A large sinkhole formed in Madera, Central California on the evening of April 11, 2016 (local time) and was captured on video by the City of Madera Police Department.
The sinkhole opened up as a part of the local roadway collapsed into a sewage line. An exact cause of the incident is not known so far, however, it was most likely triggered by the recent strong rainfalls in the area.
Video credit: City of Madera Police Department/ABC News
The hole is between 4.6 and 6 meters (15 and 20 feet) deep, and the roadway will be shut down until further notice due to repair.
Featured image: The sinkhole in Madera, Central California, April 12, 2016. Image credit: Liz González via Twitter
Author:
Elena Ugrin
Elena is a geophysicist currently working as a research engineer for a company developing underwater lasers, cameras and other equipment. She loves whiskey and Irish stouts.
Latest articles
More than 320 buildings destroyed by lava at La Palma, Canary Islands
Lava flows continue slowly advancing toward the coast on September 23, 2021, after another night of intense lava fountains at Cumbre Vieja volcano, La Palma, Canary Islands. The height of the volcanic plume is estimated at 4.2 km (13 800 feet) above the volcano....
Moderately strong M2.8 solar flare erupts from AR 2871
A moderately strong solar flare measuring M2.8 at its peak erupted from Active Region 2871 at 04:42 UTC on September 23, 2021. The event started at 04:35 and ended at 04:50 UTC. The flare was associated with a Type II Radio Emission at 04:44 UTC with an estimated...
The Weekly Volcanic Activity Report: September 15 - 21, 2021
New activity/unrest was reported for 2 volcanoes from September 15 to 21, 2021. During the same period, ongoing activity was reported for 15 volcanoes. New activity/unrest: La Palma, Spain | Semisopochnoi, Aleutian Islands (USA). Ongoing activity: Agung, Bali...
Volcanic activity at La Palma more explosive with large amount of ash in the atmosphere, Canary Islands
A strong increase in the amplitude of volcanic tremor was observed at Cumbre Vieja volcano, La Palma, Canary Islands around 12:00 UTC on September 21, indicating the intensity of strombolian activity is increasing. The activity further intensified on September 22...
Strong and shallow M6.5 earthquake hits near the coast of Nicaragua
A strong earthquake registered by the USGS as M6.5 hit near the coast of Nicaragua at 09:57 UTC on September 22, 2021. The agency is reporting a depth of 30.7 km (19 miles) EMSC is reporting M6.5 at a depth of 60 km (37 miles). The epicenter was located 80 km (50...
Rare M5.9 earthquake hits near Melbourne, Australia
A strong and shallow earthquake registered by Geoscience Australia as M5.9 hit near Melbourne, Australia at 23:15 UTC on September 21, 2021 (09:15 LT, September 22) at a depth of 10 km (6.2 miles). The USGS is reporting M5.9 at a depth of 10 km, EMSC M5.9 at a depth...
Strong and shallow M6.6 earthquake hits Biobio, Chile
A strong and shallow earthquake registered by the CSN Chile as M6.6 hit the Biobio Region of Chile at 13:14 UTC on September 21, 2021, at a depth of 10 km (6.2 miles). The USGS is reporting M6.4 at a depth of 17.4 km (10.8 miles), EMSC M6.4 at a depth of 2 km (1.2...
Eruption at Etna volcano ejects ash up to 9 km (29 500 feet) a.s.l., Italy
Heavy ash emissions were observed at Etna's Southeast crater since 06:15 UTC on September 21, 2021, where strombolian activity resumed at 06:55 UTC. The Aviation Color Code was raised to Red at 07:10 UTC and lowered back to Orange at 09:30. Strombolian activity...
More than 160 homes destroyed by lava at Cumbre Vieja, La Palma, Canary Islands
Lava flows produced by the eruption at Cumbre Vieja volcano on the island of La Palma, Canary Islands, Spain, destroyed 166 buildings since the eruption started on Sunday, September 19, 2021. As of September 20, lava flows are covering 103 ha (254 acres) of land....
Cumbre Vieja eruption live streaming - La Palma, Canary Islands
Lava advances on September 21, 2021, destroying homes in its way, following a volcanic eruption at Cumbre Vieja, La Palma, Canary Islands. Archived imagery - first 12 hours. More information about the eruption.Featured image credit: TV CANARIAS...
Rivers overflow after heavy rain, affecting 1.2 million and claiming 10 lives in West Bengal, India
More than 1.2 million people have been affected after heavy rains over the past couple of days caused rivers to overflow and embankments to fail in the Indian state of West Bengal. The situation worsened after dam releases in the neighboring state of Jharkhand. At...
Shallow M6.0 earthquake hits Kuril Islands, Russia
A strong and shallow earthquake registered by the USGS as M6.0 hit the Kuril Islands, Russia at 20:25 UTC on September 20, 2021. The agency is reporting a depth of 25 km (15 miles). EMSC is reporting M6.0 at a depth of 9 km (5.6 miles). The epicenter was located 375...
Spectacular lava fountains at Cumbre Vieja volcano, La Palma, Canary Islands
Cumbre Vieja volcano on La Palma island, Canary Islands finally erupted on September 19, 2021, after 8 days of intense seismicity. This is the first eruption at the volcano since 1971. Seismicity further increased during the UTC morning on September 19, leading to...
Ash emissions at Semisopochnoi increase, Aviation Color Code raised to Red, Alaska
Ash emissions from the ongoing eruption at Semisopochnoi volcano, Alaska have increased in frequency and intensity, prompting the Alaska Volcano Observatory (AVO) to raise the Aviation Color Code to Red at 05:58 UTC on September 20, 2021. Satellite images show an...
Eruption begins at Cumbre Vieja volcano, the first since 1971 -- La Palma, Canary Islands
A new eruption has begun at Cumbre Vieja volcano on the island of La Palma, Canary Islands around 14:12 UTC on September 19, 2021. The Alert Level has been raised from Yellow to Red. This is the first eruption at the volcano since 1971 (VEI 2). The eruption follows...
Intense earthquake swarm continues at Cumbre Vieja, deformation reaches 15 cm (5.9 inches) -- La Palma, Canary Islands
An intense seismic swarm continues under Cumbre Vieja volcano, La Palma, the Canary Islands since 03:18 UTC on September 11, 2021, with more than 25 000 low-magnitude earthquakes detected to September 19. Of those, more than 1 450 were located, with the maximum...
Boom-like sounds associated with fireball over northern Virginia and eastern West Virginia, U.S.
There are many reports of 'boom-like' sounds associated with a couple of fireball sightings from northern Virginia around 14:30 UTC on September 17 (10:30 EDT). It's possible this event produced meteorites in the northern Virginia/eastern West Virginia...