Horizon Beeb2 On Sink Holes

[DTCwordfan]

Anybody else watching this?

Fascinating it is and what a story and pics from Florida........

[emmie]

was looking at this earlier, not the programme but various places that have the problem. the Chinese young lady was incredibly lucky, as was her rescuer.

http://www.theanswerbank.co.uk/ChatterBank/Question1312331.html

[emmie]

if you see my link to the chinese girl, she just disappears down the pavement, must have been horrific.

[DTCwordfan]

yes - given that the programme focused on the family that had a sink-hole right under the house, one brother's bedroom disappearing into it taking him to. In seconds, lights out and they never found him.

I must say that the one in High Wycombe yesterday was surprising in how much it had swallowed that woman's car up; the vehicle was barely showing.....

[emmie]

i had linked to that, as well as the young Chinese girl, her rescuer went down the same place and both had to be rescued, the ground simply gave way,

[emmie]

http://www.today.com/video/today/47155170#47155170

[DTCwordfan]

They showed that clip, emmie, and the one in Nicaragua.....amazing things, clay being one of the determining factors, either drying out or being super-soaked, then the sane beneath collapses into the rock below (usually limestone). And, of course, the Wycombe one was chalk (chemically very similar in being a carbonate)

Down here it's mine tunnels, the (old) wood props and beams acting as the clay in these cases, becoming saturated with all the water in the system with the rainfall and there is a beam failure causing the collapse above. A mate of mine in Truro has a well in his garden that is normally 23 feet deep - at the moment, the water table is now within 6 feet of the surface.....that's an awful lot of water and weight....

[emmie]

seems better to keep one's eyes open - she didn't see the signs

[ivor4781]

cant think of anything more horrific than hearing your brother calling for help as he's swallowed by the hole never to be seen again what an awful memory to live with

[sandyRoe]

It can't have done much for Florida real estate prices.

[DTCwordfan]

Certainly not in the Tamp/Jupiter area , sandy - they were already shot though, as I understand from family and friends with property out there...

[gingejbee]

This programme is repeated Thurs, BBC2 at 7pm, if you missed and want to see.

[DTCwordfan]

It's worth a watch if you have an interest in geology/geography, caving (speology) and catastrophes...