Massive Sinkhole Opens in Florida
By Jeff Moffitt
@moffittjc (121499)
Gainesville, Florida
November 1, 2020 10:13am CST
Less than 1 mile (1.6 km) from where I live, a massive sinkhole opened up last week in an area of the city where sinkholes are not typically found. The sinkhole has been growing larger by the day, and six homes are now in danger of being consumed by the massive sinkhole. So far, one swimming pool and a gazebo have fallen down into the hole. All of the families have been evacuated from those homes for their safety. The sinkhole is now 195 feet wide (60 meters), and appears to have no bottom. One resident described the massive hole as "a portal directly into hell." Geologists are on site trying to find out more information about the hole and what lies underground. It is currently suspected that a previously unknown "underground river" may be flowing through the area.
Florida is located on a massive limestone base. Over the centuries, rainwater seeping through the ground dissolves away the limestone deep under the earth, creating massive underground caverns. Because Florida has spent most of its history submerged below the ocean's surface, the soil is very sandy and loose. However, there is a subterranean layer of hard clay just above the limestone base that helps keep the sandy soil intact. When the limestone underneath it dissolves, the sandy soil is easily displaced. In many instances, the hard layer of clay is able to support the surface soil (sort of like a cap on a hole), but eventually the stress and weight of surface soils and structures will weaken the clay and it gives way.
Sinkholes are very common throughout Florida, but most are much smaller than this current one. The photo shows an aerial view of the sinkhole taken a few day ago. In one corner of the photo you can see the swimming pool teetering on the edge. That pool has since been consumed by the sinkhole. The tree that has toppled over into the hole is approximately 50 feet (15 m), giving some perspective to the size of the sinkhole.
46 people like this
52 responses
@MALUSE (69373)
• Germany
1 Nov 20
@moffittjc What kind of wildlife is there? What animals can fall into the hole?
3 people like this
@moffittjc (121499)
• Gainesville, Florida
1 Nov 20
Usually, officials can fill in the sinkholes, but mostly it's the smaller ones. This one is too massive to do anything with, so it will just remain a large hole in the ground. They have already erected a large barrier around the sinkhole to prevent people from getting access to it. I'm not sure what they will do in the long-term after this thing stabilizes and stops growing.
4 people like this
@Courtlynn (67086)
• United States
2 Nov 20
Well that's scary! Not surprised with 2020 anymore though
5 people like this
@moffittjc (121499)
• Gainesville, Florida
2 Nov 20
I know, it's like, is there anything shocking anymore? I'm at the point where I expect stuff like this to happen. It doesn't even surprise me anymore.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (121499)
• Gainesville, Florida
8 Nov 20
@Courtlynn And now we have a November tropical storm coming at us. It's like 2020 doesn't want to go away quietly. It's throwing everything at us that it can.
2 people like this
@wolfgirl569 (105254)
• Marion, Ohio
2 Nov 20
@moffittjc My luck that is when it would get bigger
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (121499)
• Gainesville, Florida
2 Nov 20
@wolfgirl569 I'm sure you would have some type of indication that the sides would start giving away and the sinkhole starts growing bigger. Maybe you would feel the earth moving under you, or maybe you would see sand inside the hole start to shift or fall into the hole, or something.
2 people like this
@moffittjc (121499)
• Gainesville, Florida
2 Nov 20
I would. Just to take a peak over the side and into the hole. I certainly wouldn't want to live near it though.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (121499)
• Gainesville, Florida
9 Nov 20
It’s still growing larger, but so far no homes have been consumed by the sinkhole. But the hole is getting dangerously close to one of the homes, and with an approaching tropical storm later this week, it can’t be good news for the situation.
3 people like this
@moffittjc (121499)
• Gainesville, Florida
16 Nov 20
@just4him Hi Valerie, I'm glad to be back, although I'm not as active as I once was here due to my work schedule. How are your knees? Are you healing okay? Are you able to get around okay?
3 people like this
@just4him (317004)
• Green Bay, Wisconsin
9 Nov 20
@moffittjc I'm sure it isn't.
I'm glad to see you back. I hope things are okay.
