Earth unexpectedly collapses in German neighborhood

SCHMALKALDEN, Germany — Emergency services were called to a residential area of an eastern German town around 3am on Monday, Nov. 1, after a resident reported hearing strange noises outside.

Those unusual noises turned out to be the sound of a 60-meter-wide, 25-meter-deep crater opening up in the ground.

Six houses and 25 people in the area were evacuated. Fortunately, no one was injured, but a car and garage door were swallowed in the ground's collapse.

Although it is not clear what caused the ground to give-in, Lutz Katschmann of Thuringia State's environment and geology office said it was possible that underground rock formations broke up, thus creating the cavity.

"According to the US Geological Survey which explained the same thing that happened in Guatemala last May, sinkholes are commonly found in areas where the bedrock is limestone, or some other rock that can be dissolved by ground water" (Dots Period, "Huge Crater Suddenly Opened in Germany")

Works Cited

"Huge Crater Suddenly Opened in Germany." Dots Period. 3 Nov. 2010. Dots Period and Black Friday Deals. Web. 2 Nov. 2010.