Missouri is called the Cave State for good reason. Sinkholes are a common occurrence in the Ozarks, and they form more frequently following days of rainy weather. You may remember last year when a sinkhole opened up beneath the James River Freeway following heavy rain.
The Missouri Department of Natural Resources says sinkholes form when water moves through cracks in the bedrock, slowly dissolving the rock and carrying it away. As the rock washes away, soil begins to fill the void, and eventually this leads to a sinkhole at the surface. They can also form when old mine shafts or wells collapse.
The sinkholes in the Ozarks are classified as karst sinkoles. Karst is the landscape created when water dissolves rock. Percolated water can dissolve rock in the Ozarks because the water becomes slightly acidic when filtered into the ground. The largest sinkhole in Missouri is in Boone County just south of where I-70 crosses the Missouri River, and is roughly 700 acres large. The deepest is called Slaughter Sink near Rolla and is 170 feet deep.
The full article is available at ozarksfirst.com.
(Story by Tom Schmidt, ozarksfirst.com)
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