2 people like this
@moffittjc (121499)
• Gainesville, Florida
1 Nov 20
None of those six homeowners have sinkhole insurance. All are claiming that they never even heard of sinkhole insurance, and are questioning why it was never mentioned to them when they bought their houses. I agree that it should have been made aware to them at their closings that they should consider getting sinkhole insurance (I have it for my house). The city is providing free legal help for the homeowners affected by the massive sinkhole, and I think if it can be shown that none of them were told about sinkhole insurance that they will all eventually file lawsuits.
2 people like this
@porwest (89267)
• United States
2 Nov 20
@moffittjc I would fight it too. I think insurance should be exactly that. Insurance. To cover whatever might happen to your house. Fire, flood, sinkholes, the furnace blowing up. All of it.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (121499)
• Gainesville, Florida
8 Nov 20
@porwest I agree. That's the whole point of insurance. Except that when you read the fine print in most insurance policies, they exclude more than they include. Pretty sad.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (121499)
• Gainesville, Florida
1 Nov 20
Thanks Carol. I am doing well. Just very busy as of late, but otherwise doing well. I haven't fallen into any sinkholes lately either! haha
4 people like this
@moffittjc (121499)
• Gainesville, Florida
1 Nov 20
@CarolDM If I ever do get swallowed by a sinkhole, I'll make sure to take pictures and post about it on myLot! lol
3 people like this
@moffittjc (121499)
• Gainesville, Florida
16 Nov 20
@kareng Two of the homes were demolished this week because they were about to be swallowed by the sinkhole.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (121499)
• Gainesville, Florida
9 Nov 20
The properties have already been condemned, so unfortunately those poor homeowners have lost the full value of their homes.
1 person likes this
@ptrikha_2 (46831)
• India
2 Nov 20
All this Science means that constructions in Florida need to have firm base. Also, uncontrolled constructions can create situations like above and that is not going to be good for the public and the area administrators.
Somehow I feel that modern development has ignored such scientific things and hence this creates uncomfortable situations for all.
2 people like this
@ptrikha_2 (46831)
• India
2 Nov 20
@moffittjc
Over development and over building of cities would in shorter or longer term lead to some or other Natural disaster.
Yet as Human beings a very few of us understand and pay heed to these things.
2 people like this
@ptrikha_2 (46831)
• India
8 Nov 20
@moffittjc
In some of the crowded areas in some of India's big cities, some structures are constructed with substandard material and weak foundations.
And some of these collapse, killing folks in the process. Yet Greedy construction companies/contractors still do not mend their ways.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (121499)
• Gainesville, Florida
2 Nov 20
I agree. I always wonder how they are able to build such large buildings in our city without causing more sinkholes to form.
2 people like this
@much2say (55318)
• Los Angeles, California
2 Nov 20
@moffittjc I told my husband about this and he had seen something on tv about these Florida sinkholes. I truly hope that this was one fluke sinkhole in your area. Hope everyone stays safe out there . . . is there any way to test for these sinkholes?
2 people like this
@moffittjc (121499)
• Gainesville, Florida
9 Nov 20
@much2say I'm not sure if there is a way to test for sinkholes. Maybe the technology is available, but I haven't heard anything about testing for them.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (121499)
• Gainesville, Florida
1 Nov 20
Yeah, it's pretty close. What worries me is this is an area without a history of previous sinkholes. Makes you feel very uncomfortable knowing that no place in Florida is truly safe from sinkholes.
1 person likes this
@LadyDuck (470749)
• Switzerland
10 Nov 20
@moffittjc It is scary, it's just like to fall into the Hell.
2 people like this
@moffittjc (121499)
• Gainesville, Florida
16 Nov 20
@LadyDuck I think it's more intriguing than anything, it provides a glimpse down into the underground aquifer that exists underneath Florida. I picture it as being a huge labyrinth of caves and tunnels!
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (121499)
• Gainesville, Florida
9 Nov 20
It’s still getting bigger and deeper by the day. Authorities are not sure when it will finally stabilize.
1 person likes this
@1creekgirl (41330)
• United States
1 Nov 20
That is amazing and frightening! I hope your home will be safe and all the others, too. Almost apocalyptic.
