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'{{Distinguish|2007 Guatemala City sinkhole}} {{Infobox News event |image= |caption=The 2010 sinkhole, aerial view |date=May 30, 2010 |time= |place=[[Guatemala City]], [[Guatemala]] |casualties1= 15 dead. }} {{good article}} {{Coord|14|39|07.6|N|90|30|21|W|display=title}} [[File:Guatemala City 2010 sinkhole 1.jpg|thumb|The 2010 sinkhole in Zona 2]] The '''2010 Guatemala City sinkhole''' was a disaster in which an area approximately {{convert|65|ft|m|abbr=on}} across and {{convert|300|ft|m|abbr=on|disp=5}} deep collapsed in [[Guatemala City]]'s Zona 2, swallowing a three-story factory.<ref name="Christian Science Monitor"/><ref name="Huffington Post">{{cite news |url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/03/01/killer-sinkholes-deaths_n_2791634.html | title=Killer Sinkholes: Unexpected Holes Swallow Entire Families, Cars And Homes (PHOTOS) | work=Huffington Post | date=March 5, 2013 | agency=Huffington Post | accessdate=2013-04-21 | author=Campbell, Andy}}</ref><ref name="National Geographic 1" /><ref name="National Geographic 2" /> The [[sinkhole]] occurred for a combination of reasons, including [[Tropical Storm Agatha]], the [[Pacaya#May 2010 eruption|Pacaya Volcano eruption]], and leakage from sewer pipes.<ref>{{Cite journal|title = Getting Revved Up About Sinkholes!|url = http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/foge.12031/abstract|journal = Focus on Geography|date = 2014-06-01|issn = 1949-8535|pages = 97–100|volume = 57|issue = 2|doi = 10.1111/foge.12031|language = en|first = Leslie A.|last = North|first2 = Jason S.|last2 = Polk|first3 = Daniel|last3 = Nedvidek}}</ref> ==Background== {{see also|2007 Guatemala City sinkhole}} Overall, the risk of sinkholes occurring in Guatemala City is high and unpredictable.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2010/06/photogalleries/100604-sinkhole-pictures-around-the-world-guatemala-city/ | title=Guatemala Sinkhole, 2010 | date=June 4, 2010 | accessdate=3 July 2013 | author=Minard, Anne}}</ref> [[2007 Guatemala City sinkhole|One recent, similar sinkhole]] had collapsed in 2007, forming a pit 100 metres deep.<ref name="Waltham2008">Waltham, T., 2008, [http://qjegh.lyellcollection.org/cgi/content/abstract/41/3/291 ''Sinkhole hazard case histories in karst terrains.''] Quarterly Journal of Engineering Geology and Hydrogeology. vol. 41 no. 3, pp.. 291-300.</ref><ref name="Halliday2007">Halliday, W. R., 2007, ''Pseudokarst in the 21st century.'' Journal of Cave and Karst Studies. vol. 69, no. 1, p. 103–113.</ref> The 2007 Guatemala City sinkhole was formed by fluid from a [[sanitary sewer|sewer]] eroding uncemented [[volcanic ash]], [[limestone]], and other [[pyroclastic]] deposits underlying Guatemala City.<ref name="Waltham2008" /><ref name="Halliday2007" /> The hazards around the pipe have since then been mitigated, by improved handling of the city's wastewater and runoff.<ref name="discovery.com">{{cite web |url=http://news.discovery.com/earth/dont-call-the-guatemala-sinkhole-a-sinkhole.htm | title=Don't Call The Guatemala Sinkhole a Sinkhole | date=Jun 4, 2010 | accessdate=2013-05-06 | author=Reilly, Michael}}</ref> Several rainstorms also contributed to the sinkhole's collapse, as stormwater percolated into the ground, further dissolving the rocks beneath Guatemala City.<ref name="National Geographic 3">{{cite web |url=http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2007/02/070226-sinkhole-photo/ | title=Photo in the News: Giant Sinkhole Swallows Guatemala Homes | publisher=National Geographic | date=February 26, 2007 | accessdate=2013-05-05 | author=Chamberlain, Ted}}</ref><ref name="NBC News">{{cite news |url=http://www.nbcnews.com/id/17303991/ns/world_news-americas/t/third-body-pulled-giant-sinkhole/ | title=Third body pulled from giant sinkhole | work=NBC News | date=2007-02-24 | agency=NBC | accessdate=2013-05-05}}</ref> The 2010 sinkhole was formed for similar reasons.