Expanding N.S. sinkhole prompts concerns
A small Nova Scotia town is urging public caution as officials scramble to assess a large, fast-expanding sinkhole that has sucked up trees and picnic tables.
An Oxford, N.S., park has been roped off while geologists and emergency management officials assess the stability of the surrounding area, which includes a community centre, gas station and a Tim Hortons.
“It’s just amazing what Mother Nature can do,” Linda Cloney, public relations officer for the town, said Tuesday.
Town officials say the hole grew considerably overnight Monday.
The sinkhole was measured on Tuesday morning at around 34 by 29 metres — about five metres wider than the previous night’s measurements.
Cloney said stability around the growing sinkhole is one of the biggest safety concerns, as scientists and officials still aren’t sure what is causing the sinkhole to grow, or how fast.
“It really is a day-by-day, unpredictable event,” said Cloney.
By Tuesday morning, the edge of the hole had expanded to the pavement of the Lions’ Club parking lot.
Geologists and emergency management officials say they have no idea how deep the hole is.
Last week, a 40-foot spruce tree was sucked into the hole. Playground equipment at Oxford and Area Lions Parkland was dismantled and moved to storage, as officials were unsure as to whether it would be safe to remove them in the coming days.
Security is on site around the clock to keep people out of the park while assessment work is ongoing.
The town is keeping security measures in place until the geologists’ report can offer a better picture of how stable the surrounding area is.
“We’re letting it do its thing, watching and monitoring, and also learning from this,” said Cloney.
Regional provincial geologist Amy Tizzard has been assessing the site over the last few days, and said the likeliest cause is an underground cavern caving in the soft gypsum rock that’s common in the region.
Tizzard said the sinkhole was less active on Tuesday than on Monday, but it’s impossible to say what happens next.
“These sinkhole features are unpredictable so we really can’t speculate how big it could get or if it’s starting to stabilize at the moment,” said Tizzard.