Giant Sinkhole

Giant Sinkhole near Daisetta, Texas, about 60 miles from Houston. Sinkholes of all types are one of my nightmares! Literally.



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Even more horrifying sinkholes may be found at :
http://there-was-an-old-woman.blogspot.com/2008/01/nightmare-large.html

If you accessed the url and viewed the photos, you may understand my nightmarish fear of the phenomenon.

When in north Africa I experienced my first earthquake and immediately determined that I preferred terra firma to terra jello. I didn't like it at all. South Texas has had a few very minor quakes in the historical past but none in my lifetime, so the experience was foreign to me. The Californians laughed at us Texans and Louisianans for our alarm but I don't think they were as blase as they pretended.

However, not even the quakes instilled the horror in me that sinkholes do. I am terrified of them. To me, the earth beneath our feet is supposed to be solid and supporting, and I feel very betrayed that it can collapse underneath us.

COMMENTS:

The Future Was Yesterday said...

I thought Texas WAS a giant sinkhole? :) The first time the earth shook for me is none of your business, but the first earthquake I ever experienced, was in California. Tornado's you can hide from. Hurricane's you have a week to run away from. Screw those earthquakes! You have no where to go but straight down, and I'm getting there fast enough on my own!!

Saturday, May 10, 2008 12:29:00 PM

Worried American said...

I heard that!! The quake I experienced in north Africa did a lot of damage to native cinder block and brick/mud brick houses and walls, bridges, etc.. Expatriate houses were prefab units shipped in from Canada and they just bounced a little on their foundations, dishes rattled and stuff fell from walls. Nevertheless the experience wasn't pleasant. As each aftershock occurred we could hear them coming like supersonic trains rumbling through the rock subsurface, then shake, shake, shake! Brrr!

When touring California, especially Hwy #1 along the coast, quakes were ever in my mind and I was quite relieved to escape that lovely state without meeting a quake. Watching the TV coverage of their quakes was sufficient for me. California relatives threw up to me about our devastating hurricanes but I argued just as you stated - hurricanes you can run from, quakes you cannot. I am aggrieved to find via history on the internet that our apparently stable foundations under Texas can betray us also.

Saturday, May 10, 2008 2:45:00 PM

Granny said...

Could it be they've done too much drilling?

As for the Coast Highway, it doesn't need an earthquake to drop off into the ocean. It does that nicely all by itself every once in a while.

I drove it from Mendocino to Marin County and promised myself never again. I used to drive it south to Monterey sometimes but even that was scary.

Saturday, May 10, 2008 3:34:00 PM

WA: Yes, some of the minor quivers we've had have been due to surface sinking from oil extraction or water tables diminishing. But according to geologists, a few have been actual quakes, even though very minor. Our rocky underpinnings here on the Gulf Coast can be as deep as 50,000 feet but that is immaterial to quakes. Over 2 decades ago we had a nice little tremor here that puzzled the scientists, however. It was minor compared to California, Alaska and other quake areas, but unsettling to us to whom real quakes are foreign.

I loved the Hwy@1 in California - so very beautiful!! We stopped so much to admire the scenery that it took us 2 days to travel from San Francisco to Los Angeles in spite of my fears.

David G said...

Do they have giant sinkholes in Texas? Are they likely to occur under ranches belonging to retarded Presidents?

I can but hope.

Cheers.

Sunday, May 11, 2008 7:17:00 PM

Yes, David, there are sinkholes, some quite large in Texas. Especially where there is linestone/karst underpinnings with caves whose roofs collapse. Also salt domes which may be the culprit in the Daisetta sinkhole. Some sinks occur when water washes away soil beneath the surface. But I don't think there are any large enough to take down an entire ranch. Most ranches involve considerable acreages in Texas. Too bad. Nice thought, though. :-)