Impacts on groundwater-related anthropogenic activities on the development of sinkhole hazards: a case study from Central Mexico

• Published in: Environmental earth sciences 2023-07, Vol.82 (14), p.358, Article 358
• Main Authors: Rodriguez-Espinosa, P. F., Ochoa-Guerrero, K. M., Milan-Valdes, S., Teran-Cuevas, A. R., Hernandez-Silva, M. G., San Miguel-Gutierrez, J. C., Caracheo-Gonzalez, J. J., Creuheras Diaz, S.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Agricultural land; Anomalies; Anthropogenic factors; Biogeosciences; Climatology; Compressibility; Data integration; Drought; Drought periods; Earth and Environmental Science; Earth Sciences; Environmental Science and Engineering; Exploitation; Geochemistry; Geology; Geomechanics; Gradient flow; Groundwater; Groundwater table; Human influences; Hydraulic gradient; Hydrogeology; Hydrology/Water Resources; Hydrometeorology; Industrial areas; Local population; Mitigation; Original Article; Public policy; Removal; Saturation; Sediment; Sediments; Silt; Sinkholes; Subsoils; Terrestrial Pollution; Urban agriculture; Volcanogenic deposits; Water table
• ISSN: 1866-6280; 1866-6299
• DOI: 10.1007/s12665-023-11037-4

The local population in an agricultural field in Puebla State's sub-urban has been affected by the prolonged drought periods and exceptional precipitation events of 2021, modifying the urban, agricultural, and industrial activities in the region. The main objective is to identify the geohydrology, climatology, geophysical, and geomechanics proxies to understand the new phenomenon that led to the formation of the sinkhole in the non-karstic zone. The results revealed that the sand and silt particles of the volcanic sediments have been removed from the agricultural subsoil probably due to the intense exploitation of groundwater. Moreover, the exploitation strata indicated the existence of organic silt at 15 and 25 m, with high compressibility, less mass volume, and high water saturation conditions. Henceforth, these strata were considered as anomalies with low resistivity that are related to strong fluctuations in the water table that favored the collapse. Results of the void calculation formulation and the correlation with the removal of sediments of erosive susceptibility in the subsoil strata adjacent to the sinkhole demonstrate that the removal of sediments causes the collapse due to removal of finer sediments. The data integration allows us to determine that the sinkhole has been formed because of a combination of factors such as subsoil erosive conditions, extraordinary hydrometeorological events, hydraulic gradient flows, and the intense exploitation of groundwater in the region. Detecting the causes of sinkholes can predict the susceptibility of the territories, elaborate strategies to avoid risk, anticipate response–mitigation actions, and sustain the water safety plans for sustainable public policies.