A cavernous and almost perfectly round sinkhole swallowed an entire intersection in Guatemala City during a tropical storm, spooking people in the neighbourhood but exciting geologists. The hole is 66 feet (20 meters) across and plunges nearly 100 feet (30 meters) deep.
Geologists said Tuesday that the circular shape suggested a cave formation underneath, but what exactly caused the sinkhole was still a mystery.
"I can tell you what it's not: It's not a geological fault, and it's not the product of an earthquake," said David Monterroso, a geophysics engineer at the National Disaster Management Agency. "That's all we know. We're going to have to descend."
The sinkhole formed Saturday and gulped down a clothing factory about three miles (two kilometers) from the site of a similar sinkhole three years ago. Neighbors said it was a miracle no factory workers died.
Source: www.forbes.com
What is a Sinkhole? - Sinkholes are depressions or holes in the land surface. They can be shallow or deep, small or large, but all are a result of the dissolving of the underlying limestone.
