Massive Sinkhole Forms on Soccer Field in Illinois; What Caused It To Form?

A massive 100-foot-wide sinkhole has formed in the middle of an Illinois soccer field that was constructed over a mine.

The sinkhole swallowed a light pole in the middle of the recreational fields, leaving a gaping and deep hole.

Massive Sinkhole Forms on Soccer Field

The sinkhole showed up with hardly any warning before swallowing some floodlights.

Nobody was injured in the incident. However, experts think grave formations of sinkholes similar to this could become more frequent.

A security camera nearby captured the shocking incident. The sinkhole, which is thought to be as deep as 30 feet and 100 feet wide, opened up at around 9:18 a.m.

Environmental geophysics professor Peter Styles from Keele University noted that the pitch in Illinois could have been built over disused mining shafts or workings.

According to Alton Parks and Recreation director Michael Haynes, the emergence of the sinkhole was due to the underground collapse of the mine, citing further that New Frontier Materials is responsible for the matter.               

According to a New Frontier Materials spokesperson, the affected area has been secured and will remain off-limits as experts and inspectors work on the mine and perform repairs.

ALSO READ: Sinkholes Are Expected to Appear in California, Natural Disaster Will Swallow a Portion of the State [REPORT]

Why Do Sinkholes Form?

Sinkholes can range from a couple of feet in diameter to 100 feet in width like this recently formed sinkhole.

Though sinkholes are usually natural, they can also result from human processes, such as mining.

When minerals are extracted, the spaces and tunnels are known as workings. Some people think that they could get away with constructing playing fields over such workings.

Remediation typically necessitates costs. They could claim these workings are historic, as they have not yet collapsed. However, this is not how geology works.

The various pitches across Gordon Moore Park could have been balanced precariously on a relatively thin rock layer to cover the hole. The sudden collapse suggests that its balance was precarious.

Heavy rainfall or small earthquake vibrations across the region could also sufficiently trigger the final collapse.

According to experts from the British Geological Survey, this collapse was likely human-caused rather than a natural sinkhole that occurred.

It is also possible for sinkholes to develop after the abandonment of a mine and with the rise of water levels.

Since sinkholes are associated with heavier rainfall, their emergence could become more common. According to the BGS, flooding, leaking infrastructure, and heavy rain are known to trigger artificial and natural sinkholes.

Sinkhole activity would likely increase in the future due to natural subsidence, the collapse of mine shafts and old mines, and subsurface infrastructure.

RELATED ARTICLE: World's Deepest Sinkhole: How Huge Are These Topographic Depressions?

Check out more news and information on Environment & Climate in Science Times.