Sinkholes are natural depressions in the ground caused by the collapse of underground cavities due to erosion from acidic water. They can occur suddenly without warning. In 2013, a large sinkhole opened beneath a villa at the Summer Bay Resort in Florida, causing it to collapse into the sinkhole. All guests were safely evacuated before the collapse. The villa was a total loss and guests lost personal belongings. The resort and Red Cross provided assistance to affected guests. Florida received funds to study sinkhole risks.

1. SinkholesSinkholes
Geography in the NewsGeography in the News

2. What is a sinkhole?What is a sinkhole?
• A sinkhole is a natural depression/hole in the Earth’s
surface. They vary from 1-600m in depth and
diameter. They occur worldwide.
• They are naturally caused by the collapsing of a cave
roof or water table roof or by the dissolving of the rock
underneath the soil.
• They are artificially caused by aquifer pumping, the
collapsing of mine roofs or by sewer pipes as the
sewage erodes the surrounding soil or by water
leaking through pavements/concrete.

3. How they occurHow they occur
The clay soil and limestone rock beneath
the surface is, in some places, naturally
acidic, as rain falls and infiltrates into the
ground it becomes acidic.
Over time, the acidic water slowly erodes
away the limestone. Spaces & caverns
develop where the rock once was. These
spaces/caverns get bigger as the
limestone is eroded away., yet the surface
stays in tact.
When there isn’t enough material left to
support the soil above, it collapses into the
spaces/caverns. Many sinkholes come
unexpectedly and are unstoppable.

4. Case StudyCase Study
• On Sunday 11th
August 2013, a sinkhole
opened up under the Summer Bay Resort
in Clermont Florida, aprox. 10mins from
Disneyland.
• At 10.30pm a security guard was notified of a window blowing out by a guest
and when a 2nd
window blew out, decided to evacuate the villa.
• After 15mins, an estimated 105 people had been evacuated from the villa
including many others from surrounding buildings.
• 40mins later the whole structure came down into the sinkhole.
• A crater up to 100ft/30m in diameter swallowed much of the villa and caused
another to partially sink.
• Nobody suffered any injuries during the incident.
• 15yrs ago, before construction, the site where the villa was built underwent
geological testing and the ground was proved to be stable.

5. EffectsEffects
• The villa, with 24 three-story units, was reported as a
total loss.
– Loss of income
– Extra costs in reconstruction
• Guests lost belongings that couldn’t be recovered.
– Wallets, keys, passports, money etc.
– People would struggle to get home

6. ResponsesResponses
• The resort gave all affected guests new rooms.
• Summer Bay gave cash advances to many guests
who had left wallets & other belongings behind.
• The Red Cross also distributed food, clothing and
medicines to vacationers who had lost their
belongings in their resort rooms.
• Florida received $1.08million to study the state's
vulnerability to sinkholes.
– Locate areas at risk of future sinkhole development

7. ResponsesResponses
• The resort gave all affected guests new rooms.
• Summer Bay gave cash advances to many guests
who had left wallets & other belongings behind.
• The Red Cross also distributed food, clothing and
medicines to vacationers who had lost their
belongings in their resort rooms.
• Florida received $1.08million to study the state's
vulnerability to sinkholes.
– Locate areas at risk of future sinkhole development