Tennessee’s karst terrain brings unique challenges, like in Houston County. Over 89% of the state’s counties have sinkholes, but Houston County is special. It has 71 documented sinkholes, thanks to advanced mapping. Geologist Gary Brill explains how sinkholes form. Groundwater with weak acids slowly eats away at limestone. This creates voids that collapse, making sinkholes. […]
Middle Tennessee’s karst landscape is shaped by soluble limestone bedrock. This area is in a naturally active corridor where water dissolves rock layers. This creates caves, springs, and depressions over centuries, speeding up where water flows a lot. Henderson County has 29 verified sinkholes, more than usual for similar areas. Most are under 10 feet […]
Tennessee’s Cumberland Plateau shapes Lewis County’s unique geology. Soluble carbonate bedrock creates ideal conditions for sinkhole development. At least nine verified sinkholes exist here, part of a broader karst landscape spanning the state. Over 54,000 similar formations appear statewide, according to USGS surveys. Modern detection methods like digital elevation modeling (DEM) reveal subsurface risks. A […]
East Tennessee’s karst geology makes sinkholes common. A 2013 study found 2,364 documented depressions here, with 773 over 10 feet deep. Limestone dissolves over time, sped up by water and acidic rain. Old methods counted over 54,000 sinkholes in the state. But LiDAR technology shows more detail. Larry McKay from the University of Tennessee says […]
Eastern Tennessee’s karst landscape is perfect for sinkholes. This is because of its fractured carbonate bedrock. Hancock County TN is a hotspot due to its limestone-rich terrain and active groundwater systems. Over 800 depressions have been documented in the area. 54 of these are visible on standard topographic maps. Recent studies (2024) found 431 significant […]
Tennessee’s karst landscape is unique, with Hickman County at its heart for sinkhole studies. Over 20 years, this area has seen many ground collapses due to its limestone bedrock. Detailed surveys have found 111 sinkholes here, part of a larger network in the state. New detection methods have improved our understanding. The 2023 LiDAR surveys […]
Northeastern Tennessee’s karst landscape is unique, leading to frequent sinkholes. This area is part of a karst corridor that spans several counties. The limestone bedrock here dissolves slowly due to groundwater. Recent USGS mapping found 20 surface depressions that meet sinkhole criteria. Of these, 12 are over three meters deep. Seasonal rains raise groundwater levels, […]
Tennessee’s karst terrain poses unique geological risks, seen in Hardin County. Over 20 years, this area has seen 54 verified sinkholes. These sinkholes are found in the state’s active karst corridor, where soluble bedrock causes underground erosion. Statewide, sinkholes average 1,284 per quadrangle in high-risk zones. But, local patterns vary. Sinkhole maps show high concentrations […]
East Tennessee’s karst terrain is perfect for sinkholes. It has soluble limestone bedrock that dissolves, creating underground systems. This area is part of the Appalachian karst belt, from Alabama to Virginia. A 1973 USGS geological survey by Larry Harris mapped these rocks. His work showed a lot of limestone under Knox and Anderson counties. Today, […]