Comments on: Long Island man swallowed by sinkhole

By: Greg Laden

Greg Laden — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 21:35:11 +0000

That’s probably true. But we should also remember that this is being called a “sinkhole” that might have been a well. Which is not a sinkhole. It’s a well.

Long island isn’t particularly karstic.

By: daedalus2u

daedalus2u — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 21:22:55 +0000

Sinkholes always collapse from underneath. The top was probably still covered by sod that was held together by a few roots of the grass. When he stepped on it, it simply couldn’t support his weight, even though it could support the few wisps of sod that were covering it.

By: Greg Laden

Greg Laden — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 20:38:12 +0000

Here’s a picture of the sinhole:

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-201_162-20127890/elderly-man-rescued-from-8-ft.-deep-sinkhole/

By: Greg Laden

Greg Laden — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 20:32:51 +0000

The part about how he fell into the hole seems accurate given the press reports. I think there is a good chance he was half asleep and was not concerned about a hole being there.

As an archaeologist,I’ve dug thousands of holes. Now and then someone fell into one. It generally happens when the hole is first dug an no one expects it, or when someone arrives on a site for the first time and the hole is in a place there is usually not one. If you removed a step from a stairway people use all the time, there’d be a pretty good chance people would stumble on it because they were on autopilot.

It is quite possible, tought, that the hole was not visible or not very visible because the turf covered all or much of it.

By: Chris Winter

Chris Winter — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 19:47:04 +0000

Forgive me for pointing out the obvious, but that simulation isn’t accurate. Or else Mr. Siron was half asleep when he went to pick up his newspaper. It’s hard to miss a pre-existing three-foot-wide hole.