Sinkhole in Guatemala City: Epic Superhero Battle Collateral Damage

  • Thread starter Chi Meson
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In summary, a massive sinkhole in Guatemala City has been captured in a high resolution photo, showing a perfectly round hole that looks like it was created by a superhero/supervillain battle. The hole swallowed a 3-story building and is believed to be caused by a collapsed underground cave. Experts question whether it is a true sinkhole and are curious about the unusual shape and location. The photo has shocked and amazed many people, causing speculation on how it could have formed naturally. Despite its bizarre appearance, it is a tragic event for the occupants of the building and poses a danger to the rest of the city.
  • #36
I'm not gona believe this isn't photoshopped until I see it with my own eyes even then I'll probably still think somethings up.
 
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  • #38
This is all over CNN, with video, it's real. I just can't get over the fact that it looks BOTTOMLESS! I realize it isn't, but for a deeply catholic nation, this must be one of those "god is pissed!" moments.
 
  • #39
Reminds me of the sacrificial well at Chichen Itza, Mexico, where many hapless were tossed in with their hearts carved out, followed by mounds of gold.
 
  • #41
Did anyone see a dragon or satan in that area lately?
 
  • #42
magpies said:
Did anyone see a dragon or satan in that area lately?

Well I heard "the devil went down to Georgia." But think he has been seen in the gulf waters lately. Why? You think that hole is some kind of portal? I thought that was downtown on wall street.
 
  • #43
A "piping feature", not a sinkhole, says geologist

The Guatemalan resident geologist Sam Bonis is exasperated that the hole in Guatemala city is called a "sinkhole" a term which, apparently, implies that the bedrock is essentially solid, having been gradually eaten away by the groundwater in unpredictable ways.

The ground beneath Guatemala city is actually mostly pumice fill, basically from volcanic ash.


Bonis was part of a 2007 team setting up recommendations after a similarly holey incident.
Thus, he thinks this disaster is as much about human fault, rather than a vengeful mother nature.

http://news.discovery.com/earth/dont-call-the-guatemala-sinkhole-a-sinkhole.html
 
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  • #44
Thank you for that arildno. Proton Soup mentioned the possibility of "volcanic activity" being something to do with it. I invested a lot of time reading about that yesterday. It's all very interesting.
But yet another accident because of human error?? How much of this already?
 
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  • #45
Lacy33 said:
Thank you for that arildno. Proton Soup mentioned the possibility of "volcanic activity" being something to do with it. I invested a lot of time reading about that yesterday. It's all very interesting.
But yet another accident because of human error?? How much of this already?

i believe guatemala is very poor, so much more to come, probably
 
  • #46
Proton Soup said:
i believe guatemala is very poor, so much more to come, probably

Having spent some time there, I can indeed confirm that they are VERY VERY poor, and predictive geology and city planning probably rates somewhere right behind alms for the poor. Guatemala City makes Mexico City look like the Paris Metro.
 
  • #47
Up date:
I give up!
 
  • #48
Lacy33 said:
Up date:
I give up!

Well, consider their sewerage, and water system, which is, if I remember, clay and sometimes even wooden. That would allow seeps to slowly erode the fill, especially in urban areas. Does that help at all?
 
  • #49
http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/2010/0...d-by-what-to-do-with-giant-Guatemala-sinkhole

The country has some experience with large sinkholes, as it turns out. In 2007, a 330-foot-deep sinkhole opened up in Barrio San Antonio, just 15 blocks away from the current one in Ciudad Nueva. That sinkhole is thought to have been caused by a broken storm drain pipe that over time weakened and washed away the ground above it.
 

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