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junax422208
Sinkholes can occur in Cebu – MGB7 geologist
There is a big possibility that a sinkhole similar to the one that materialized in Guatemala City will appear even in urban areas in Cebu, a government geologist warned.
The Guatemala City sinkhole caught the attention of people all over the world because of its size, which is reportedly 66 feet across and 100 feet deep.
Al Emil Berador, Chief Geologist of the Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB) 7, said sinkholes can appear in Cebu because a large area of the island is composed of limestone.
Berador said sinkholes are natural formations that occur after limestone deposits gradually corrode when in contact with weak carbonic acid, a combination of water and carbon dioxide.
Carbonic acid can gradually corrode hard limestone, which explains why limestone caves are formed, said Berador.
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 no longer enough support. Then the surface area can suddenly collapse.
Berador said majority of areas in Cebu have limestone deposits.
About 60 to 70 percent of Cebu, including areas that are habitable such as urban areas, is composed of limestone, he said.
Berador said a sinkhole can only occur if a corroded limestone area is disturbed by natural tremors such as earthquakes or by human-induced activities.
He said the only way to detect if an area is susceptible to sinkhole formation is through core drilling or ground-penetrating radar.
The geologist also said there have already been sinkhole formations in some areas in Central Visayas.
A few years back, a massive sinkhole formed in Anda town in Bohol after an earthquake hit the area.
Berador said the sinkhole swallowed a couple of houses.
He also said there are sinkholes in Barangay Talamban in Cebu City and Barangay Cabancalan in Mandaue City. Berador said the sinkhole in Cabancalan was found in an area being developed by a private firm.
What if another earthquake strikes Cebu (palayo lang) could you imagine how prone we are to sink holes?? the last earthquake we have was not that damaging pero dghan xa na trigger na sink holes.. tsk tsk tsk.. pray nlng ta na dili nata ma hit ug quakes again.. waahh!
Re: What can you say about sink holes in dumanjug?
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