2 people like this
@1creekgirl (41330)
• United States
1 Nov 20
@moffittjc Be safe, dear friend, I'll pray God will protect you and all your Floridians.
2 people like this
@moffittjc (121499)
• Gainesville, Florida
7 Nov 20
@1creekgirl Thank you! I feel bad for the homeowners around the sinkhole, they are all safe, but basically their houses are worthless now in value.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (121499)
• Gainesville, Florida
1 Nov 20
I think the area I'm in is mostly safe, but technically anywhere in Florida can be prone to sinkholes. Most are much smaller than this big one that opened up, and most of the time they catch them early enough where they can stabilize the ground to prevent them from growing bigger. But this one is a massive one, and really there is nothing they can do at this point other than let nature run its course.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (121499)
• Gainesville, Florida
20 Nov 20
I have met a few. They tend to mellow out as they age, and are quite lovely to visit. But in their younger years, they pack quite a punch, and it's best to avoid them.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (121499)
• Gainesville, Florida
23 Nov 20
@TheHorse Come back at me with your clever response once you've had that extra cup of coffee.
1 person likes this
@TheHorse (217891)
• Walnut Creek, California
20 Nov 20
@moffittjc Sounds like...OK, you've set me up for a clever response. But I think I need another cup of coffee first.
2 people like this
@moffittjc (121499)
• Gainesville, Florida
9 Nov 20
It’s just part of everyday life here in Florida, just like alligators and hurricanes and giant pythons.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (121499)
• Gainesville, Florida
16 Nov 20
@JudyEv Australia has scary stuff! 
1 person likes this
@Hannihar (130218)
• Israel
2 Nov 20
@moffittjc
That is not good news at all. That is great that the families were evacuated. Can anything be done about it? That is very scary.
2 people like this
@moffittjc (121499)
• Gainesville, Florida
15 Nov 20
@Hannihar No, they cannot stop this one now. It's too big. They just had to demolish two houses that were in danger of collapsing into the sinkhole. Four other houses are still in the danger zone. The sinkhole continues to grow bigger by the day, averaging about 1.5 feet of expansion per day.
2 people like this
@moffittjc (121499)
• Gainesville, Florida
8 Nov 20
When sinkholes are small they can pump them full of sand, grout and concrete to stabilize the hole, but this one is so large that they can't do anything about it. Geologists have determined that there is a huge underground cavern deep underneath the area where the sinkhole is. There's no telling how big it can get and how much longer it will keep growing. It is still getting bigger by the day. And even worse, we have a tropical storm coming that is going to dump a lot of rain on the area, which is going to exacerbate the problem.
2 people like this
@Hannihar (130218)
• Israel
8 Nov 20
@moffittjc
That sounds very scary. Can something at all be done abut the sinkhole so it does not grow anymore.
2 people like this
@DaddyEvil (137249)
• United States
3 Dec 20
Hmmm... the news stories I just read show the sinkhole full of water. How did that happen? And have you gone swimming in the new 'pool'?
1 person likes this
@DaddyEvil (137249)
• United States
9 Dec 20
@moffittjc So you HAVE been swimming in it! Lucky!
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (121499)
• Gainesville, Florida
13 Dec 20
@DaddyEvil It's been way too cold for any kind of swimming activities!
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (121499)
• Gainesville, Florida
8 Dec 20
Yes, the sinkhole is full of water now. At first it was dry, and then it was filling up at night but draining during the day. Then when the hurricane came through, it filled up and pretty much has stayed filled up since then.
1 person likes this
@MarshaMusselman (38867)
• Midland, Michigan
13 Nov 20
That looks quite scary. I thought maybe it was a result of the hurricaine. At least everyone was evacuated. I hope they seekers stay away too.
The pool looks like a house to me.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (121499)
• Gainesville, Florida
23 Nov 20
@MarshaMusselman Sinkholes have a direct connection to our underground aquifer, which is where all our drinking water comes from. Houses are full of toxic materials that could contaminate the water supply if the sinkhole swallowed one up.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (121499)
• Gainesville, Florida
20 Nov 20
They had to demolish the house with the pool, because the sinkhole was about to swallow it. They also demolished one other house that was also in danger of being swallowed up. The sinkhole continues to expand at a rate of 1.5 feet per day.
