Instant lakes: Many of Florida's famous circular lakes were actually created overnight by ancient cover-collapse sinkholes.

Why Florida is full of sinkholes

Chapter 1

The Swiss cheese beneath Florida's soil

Chapter 2

Three ways the earth opens up

Chapter 3

Famous collapses and how humans make them worse

YOUR GOAL

Master of Why Florida is full of sinkholes

Ch 2 · Three ways the earth opens up
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Florida's Sinking Secrets
BETA

hank Tap underground water levels to discover why Florida's limestone bedrock collapses into sinkholes.

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hank Florida's Limestone Sinkholes

Dissolving the stone, sinking down slow, then a sudden drop!

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hank The creeping sag of cover-subsidence sinkholes

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The terrifying suddenness of cover-collapse sinkholes

hank Cover-collapse sinkholes occur instantly when clay over a cavern finally snaps under the weight of the surface.

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The creeping sag of cover-subsidence sinkholes

hank Cover-subsidence sinkholes happen gradually when sand slowly filters down into underground limestone cracks, causing the surface to sag.

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Fun Fact

Instant lakes: Many of Florida's famous circular lakes were actually created overnight by ancient cover-collapse sinkholes.

Jul 20

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Glossary
sinkhole (noun)
A cavity in the ground, especially in limestone bedrock, caused by water erosion. In 1981, a massive collapse in Winter Park swallowed a home, a pool, and several Porsches.

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Gossip

Which type of sinkhole sounds the most terrifying to you?

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Quiz

Which soil material acts as a sticky bridge that hides growing underground voids until it suddenly snaps?

Jul 20

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hank The terrifying suddenness of cover-collapse sinkholes

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Quiz

How does adding heavy structures like swimming pools affect fragile Florida ground?

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hank The slow and steady sinkholes that form puddles

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Quiz

What determines whether a Florida sinkhole will form slowly or collapse suddenly?

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hank How weight on the surface triggers a collapse

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Quiz

What natural feature in Florida is often actually an ancient, water-filled dissolution sinkhole?

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Quiz

Which type of sinkhole forms slowly and gently over decades, often creating a shallow pond?

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Quiz

What happens during a cover-subsidence sinkhole in Florida?

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Quiz

Why does a heavy rainstorm immediately following a drought often trigger Florida sinkholes?

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Quiz

Which type of sinkhole is the most sudden, dramatic, and dangerous in Florida?

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