In a few of months, sixteen enormous sinkholes have appeared in a region of Turkey after a drought forced the limestone to collapse.
Images depict the massive holes that appeared in a field in the Konya Valley over the first nine months of this year.
Sinkholes are depressions in the ground that lack natural surface drainage from the exterior.
When it rains, all of the water remains within the sinkhole and flows into the subsurface.
The craters are particularly prevalent in ‘karst terrain,’ where rock beneath the land surface is spontaneously dissolved by groundwater.
Salt beds and domes, gypsum, limestone, and other carbonate rocks are soluble rocks.
An expert from Konya Technical University (KTÜN), Fetullah Ark, has stated that there are currently over 2,600 sinkholes in the Konya Plain and has cautioned against the unrestricted use of groundwater.
The number of sinkholes increases daily in the districts of Cihanbeyli, Yunak, Kulu, Sarayonü, and Kaynhan.
Experts from the Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency (AFAD) and KTÜN evaluate them.
According to studies, sinkholes are relocating to higher-risk locations such as agricultural areas, residential areas, and energy investment zones.
Professor Ark told the Hurriyet Daily News, ‘Despite the massive snowfall last year, there was not a significant increase in groundwater.’
The sinkholes are alarming, according to farmer Kadir Gümüşsoy, who cultivates crops using an underground water source in the region.
Mr. Gümüşsoy told Agenda, ‘We approach the field with apprehension since we do not know when it may occur. There is no source of water in the dry basin. Groundwater levels are also declining.
This year, 8 meters of water was withdrawn from the well. We would like to encourage the cultivation of water-efficient plants.
Images depict the enormous holes in a field in the Konya Valley. Sinkholes are depressions in the ground that lack natural surface drainage from the exterior. When it rains, all water remains within the sinkhole and usually flows into the subsurface.
Expert Fetullah Ark of Konya Technical University (KTÜN) has stated that there are currently more than 2,600 sinkholes on the illustrated Konya Plain and has cautioned against the unregulated usage of groundwater.
Mr. Ark indicated that the ground structure is soluble when it comes into contact with water and that it encompasses a considerable portion of the basin.
Even if we do nothing, sinkholes will continue to form, according to the expert.
Modern humans use groundwater intensively and uncontrollably to produce plants that require a great deal of water.
These crops include sugar beet, corn, and alfalfa, and initiatives for their cultivation have increased.
Sinkholes are badly impacted by the low groundwater level, and their quantity is increased because no external streams flow into the basin.
Mr. Ark stated that the most effective way to deal with sinkholes, given that we cannot control the geological conditions of nature, is to regulate how much groundwater is used.
He described the situation as a “climatic calamity” and stated that water demand is quite high.
The number of sinkholes increases daily in the districts of Cihanbeyli, Yunak, Kulu, Sarayonü, and Kaynhan. Experts from the Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency (AFAD) and KTÜN evaluate them. A sinkhole in the field is shown.
A sinkhole in Turkey, KONYA. According to studies, sinkholes are spreading to higher-risk locations such as agricultural lands, residential neighborhoods, and energy investment zones.
The sinkholes are alarming, according to farmer Kadir Gümüşsoy, who cultivates crops using an underground water source in the region. Mr. Gümüşsoy told Agenda, ‘We approach the field with apprehension since we do not know when it may occur. There is no source of water in the dry basin. Groundwater levels are also declining. An image of a sinkhole in Konya
Sinkholes continue to pose a threat to the citizens of Turkey, as evidenced by a video taken on February 4 in the Kadokoy neighborhood of Istanbul showing a man named Omer Kacagan sliding into one.
As he approached two vending machines, the ground disintegrated, and he and one of the machines fell into the resulting chasm.
Despite claiming that one of the vending machines collapsed on him, Kacagan reported suffering only minor injuries and being rescued by the fire department within 25 minutes.
Kacagan explained that he dropped around 20 feet while speaking on the phone during a calm moment in the business.
When the ground broke way, shopkeeper Omer Kacagan was on the phone outside his store in Kadokoy in the northwestern Turkish metropolis of Istanbul.
Despite plummeting 20 feet into the sinkhole, Omer Kacagan was remarkably unharmed.
He stated to the local press, “I was on the phone in front of my company because there were no customers.”
‘Suddenly, the ground I was standing on fell beneath my feet. I plummeted around six metres.
‘In the meantime, a drinks machine toppled on me. The incident was reported to the proper authorities by businesses and bystanders, and I was rescued by firefighters 25 minutes later.
How are sinkholes formed, and what are they?
Sinkholes are widespread in areas where the geology beneath the land’s surface consists of limestone, carbonate rock, salt beds, or rocks that can be naturally dissolved by groundwater.
As the rock melts, underground chambers and caves develop. Sinkholes are spectacular because the land remains intact for a period of time until the subsurface areas become too large. If there is insufficient support for the land above the gaps, the land surface can suddenly collapse. As this image demonstrates, these collapses can be minor or enormous and can occur when a home or road is on top.
A sinkhole is a region of land that lacks natural exterior surface drainage; when it rains, water often remains within the sinkhole and drains into the subsurface. Sinkholes can range in size from a few feet to hundreds of acres and in depth from less than one to over one hundred feet. Some are designed like shallow bowls or saucers, while others have vertical walls; some are filled with water and form natural ponds.
Typically, sinkholes form so slowly that there is little discernible change, although they can form abruptly when there is a collapse. Such a collapse can have catastrophic consequences if it occurs in an urban area.
The map below depicts regions of the United States where rocks vulnerable to dissolving by water are found. In these regions, the formation of subsurface cavities and catastrophic sinkholes are possible. These types of rocks consist of evaporites (salt, gypsum, and anhydrite) and carbonates (limestone and dolomite). About 35 to 40 percent of the United States is underlain by evaporite rocks, but in many regions they are buried at great depths.
US Geological Survey source