sinkhole: Quick Facts

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The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Last updated

Oct. 23, 2026

News •

Sinkhole revealed 50 metre deep mine shaft uneder road • Oct. 21, 2026, 10:47 AM ET (BBC)

Facts

Also Known As	doline • sink • dolina

Photos

A multi-story building at Summer Bay Resort in Clermont, Florida, sits partially collapsed over a large sinkhole, exposing interior rooms and debris, with no people visible.

Aerial view of farmland east of Bowling Green, Kentucky, showing numerous grassy sinkholes and depressions scattered across the fields.

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Topics

What causes sinkholes?cover collapse sink cover subsidence sink swallow hole volcanic sink Cenote karst doline karst polje pepino hill lapiés thermokarst salt karst