Sinkholes: When the Earth Opens Up – Impressive collection of sinkhole incidents with photos

Sinkholes: When the Earth Opens Up - Impressive collection of sinkhole incidents with photos The ground beneath our feet, our cars, our buildings, appears to be incredibly solid. But, rarely, that solid ground can simply open up without warning, dropping whatever was above into an unpredictably deep.hole. Sinkholes can be anywhere from a few feet wide and deep, to two thousand feet in diameter and depth. An undiscovered cavern or deep mine can collapse, allowing the ground above to crater, or a broken water main or heavy storm can erode a hole from below, until the surface becomes a thin shell that collapses at once. Communities built atop karst formations are very susceptible, where a layer of bedrock is water-soluble, like limestone, and natural processes can wear away caves and fissures, weakening support of the ground above. Gathered here are images of some of these sinkholes, both man-made and natural, around the world. [28 photos] A car at the bottom of a sinkhole caused by a broken water line in Toledo, Ohio on July 3, 2013. Police say the driver, 60-year-old Pamela Knox of Toledo, was shaken up and didn't appear hurt butwas taken to a hospital as a precaution. Fire officials told a local TV station that a water main break caused the large hole. (AP Photo/Lt. Matthew Hertzfeld, Toledo Fire and Rescue) A Toledo firefighter rescues Pamela Knox after a massive sinkhole opened up underneath her car in Toledo, Ohio, on July 3, 2013. (Reuters/Lt. Matthew Hertzfeld/Toledo Fire and Rescue) A Los Angeles fireman looks under a fire truck stuck in a sinkhole in the Valley Village neighborhood of Los Angeles, on September 8, 2009. Four firefighters escaped injury early Tuesday after their fire engine sunk into a large hole caused by a burst [...]

Construction Inspections Explained – Terre Haute, Indiana

Construction inspections explained Inspections required for new construction Updated: Friday, 02 Aug 2013, 6:56 PM EDT Published : Friday, 02 Aug 2013, 4:50 PM EDT TERRE HAUTE, Ind. (WTHI) - The City of Terre Haute has condemned the building that collapsed Wednesday , injuring two construction workers.  The City now wants some conditions met before construction of Moe's Southwest Grill can resume. "We have notified the contractor and told them before they can proceed and before we can lift the condemnation, we need a plan, their plan for moving forward,” said City Engineer, Chuck Ennis. Once the plan is approved, construction can resume.  At what point in the construction process remains to be seen.  Ennis says it's possible the contractor may be required to tear down the walls already built, and go from there. On Wednesday, the Terre Haute Fire Department told us crews were installing a truss system when the accident happened, bringing down the entire structure. That prompted us to ask Ennis about inspections on the project.  He said the project had passed two initial inspections, but construction had not yet reached the point a third inspection was required. "We did a footing inspection, and we also did an inspection of the underground materials," Ennis said. "The plumbing and electrical was brought in below grade, under the floor.  They were in the process of framing when the accident happened." Meanwhile, OSHA paid a visit to the site Thursday to begin its own investigation into the accident.  Its inspectors will determine whether the contractor followed its guidelines for safe construction. In other words, this investigation is far from over, meaning the aftermath of the accident is all we'll see here for the time being. The designs for all commercial and apartment buildings must first receive state approval before local [...]

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