This isn’t daffodils, BUT..
I don’t personally know if any of you are geologists, but if you are, could you respond to me,
privately if you prefer.
I have a couple of sinkholes, in line, out front, in a high plateau area we never tried to cultivate.
(I know the internet says limestone deposits, but we have a very very acidic soil, 4.5 all over the
four acres–garden within 100 feet was one test site.)
They were there 25 years ago, when we moved here, but it seems they are getting worse in the
last year or two.
The row of sinkholes go down our hill, under the street, and on down in the property across the
street, getting lower and lower, and hit a bottom hole.
I foolishly, three years ago, tried building it up some with rubble and planted crepe myrtle trees–
couldn’t resist holes already dug.
They are living and thriving, and have bloomed…but I doubt if I’d do it again.
Other holes are opening up along that ridge?
Any opinions would be welcomed, and if you come to the 2011 convention, you can see this
in person.
I keep thinking how much I wish Carl Amason and Frank Galyon were here and I could listen
to them discuss it.
I don’t personally know if any of you are geologists, but if you are, could you respond to me,
privately if you prefer.
I have a couple of sinkholes, in line, out front, in a high plateau area we never tried to cultivate.
(I know the internet says limestone deposits, but we have a very very acidic soil, 4.5 all over the
four acres–garden within 100 feet was one test site.)
They were there 25 years ago, when we moved here, but it seems they are getting worse in the
last year or two.
The row of sinkholes go down our hill, under the street, and on down in the property across the
street, getting lower and lower, and hit a bottom hole.
I foolishly, three years ago, tried building it up some with rubble and planted crepe myrtle trees–
couldn’t resist holes already dug.
They are living and thriving, and have bloomed…but I doubt if I’d do it again.
Other holes are opening up along that ridge?
Any opinions would be welcomed, and if you come to the 2011 convention, you can see this
in person.
I keep thinking how much I wish Carl Amason and Frank Galyon were here and I could listen
to them discuss it.
Loyce McKenzie,
Madison, MS
on line between 7 and 8, no matter what the official edict says.
I was curious if you got any answers? I expected you have an old water or sewer line crossing your property. We have an old sewer line crossing under our daffodil fields that was installed in the 1940’s and have had severe sink holes either due to the old concrete tile shifting allowing soil to enter the pipe line and get flushed away or just due to the land still settling. Larger oil and natural gas lines are also a possibility but these are normally marked and maintained as mowed right of ways.
It would seem if there are no man made pipe lines then you either have an aquifer or a fault line that is moving and causing this. Normally the county will have records of any old pipe lines. Local colleges would have records of any know fault lines or someone would WANT to know what is happening.
Our county strip mines coal and the back filled areas create random sink holes but nothing in a straight line like this. I can forward this on to the geologist at the mines if you want. Keith Kridler Mt. Pleasant, Texas 100*F now for day time highs. Lows in the upper 70’s*F
Hi, Loyce,
We have one large sinkhole probably 8-10′ across in the back woods uphill from the house, plus what seems to be a sinking channel from there up diagonally (an underground spring cutting through the limestone?) and at least 1 smaller sinkhole near the top of the hill. Like you, I saw a use for the large hole when we first moved in 20 or so years ago and started filling it in with brush and limbs from clearing paths. Some years back a friend from the science center who is a paleontologist (so also knows geology) said that was not a good idea. He called it a karst foundation, which means there are underground channels and possibly caves. The sinkhole is formed by the acidic water eating away at certain kinds of rock (limstone here) and collapses when the opening underground can no longer support the weight of the soil above (or in my case the soil plus brush and limbs). I have never emptied the pile, as I thought that might not be a good thing to try. ;->
Here is a USGS site that show “areas of the United States where certain rock types that are susceptible to dissolution in water occur.” In your area it shows salt and gypsum. Makes me think, I have not walked in the woods out back since the flood, so I guess I’ll take a walk back there today. If you don’t hear from me again…just kidding!
http://ga.water.usgs.gov/edu/earthgwsinkholes.html
Becky that daffy girl near Nashville