<ref name="National Geographic 4">{{cite web |url=http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2010/06/100601-sinkhole-in-guatemala-2010-world-science/ | title=Sinkhole in Guatemala: Giant Could Get Even Bigger | publisher=National Geographic | date=June 1, 2010 | accessdate=3 July 2013 | author=Than, Ker}}</ref> ==Formation== ===Sewage pipes=== [[File:Tropical Storm Agatha Guatemala Flooding.jpg|thumb|left|Flooding triggered by Agatha in Guatemala]] The sinkhole formed due to volcanic [[pumice]] deposits, upon which Guatemala City is built.<ref name="National Geographic 1" /> These deposits were unconsolidated and of low density, allowing easy [[erosion]].<ref name="National Geographic 1" /> According to Sam Bonis, a geologist at [[Dartmouth College]], leaking pipes went unfixed long enough to create the conditions necessary for sinkhole formation because of lax city zoning regulations and building codes.<ref name="National Geographic 1" /> Bonis also says that the Guatemala City sinkhole is a misnomer: sinkholes have natural causes, but this one was mainly artificial.<ref name="National Geographic 1" /> In addition, according to Bonis, sinkholes are usually formed from [[limestone]] but there is no limestone hundreds of metres underneath Guatemala City.<ref name="National Geographic 1" /> Bonis proposes that the sinkhole be renamed a piping feature.<ref name="National Geographic 1" /> ===Tropical Storm Agatha=== {{Main|Tropical Storm Agatha#Guatemala}} [[File:Agatha 2010 track.png|thumb|right|Track of Tropical Storm Agatha]] Tropical Storm Agatha was first identified as a [[Trough (meteorology)|trough]] of [[Low pressure area|low pressure]] of the western coast of [[Costa Rica]] on May&nbsp;24, 2010.<ref>{{cite web|author=Dave Sandoval|date=May 24, 2010|title=Tropical Weather Discussion|accessdate=May 31, 2010|publisher=National Hurricane Center|url=http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/archive/text/TWDEP/TWDEP.201005241516.txt}}</ref> On May 29, the depression intensified into a tropical storm and was given the name Agatha.<ref name="PA2">{{cite web|author=Stacey Stewart and Todd Kimberlain|publisher=National Hurricane Center|date=May 29, 2010|accessdate=May 31, 2010|title=Tropical Storm Agatha Public Advisory Two|url=http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/archive/2010/ep01/ep012010.public.002.shtml?}}</ref> Later that day, the system intensified slightly before making [[Landfall (meteorology)|landfall]] near the [[Mexico]]-[[Guatemala]] border with winds of 45&nbsp;mph (75&nbsp;km/h).<ref>{{cite web|author=Lixion A. Avila and John Cangialosi|publisher=National Hurricane Center|date=May 29, 2010|accessdate=May 31, 2010|title=Tropical Storm Agatha Tropical Cyclone Update|url=http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/archive/2010/ep01/ep012010.update.05292233.shtml?}}</ref> By the morning of May&nbsp;30, the center of Agatha moved over the highest terrain in [[Central America]], resulting in the dissipation of the low-level circulation.<ref>{{cite web|author=Daniel Brown|publisher=National Hurricane Center|date=May 30, 2010|accessdate=May 31, 2010|title=Tropical Depression Agatha Discussion Five (Final)|url=http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/archive/2010/ep01/ep012010.discus.005.shtml?}}</ref> Torrential rains from the storm widened the cavity, eventually causing the collapse of the sinkhole.