Cove Creek Sink Hole EarthCache
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The Tennessee Valley is made up of limestone bedrock and sees frequent, fast-moving rainfall that dissolves the rock over time.That process takes thousands of years, but the end results may happen in minutes.
A sinkhole, also known as a sink, shake hole, swallow hole, swallet, doline or cenote, is a natural depression or hole in the surface topography caused by the removal of soil or bedrock, often both, by water. Sinkholes may vary in size from less than a meter to several hundred meters both in diameter and depth, and vary in form from soil-lined bowls to bedrock-edged chasms. They may be formed gradually or suddenly, and are found worldwide. Mechanisms of formation may include the gradual removal of slightly soluble bedrock (such as limestone) by percolating water, the collapse of a cave roof, or a lowering of the water table. Occasionally a sinkhole may exhibit a visible opening into a cave below.
Sinkholes are common where the rock below the land surface is limestone, carbonate rock, salt beds, or rocks that can naturally be dissolved by circulating ground water. As the rock dissolves, spaces and caverns develop underground. These sinkholes can be dramatic because the surface land usually stays intact until there is not enough support. Then a sudden collapse of the land surface can occur.Other factors that determine sinkhole development include the permeability of the limestone, which affects the water table depth and solubility of groundwater, and the depth and thickness of the limestone deposit.
Sinkholes may capture surface drainage for running or standing water, but may also form in currently high and dry locations.Sinkholes are usually but not always linked with karst landscapes.
Sinkholes are common throughout Florida, Texas, Alabama, Missouri, Kentucky, Tennessee, and Pennsylvania where the rock below the land surface is limestone, which
can naturally be dissolved by the circulation of ground water through it. New sinkholes have been correlated to human practices land use, especially from construction and development practices or ground water pumping.
Sinkholes are common in Tennessee where the rock below much of the surface of the land is limestone.
As rainwater seeps down into the earth's surface and comes into contact with limestone, chemical reactions cause the limestone to slowly dissolve. As water continues to flow through holes that were created as the limestone dissolved, the holes become larger. Some small holes eventually become caves.
In order to log this cache, you must meet the following logging requirements:
1. Post a photo of yourself at the sinkhole site.
2. E-mail the owner through his profile and answer the following questions:
A. Estimate the width of the
sinkhole.
B. Estimate the depth of the sinkhole.
C. State the likely cause of the sinkhole.
Additional Hints
(No hints available.)
Treasures
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