What to Understand About Sinkholes Following the Disappearance of a Pennsylvania Woman
Authorities are concerned that a woman from western Pennsylvania, who vanished while searching for her cat, may have fallen into a sinkhole.
On Tuesday, rescuers deployed a pole camera equipped with a sensitive listening device into the sinkhole, but no sounds were heard. Meanwhile, a second camera revealed what appeared to be a shoe. Efforts to locate her continued through the night into Wednesday.
Police reported that relatives of Elizabeth Pollard contacted them around 1 a.m. on Tuesday, stating she had not been seen since Monday evening while she searched for her missing cat. When authorities arrived, they found Pollard’s 5-year-old granddaughter in her parked car near the manhole-sized gap.
Here are some key points about sinkholes:
What Are Sinkholes?
A sinkhole is defined as a ground area with no natural external surface drainage, which forms when the underlying earth can no longer support the weight of the land above, as explained by the U.S. Geological Survey.
Typically, the ground remains stable for some time until the underground voids expand beyond a certain point. A sudden, significant collapse of the surface takes place when there isn’t enough support for the land above the voids.
A sinkhole is shown after opening in the road at the intersection of McAlpin Street and McLawren Terrace in The Villages, Fla., on May 21, 2018.
George Horsford/Daily Sun via AP
How Common Are Sinkholes?
Sinkholes are especially prevalent in regions referred to by geologists as karst terrain, characterized by rock types like limestone that can be dissolved by groundwater. They may also arise due to disused underground mines.
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The greatest incidence of sinkhole damage in the U.S. tends to happen in states such as Florida, Texas, Alabama, Missouri, Kentucky, Tennessee, and Pennsylvania. Florida, for instance, is especially prone to sinkholes due to its foundation of limestone.
How Big Are Sinkholes?
Sinkholes can vary greatly in size, ranging from just a few feet in diameter to large areas covering hundreds of acres. Their depths can span from mere inches to over 100 feet. Some have shallow bowl or saucer shapes, while others possess vertical sides. Certain sinkholes may even retain water and form small ponds.
Other Recent Sinkholes
In June, a massive sinkhole in southern Illinois consumed the center of a soccer field situated atop a limestone mine, bringing down a considerable light pole and leaving behind a large chasm where children frequently played. Fortunately, there were no injuries.
A police officer checking on a vehicle that fell into a sinkhole on a highway in Brunswick County, N.C., on Sept. 16, 2024.
Brunswick County Sheriff’s Office via AP
In 2023, a sinkhole that had previously swallowed a man while he slept in his home in suburban Tampa, Florida, reemerged for the third time. Fortunately, it was contained within chain-link fencing and posed no danger to the public or property. Officials indicated that such reopenings are common, especially in central Florida’s limestone-rich grounds.
An extensive sinkhole opened in 2020 in South Dakota near a man mowing his lawn. Investigations uncovered a large, improperly sealed mine beneath part of the residential area, along with a 40-foot-deep pit mine in another neighborhood section, as reported by a lawyer representing local homeowners. Subsequent to the first major collapse, several additional sinkholes emerged.
A significant sinkhole that engulfed oil field equipment and various vehicles in southeastern Texas in 2008 expanded in 2023 when another sinkhole formed and merged with the original.