2 people like this
@MarshaMusselman (38867)
• Midland, Michigan
21 Nov 20
@moffittjc why demolish the house why not just let it go into the home unless they wanted to make sure no kids checked the house or before it was swallowed up?
1 person likes this
@lovebuglena (44420)
• Staten Island, New York
1 Nov 20
I think there was a sinkhole in NYC recently but not that huge. I definitely don't want one around.
This one is huge. Good thing there was no house on top of it. I remember hearing something a while back... a man went into his bedroom and a sinkhole opened up and he fell into it... Don't remember where that happened though.
2 people like this
@moffittjc (121499)
• Gainesville, Florida
2 Nov 20
That happened here in Florida. The man was swallowed by a sinkhole while he slept in his bed. They never found him. The sinkhole swallowed everything...his entire house.
@moffittjc (121499)
• Gainesville, Florida
9 Nov 20
@lovebuglena It's not that bad! If it were, 29 million people wouldn't live here! haha
1 person likes this
@lovebuglena (44420)
• Staten Island, New York
2 Nov 20
@moffittjc 
I am definitely never moving to Florida.
I am definitely never moving to Florida.1 person likes this
@dgobucks226 (35515)
•
14 Nov 20
What a scary sight to see. I remember when visiting Florida seeing a news story on TV about a sinkhole which swallowed up a home and a person with it. Unlike a hurricane or tornado they seem to occur gradually. I hear they call the Tampa region "Sinkhole Alley?"
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (121499)
• Gainesville, Florida
20 Nov 20
Yes, the central Florida area (including Tampa) is known as sinkhole alley, because they are more frequent in that area, but they do happen all over the state. The area I live in up here in north central Florida is also very prevalent to sinkholes. Most of the time they do occur gradually, but in some cases (like this current giant sinkhole) they open up suddenly without warning. That was also the case in the story you referred to when the sinkhole opened up suddenly and swallowed a house with a man inside sleeping in his bed.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (121499)
• Gainesville, Florida
24 Nov 20
@dgobucks226 Should we be called the "Sinkhole State?" Or maybe "The Gateway to Hell State?" lol
@dgobucks226 (35515)
•
20 Nov 20
@moffittjc Yep, that was the news story! With those sinkholes a potential danger the Sunshine state is not so sunny for those who happen to experience one 
1 person likes this
@DocAndersen (54402)
• United States
14 Jan 21
Geologists call it Karst Topography when the ground and the bedrock have a gap and the ground collapses. The resulting "sinhole" is a Karst. I grew up in Indiana, sinkholes there are more common than in Florida, but are natural not caused by humans sucking all the water out of the ground!
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (121499)
• Gainesville, Florida
15 Jan 21
I'm very familiar with Karst Topography, as that is the dominant makeup of the ground here in north Florida where I live. That is why we have so many sinkholes around this area. Part of our sinkhole problem is natural, and part of it is manmade. I think our groundwater pumping is simply speeding up the process a little bit.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (121499)
• Gainesville, Florida
17 Jan 21
@DocAndersen Haha, I'm not a total geology geek, but I do enjoy reading about things like that.
1 person likes this
@DocAndersen (54402)
• United States
15 Jan 21
@moffittjc cool another geology geek like me!!! there are few of us! yes pumping ground water is never a good idea.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (121499)
• Gainesville, Florida
1 Nov 20
It is scary, since it is eventually going to swallow six houses. Also, they can't find a bottom to the sinkhole, so there's no telling how deep it goes.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (121499)
• Gainesville, Florida
8 Nov 20
@Nevena83 They have evacuated all the houses around the sinkhole. The residents are allowed to go back into their houses during the day to retrieve their belongings, but they cannot remain there overnight. The sinkhole will probably swallow at least six houses before it's all over.
1 person likes this
@Nevena83 (65277)
• Serbia
2 Nov 20
@moffittjc Oh, that's really scary. Are the other houses empty or do people still live there?
1 person likes this
