Recent studies on the mechanism of sinkholes and ground cave-ins

Abstract

Sinkholes or ground cave-ins often occur in the world. They are usually initiated by the formation of cavity in the ground due to soil loss. When the location of the cavity is deep in the ground, the detection of the cavity is not easy. Then it is possible that the hidden cavity expands to eventually cause sudden collapse. In this report, the characteristics of the underground cavity is roughly categorized depending on the cause of cavity. Various recent efforts taken to prevent ground cave-ins are also described.