Sinkhole urban areas due to water main breaks or sewer collapses when old pipes give way. They can also occur from the overpumping and extraction of groundwater and subsurface fluids. Sinkholes can also form when natural water-drainage patterns are changed and new water-diversion systems are developed. Some sinkholes form when the land surface is changed, such as when industrial and runoff-storage ponds are created; the substantial weight of the new material can trigger a collapse of the roof of an existing void or cavity in the subsurface, resulting in development of a sinkhole. Sinkholes tend to occur in karst landscapes. Karst
2010 Guatemala City sinkhole 2010 Guatemala City sinkhole The 2010 Guatemala City sinkhole was a disaster in which an area approximately across and deep collapsed in Guatemala City's Zona 2, swallowing a three-story factory. The sinkhole occurred for a combination of reasons, including Tropical Storm Agatha, the Pacaya Volcano eruption, and leakage from sewer pipes. Overall, the risk of sinkholes occurring in Guatemala City is high and unpredictable. One recent, similar sinkhole had collapsed in 2007, forming a pit 100 metres deep. The 2007 Guatemala City sinkhole was formed by fluid from a sewer eroding uncemented volcanic ash, limestone, and other pyroclastic deposits underlying