{"id":6687,"date":"2018-05-21T01:00:57","date_gmt":"2018-05-20T19:30:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.mapsofworld.com\/answers\/?p=6687"},"modified":"2018-05-21T09:50:44","modified_gmt":"2018-05-21T04:20:44","slug":"largest-sinkhole-in-world","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mapsofworld.com\/answers\/world\/largest-sinkhole-in-world\/","title":{"rendered":"What is a sinkhole and where is the largest discovered?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n
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\"Infographic<\/a><\/p>\n

A sinkhole is a geological occurrence that manifests as a cavity or a hole in the ground. When water erodes the underlying rock layer, a sinkhole is formed. It may not be visible instantly since the erosion takes place over many years below the surface while the land seems unchanged.<\/p>\n

Snake hole, swallow hole, cenote, sink, sink-hole, swallet or doline are the various names used for a sinkhole.<\/p>\n

Prediction of sinkhole areas is difficult, but sinkholes mainly occur in what is known as \u2018karst terrain\u2019 areas of land where soluble bedrock such as salt beds and domes, gypsum, and limestone and other carbonate rocks are found. What we can infer from this is that dry areas are less prone to sinkholes. Sinkholes are a common sight in Florida, Texas, Alabama, Missouri, Kentucky, Tennessee, and Pennsylvania.<\/p>\n

Though all sinkholes are formed by erosion, they can still be categorized into 3 types:<\/p>\n