<ref name="National Geographic 1">{{cite news |url=http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2010/06/100603-science-guatemala-sinkhole-2010-humans-caused/ | title=Guatemala Sinkhole Created by Humans, Not Nature | work=National Geographic | date=June 3, 2010 | agency=National Geographic | accessdate=2013-04-21 | author=Than, Ker}}</ref> ===Pacaya volcano eruption=== [[File:volcan-de-pacaya.jpg|thumbnail|300px|right|The Pacaya Volcano]] {{Main|Pacaya#May 2010 eruption}} On May&nbsp;27, three days before Agatha became a tropical depression, the [[Pacaya]] volcano, located about {{convert|25|mi|km|abbr=on}} south of [[Guatemala City]], erupted, killing at least one person and blanketing nearby areas with layers of ash.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/05/28/guatemala-volcano-pacaya-_n_593583.html#s94957title=Guatemala_Volcano | title=Guatemala Volcano: Pacaya Eruption Kills TV Reporter, 3 Missing (PHOTOS) | publisher=Huffington Post | date=May 28, 2010 | accessdate=3 July 2013 | author=Llorica, Juan}}</ref> The eruption prompted officials to shut down the country's international airport.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/americas/07/22/guatemala.volcano/index.html | title=Guatemala warns of volcano danger | publisher=CNN | date=July 22, 2010 | accessdate=3 July 2013}}</ref> Upon the formation of Agatha, people feared that excessive rainfall from the storm could exacerbate the situation and trigger [[lahars]].<ref>{{cite web|author=Robert Campbell |publisher=Reuters |date=May 29, 2010 |accessdate=May 29, 2010 |title=Guatemala girds for first Pacific storm of season |url=http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE64S1A620100529 |deadurl=no |archiveurl=http://www.webcitation.org/5q5iMGCC3?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.reuters.com%2Farticle%2FidUSTRE64S1A620100529 |archivedate=May 29, 2010 |df= }}</ref> This had the effect of clogging the underground pipes with [[volcanic ash|soot]], increasing the chances of pipe rupture.<ref name="National Geographic 1" /><ref name="National Geographic 2" /> ==Collapse and aftermath== Mariela Castañón, a reporter for the daily newspaper ''La Hora'', reported that the ground collapsed suddenly, taking a three-story house that was used as a factory, and possibly a security guard, along with it. Electricity poles were also sucked in. Authorities said they could not confirm the security guard's death.<ref name="Christian Science Monitor">{{cite news |url=http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Americas/2010/0601/Guatemala-City-sinkhole-so-big-so-round-it-doesn-t-seem-real | title=Guatemala City sinkhole so big, so round it 'doesn't seem real' | work=Christian Science Monitor | date=June 1, 2010 | agency=Christian Science Monitor | accessdate=2013-04-21 | last=Fieser |first=Ezra | location=Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic}}</ref><ref name="La Hora">{{cite news |url=http://www.lahora.com.gt/index.php/nacional/guatemala/reportajes-y-entrevistas/131879-hundimientos-atraen-a-la-prensa-extranjera | title=Hundimientos atraen a la prensa extranjera | date=17 July 2010 | newspaper=La Hora | accessdate=2013-04-21 | last=Castañón |first=Mariela}}</ref> The sinkhole's collapse in Guatemala City's Zona 2 left at least 15 dead, and a further 300 residents' lives were put at risk.<ref name="Huffington Post" /> Because of the role played by sewage pipes in the sinkhole's collapse, Sam Bonis, along with other geologists, has demanded that the [[Government of Guatemala|government]] inspect the sewer system more regularly.<ref name="National Geographic 2" /> According to officials, the sinkhole had similarities with another [[2007 Guatemala City sinkhole|Guatemalan sinkhole which collapsed in 2007]], which may also have been formed by ruptured sewage pipes.