Why Florida Has So Many Sinkholes?

Do you know why Florida has so many sinkholes?

  If rainwater or water from another source flows through the fault lines of a weak limestone, the limestone will begin to dissolve gradually.

It will give birth to a landscape known as karst.

Karat is the source of springs, streams, and sinkholes.

You will see this landscape in many places in west Central Florida.

This is the reason sinkholes form in that region a lot.

Why Florida has so many sinkholes?

There are many carbonate deposits under the soil of Florida.

This carbonate deposit dissolves as groundwater circulates on it.

This is why many places in the

.

In addition, Florida is under- lain by thick carbonate deposits that are susceptible to dissolution by circulating groundwater.

There is a carbonate rock, limestone, and dolostone at many places in Florida’s peninsula.

The rock is covered by a mixture of sand and clay at different degrees of thickness.

Groundwater is stored and transmitted by carbonate rocks.

The rocks dissolve as it goes through a chemical process, and it will result in a topography known as karst terrain.

Karst terrain is associated with sinkholes, wet and dry caves, springs, disappearing/reappearing streams, and many other land surface depressions.

You will see all these features at different places in Florida.

Formation of Sinkholes

Sinkholes can come from human and natural activities, such as when heavy rain falls, especially after a prolonged drought or tropical storm triggers sinkholes.

Human activities that trigger sinkholes include heavy draining of groundwater, investigative drilling, and excavation for construction purposes.

No one is too sure of any place that is one hundred percent free of sinkhole activity.

It is not the duty of the

.

Read the Florida Bar’s Consumer Pamphlet to know your right as a tenant or landlord in sinkholes matters.

Contact a professional home inspector or foundation specialist in your locality for an assessment of the building you want to buy.

There are sinkholes all over Florida.

There are other karst landforms in the state like caves, disappearing streams, springs, and underground drainage systems.

When limestone or dolomite dissolves and washes away after going through a chemical process it will result in Karst.

Limestone and dolomite are the most common carbonate rocks in Florida.

When carbonate rocks get in contact with acidic water they begin to dissolve.

Most times rainwater is a bit acidic, and as it flows over decaying plant debris the acidic level increases.

Florida Land

The kind of limestone we have in Florida is porous.

They have cracks, and acidic water penetrates through them, dissolves some of them, and washes them away as liquids.

If this erosion process continues for a long time, it will create underground spaces drainage systems.

With time, the ground above it will sink into underground spaces, called sinkholes.

Spring is groundwater discharging from an underground drainage system.

Examples of them in Florida are Wakulla Springs, Silver Springs, and Rainbow Springs.

You can see sinkholes on stream beds.

There are places they drain all the steam water creating a disappearing stream.

Another type of karst drainage system seen above the water level is dry caves.

An example is the Florida Caverns in Marianna.

Every hole, depression, or ground subsidence is not caused by sinkhole activity.

Other subterranean events can cause them.

Some of the subterranean events are when underground clay expands or there is a compression of organic layers when water is removed, when sewer and drain pipes collapse or are removed, and when a septic tank breaks.

Other factors are when soil is improperly compacted after excavation and when buried trash, logs, and other debris decays.

A licensed professional geologist or engineer need not verify a depression to be a real sinkhole, even if the reason behind the subsidence is not known.

We call such cases subsidence incidents.

In the same way, we have tornado season and hurricane season, there is a sinkhole season.

This means there are many contributing factors to this seismic hazard.

The most obvious of the factors responsible for sinkholes is that the bedrock of Florida is made up of porous limestone.

It is easy for this rock to dissolve in rainwater.

The water becomes acidic as it flows through the rock, creating a terrain known as karst with a lot of cavities.

As the cavities continue to increase, the strength of the bedrock will be seriously compromised and it will no longer be able to support the ground over it.

The ground will collapse into the void creating a sinkhole.

How often do sinkholes occur in Florida?

 Sinkholes are spotted at least three times in as many months.

Meanwhile, you don’t have to worry about sinkholes unless the sinkhole is massive and extends to your property.

You will find fewer sinkholes if you

.

Lake Butler

There are many sinkhole formations around Lake Butler.

Experts said these are signs sinkhole formations may happen in the lake because of how heavy the water is.

When sinkholes gradually form under your house, it may result in foundation settlement.

You will start noticing signs of

, including cracks on foundation walls and sunken areas on your property.

Sometimes, you can find mildew or wet areas around the foundation, leaks in the ceiling and roof, cracks in drywall, mostly at the top corners of windows and doors or out-of-level floors, slabs, sidewalks, or driveways.

FAQs

How deep are sinkholes in Florida?

The sinkholes in the Florida neighborhood are about 50 feet wide, and 30 feet deep.

Where was the last sinkhole in Florida?

The menacing sinkhole was the last one that formed in Florida, on September 19, 2022.

Its location is near Spring Haven Boulevard in New Port Richey.

What was the worst sinkhole in Florida?

In 1981, Florida witnessed the

that swallowed a home, part of a Porsche dealership, parts of several businesses, and a community swimming pool.

The total cost of the damages was put at about $4 million.

Presently, the sinkhole is named Lake Rose, after the homeowner Mae Rose Owens who lost her entire house to it.