# Sinkhole



## Greystone (May 19, 2010)

I have a ten acre field of bottomland that will flood on occasion. In the past, I have come across small sinkholes that I could toss some rock and dirt in and be done.

This time when I had almost finished mowing, I noticed there wasn't anything under the deck of the mower where grass should have been. That is when I noticed it. To say I was startled is understating it.

Measures 11 ft deep. 21ft long by 16 ft wide. Parked the truck near by(but not too close!) For comparison.


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## Ox76 (Oct 22, 2018)

Yikes! You didn't rip the tractor seat when ya puckered up, did ya? 

Are these sinkholes common in east TN?


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## carcajou (Jan 28, 2011)

What do you think caused it?


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## Vol (Jul 5, 2009)

Have you checked to see if you can find the bottom?

Regards, Mike


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## mlappin (Jun 25, 2009)

So seriously what causes that?

We've only ever dealt with one, it was a lot bigger than that, on a sandy hill side, when the old clay tile let go it sucked a bunch of quick/water/sugar sand in, Have heard it called various names. Not sure how they ever got it tiled originally other than it was A LOT DRIER back then. We had enough 12" clay tile to try and fix it. Clay's heavy enough it would sink. Plastic was too light and would float up. Took so long to finally get fixed the idiots at the SWCD was going to try and call it a wet land. Finally took white oak planks, laid those down, and tied the plastic tile to them with plastic baler twine. Also ran a 8" tile on the high side just to catch the water out of the hillside. Took 3-4 years after we filled it before you could drive across it without the nether regions puckering right up even with an articulated 4 wheel drive.


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## Vol (Jul 5, 2009)

Lot's of limestone underground in East Tennessee which is quite often cavernous. Lot's of moisture this spring could have caused a rise in the the water table there and eroded the soil. Or....stuff happens.

Regards, Mike


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## Greystone (May 19, 2010)

They are fairly common around here. I actually took a tape measure and measured how deep it was. There is about a foot of water in the bottom which I find odd. There is a creek on the property that flows into the Nolichucky River which is about 1/4 mile as the crow flies from this property. When the river floods it will back up onto our land via the creek. I like to think of it as a "gentle" flood as there is usually little damage.

The past year has brought a lot of rain around here. Flooding in this field is to be expected in late winter months. You would usually find small sinkholes after the field was submerged, so I think the flooding is causing it, the water will find a place to go regardless. Generally, the water will recede after a day.

What bothered me about this hole is I had no idea it was there! I was encountering some smaller dips in the field as I was mowing, but really thought nothing of it. I started the field and then had my oldest son come out and mow while I got the tedder ready. I warned him about a low place on the far side of the field where he needed to slow up. He told me he was not mowing after dark as he didn't "know" this field. Thankful he did stop and that I was on the tractor instead.

There is limestone in this field. I have heard the same thing about water causing it to erode away. There is a massive rip in the tractor seat now! I do think the flooding caused it. Right now I have posts with caution tape wrapped around it. Thinking as of now is to just build a fence around it.


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## Ox76 (Oct 22, 2018)

That sucks. It's like watching your field wash away into a river every spring melt.


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## carcajou (Jan 28, 2011)

If there ever was a field made for a side pull haybine this is the one. I would be scared to cut with a SP and have a new one cave when i was driving on it.


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## IHCman (Aug 27, 2011)

Here we complain about badger holes in our field. Looks like badgers grow a little bigger in TN.

Pretty sure its water dissolving the limestone that causes it. Scary thought to be mowing along and run into something like that.


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## paoutdoorsman (Apr 23, 2016)

I remember finding a sinkhole like that in the pasture on a friends farm as a kid. I was fairly young but it seemed we climbed down in it quite a ways. It went down in at an angle. Was probably not the safest thing to do.


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## Farmineer95 (Aug 11, 2014)

There are some karsts in our area. People get apprehensive when the poop trucks are running and rain is in the forecast. Polluted wells don't do much for the public relations side of big dairies.


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