Http://www.flickr.com/photos/thane/410418802/
The Guatemala sinkhole is a good example of a type of landform that can result from a destructive force called erosion. In particular, erosion is the process of transporting weathered sediment from one place to another. Sinkholes form as the ground beneath the surface is washed, or eroded, away by water and the ground above, or the surface, becomes unstable and unsupported and caves in as a result of gravity, which is another erosive force. Notice in the picture that there is a large black hole, roughly the width of four emergency vehicles. You can tell this is a hole by noticing the water streaming down the right side of the hole. The break in the pavement, where the whole is, suggests that gravity, a type of erosive force, contributed in its formation. Further, knowing that the location of this picture is in Guatamala, and that there is poor planning and execution of underground water transport systems, I can infer that the underground flow of water induced erosion of the lower deep ground layers, leaving the top layer, upon which the city was built, an accident waiting to happen. I can thus conclude that this is not a landform created by constructive forces since this is not the result of crustal deformation, volcanic eruptions, faulting or deposition of sediment; rather, erosion is the culprit. Lastly, I predict that this landform will continue grow and expand in width and depth because the underlying force by which this landform was created, namely erosion due to water flow and gravity, will continue to act beneath the surface, thereby placing the surrounding public in danger of another catastrophe.
The Guatemala sinkhole is a good example of a type of landform that can result from a destructive force called erosion. In particular, erosion is the process of transporting weathered sediment from one place to another. Sinkholes form as the ground beneath the surface is washed, or eroded, away by water and the ground above, or the surface, becomes unstable and unsupported and caves in as a result of gravity, which is another erosive force. Notice in the picture that there is a large black hole, roughly the width of four emergency vehicles. You can tell this is a hole by noticing the water streaming down the right side of the hole. The break in the pavement, where the whole is, suggests that gravity, a type of erosive force, contributed in its formation. Further, knowing that the location of this picture is in Guatamala, and that there is poor planning and execution of underground water transport systems, I can infer that the underground flow of water induced erosion of the lower deep ground layers, leaving the top layer, upon which the city was built, an accident waiting to happen. I can thus conclude that this is not a landform created by constructive forces since this is not the result of crustal deformation, volcanic eruptions, faulting or deposition of sediment; rather, erosion is the culprit. Lastly, I predict that this landform will continue grow and expand in width and depth because the underlying force by which this landform was created, namely erosion due to water flow and gravity, will continue to act beneath the surface, thereby placing the surrounding public in danger of another catastrophe.
Wow! That must have been scary! That is a huge hole. I like how the picture includes a scale reference (that the hole is 330 ft. deep and the statue of liberty statue is only just over 100 ft. tall). Further, I like how the explanation gives details about why this happened and describes that more of the surrounding area could still be at risk. A question I have is, how could Guatemala develop a better and more supportive substructure on which to build their city?
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