Can you dig out a "sink hole"?

[Doug_SEIndiana]

I am curious if anyone has successfully dug out a sink hole, or if this is even possible? I am preparing to build our house and in the center of what will be our front yard is this annoying, recurrent sink hole. It always sits wet and I've filled it over the last 5 years or so with all extra ground material I've had and it just keeps getting larger. It is located on about a 10 degree slope and has a center hole that is currently 3 feet deep with a depression in the surrounding soil surface about 15-20 feet in diameter. Our house will be located about 40 feet uphill from the hole and will have a full basement. Any suggestions? Thanks

 

[RobS]

Hi Doug and welcome to the site. I did my share of caving in Southern IN as a Boy Scout so I saw some sink-holes from below! From that experience, and given where you live, I'd be inclined to hire a soil scientist or geologist to evaluate your situation. You could be sitting on a small spring, or a large cavern! I'd hate to put a bunch of money in a house, only to have it sink into the ground.

 

[rayh76]

Rob is correct. Hire a company to come in and do a soil boring. They do this all the time and can tell you how compacted the dirt is below.

 

[Ridgewalker]

After seeing that sinkhole in Texas eat a tractor or two I don't know if I would want to build anywhere near one.

 

[Tractorbeam]

I helped a fellow caver dig out a sinkhole. After a day of shovel work we opened a hole that went farther down. Next day we dug up enough rocks and dirt until we could fit in. We were caving then!

It didn't go, but it was about 30x40 foot and varied from a foot to 4 feet high.

No telling what you have under there.

I'd LOVE to have a cave as my basement!

 

[Kays Supply]

Here in Southern Illinois it is a mine shaft you find below a sink hole. There was one a few miles from my place that they threw the debri from torn down houses for years and they just kept disappearing out the bottom.

 

[MossRoad]

I'd have to agree with everyone else and tell you to get it checked out by a professional. Southwest of you the countryside is dotted with sinkholes. Litterally thousands of them. Many of them lead to caves and even huge cave systems. I don't recall any caves open to the public around Batesville, but that doesn' t mean they aren't there. There's also been some problems that folks have run into regarding polluting a water system by dumping stuff in sink holes, so be real careful.

 

[jdmar]

We had similar problem. Before building we hired a soil engineer. They dug several holes with a trackhoe up to about 13 feet deep. That work, plus their analysis and write up cost about $600 (I may be off but I think that was the price). in our case it was to see if we could get a drive to our building site. Our drive is a lot better than anyone ever thought we could make it. Overall it was money very well spent...and both my wife and I are cheapskates! Good luck and re-post so we know hat happens!

Peter

 

[Harry c]

In the Southeast, sinkholes are normally caused by the collapse of part of the roof of a limestone cave. The limestone is easily eroded by flowing underground water over thousands of years. The cave system is sometimes enormous and can resist filling with almost anything. The flowing water that created the cave continues to wash away anything used to fill the void. The sinkholes usually continue to expand and will "eat" anything nearby. Disturbing the ground or building nearby can accelerate the expansion. Get a professional!

 

[Renze]

We dont have any sinkholes in this part of my country, but i'd suggest, let a geological expertise bureau sonar your subsoil to see how big the cavities are: You might build right on top of one, if you dont know !

If it is only a small hole, leading to a small system, filling the main gap with rocks and seal it off with a good layer of concrete, might work.

These guys with subsoil sonars can tell you even where moles are..