bonis, who used to work for the Guatemalan government's national geology institute. As part of a volunteer team that investigated the sinkhole, Bonis co-authored a report warning the Guatemalan government that similar holes will very likely keep appearing unless action is taken to inspect the city's sewer system for weaknesses.

Watch video of sewer divers in Mexico City. But, he added, "there's got to be ways of inspecting the sewer system. These are things that have to be done. All rights reserved.