<ref name="National Geographic 2">{{cite news |url=http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2010/06/100601-sinkhole-in-guatemala-2010-world-science/# | title=Sinkhole in Guatemala: Giant Could Get Even Bigger | work=National Geographic | date=June 1, 2010 | agency=National Geographic | accessdate=2013-04-21 | author=Than, Ker}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|title = Physical Modeling on Sand Erosion around Defective Sewer Pipes under the Influence of Groundwater|url = http://dx.doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)HY.1943-7900.0000785|journal = Journal of Hydraulic Engineering|date = 2013-01-01|issn = 0733-9429|pages = 1247–1257|volume = 139|issue = 12|doi = 10.1061/(ASCE)HY.1943-7900.0000785}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|title = New Information on the Guatemala City Sinkholes from Post Collapse Investigations|url = http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2012EGUGA..14.1193H|date = 2012-04-01|pages = 1193|volume = 14|first = R.|last = Hermosilla}}</ref> On a wider scale, immediately following reports of fatalities due to Agatha, a state of emergency was declared for Guatemala.<ref>{{cite web|author=Herbert Hernandez |work=Reuters |publisher=MSNBC |date=May 29, 2010 |accessdate=May 31, 2010 |title=Pacific storm Agatha's rains kill four in Guatemala |url=http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/37413356/ns/world_news-americas/ |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=http://www.webcitation.org/5q5uuELn1?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.msnbc.msn.com%2Fid%2F37413356%2Fns%2Fworld_news-americas%2F |archivedate=May 29, 2010 |df= }}</ref> On May&nbsp;31, the government started to deploy national aid, and donation centers for victims of the storm were opened across the country. According to the [[Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs]] (OCHA), schools in Guatemala were to be closed until at least June&nbsp;4.<ref name="OCHA1">{{es icon}} {{cite web|author=Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs|publisher=Red de Información Humanitaria|date=May 31, 2010|accessdate=June 16, 2010|title=América Central - Tormenta Tropical Agatha Informe de Situación #1|url=http://redhum.org/archivos/pdf/ID_7734_GG_Redhum-OCHA-Sitrep1_-_Tropical_Storm_Agatha-by_ROLAC-ESP-20100531.pdf|format=[[PDF]]}}</ref> ===Filling in the sinkhole=== {{update|section|date=February 2016}} Immediately after the sinkhole's collapse, there were plans to fill it in with a [[soil cement]] made from [[cement]], [[limestone]], and [[water]] known locally as ''lodocreto''. This substance was also used to fill in the [[2007 Guatemala City sinkhole]]. However, another technique, which geologists call the graded-filter technique, in which the sinkhole is filled with successive layers of boulders, smaller rocks, and gravel, could possibly be a better solution.<ref>{{Cite journal|title = The Guatemala City sinkhole collapses|url = http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s13146-011-0074-1|journal = Carbonates and Evaporites|date = 2011-11-15|issn = 0891-2556|pages = 103–107|volume = 27|issue = 2|doi = 10.1007/s13146-011-0074-1|language = en|first = Rodolfo G.|last = Hermosilla}}</ref> This is because filling the hole in with cement diverts water runoff to other areas, potentially increasing the risk of sinkholes occurring in other parts of the city. The graded-filter technique, on the other hand, allows water to seep through.<ref name="slate">{{cite web | url=http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/explainer/2010/06/how_to_fix_a_giant_sinkhole.html | title=How To Fix a Giant Sinkhole | publisher=Slate Magazine | date=June 4, 2010 | accessdate=16 September 2013 | author=Palmer, Brian}}</ref> ==References== {{reflist}} {{Guatemala topics}} [[Category:2010 natural disasters]] [[Category:21st century in Guatemala City]] [[Category:21st century sinkholes]] [[Category:2010 in Guatemala]] [[Category:Natural disasters in Guatemala]]'