Sinkholes consume property, cars, and people. Sinkholes are quite common and threaten many regions of the world. The origin of sinkholes start with fossils originating from sea level fluctuations. As they compress, they creating soluble and soft soil. The soluble soil allows acidic water to enter the cracks as well as void spaces and ultimately reach the "eroded" limestone underneath. Since, Limestone is susceptible to water, it creates sinkholes near the surface. Sinkholes are destructive and their causes are relatively impossible to fix..
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First of all, Sinkholes create destruction in many ways such as the following. In "sinkhole alleys", symptoms start to appear as cracks. Eventually driveways collapse and flooding occurs as water rushes in from the caves underneath. Next, as gypsum dissolves faster than regular soil surface in a sinkhole-prone land, structures develop cracks as they dissolve. Many property owners may resort to temporary fix like plaster but it only makes the situation worse in the long run as entire property collapses. Additionally, salt deposits underneath the soil dissolve even faster as water for irrigation is pumped through and over these deposits. This situation may also occur as a result of rain water accumulation as well as water from melting snow. Eventually, salt caverns create several sinkholes due to cavern fracture leading to intense damage and property collapse. The causes of sinkholes may be poorly designed drainage systems as well as damming sea and melting snow. Globally, there are millions of acres of land and property that are developing sinkholes from soluble soils which lead to millions of dollars of damage each year.
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In conclusion, sinkholes are not only destructive but devastating. Home buyers may decide to get their property and land surveyed for slopes, changes in height as well as ground elevations . A ground with an inclined slope with the property at the trough of that slope leads to water accumulation at the foundation and increases the magnitude and speed of the sinkhole. Home buyers may require the services of land surveyors or survey the land themselves with some basic survey knowledge and instruments like the theodolite to find point elevation. Many surveyors also survey land for natural gas pipe installation before construction is complete. One may then send these soil samples to geotechnical labs for Atterberg limits, soil plasticity and other soil tests. If the soil is tested for soil plasticity before construction, it could spell out a huge difference in profit and loss for those investing in land and property lots.