Sinkholes and Subsidence

- Introduction
- Glossary or terminology
- 1. Rocks, dissolution and karst
- 2. Sinkhole classification and nomenclature
- 3. Rock failure in collapse and caprock sinkholes
- 4. Soil failure in subsidence sinkholes
- 5. Buried sinkholes and rockhead feature
- 6. Sinkholes in insoluble rocks
- 7. Rock failure under imposed load over caves
- 8. Sinkholes induced by engineering works
- 9. Ground investigation in sinkhole terrains
- 10. Hazard and risk assessment of sinkholes
- 11. Prevention and remediation of sinkholes
- 12. Construction in sinkhole terrains
- Case Studies

From the reviews:



"Waltham ... and colleagues at the British Geological Survey introduce sinkholes in karstic terranes, with an emphasis on engineering and construction. ... The book is profusely illustrated and includes numerous boxes intended to highlight important features. It corrects numerous misconceptions surrounding sinkholes and provides students and professionals with remarkably valuable information that is easy to read; it also readily serves as a handy desk reference. ... Summing Up: Highly recommended. Upper-division undergraduates through professionals." (M.S. Field, CHOICE, Vol. 42 (10), June, 2005)

"This book was written by geologists for engineers. It provides a thorough and practical overview of subsidence processes, effects, detection, and remediation. ... It is comprehensive, covering every type of collapse ... . The book is remarkably compact ... . The presentation is seamless and well organized ... . the diagrams are clear and informative. Classifications are meaningful and easily applied ... . We recommend this book enthusiastically to anyone involved in the engineering aspects of karst ... . In presentation and utility it is in a class by itself. " (Arthur N. Palmer and Margaret V. Palmer, Journal of Cave and Karst Studies, Vol. 67 (2), August, 2005)

"One of the informal conclusions of the 13th International Karstological School, held at Postojna (Slovenia) in June, 2005, was that the application of engineering geology approaches to general karst geomorphology has become urgent. ... an echo appeared in the arena - in the form of the present book. ... The figures have been carefully chosen and matched ... . Photographs are of high quality, and related directly to the text. ... It is, and it will remain, the essential work in this specific field ... ." (Acta Carsologica, Vol. 35 (1), 2006)

"The authors have written this book for a readership of civil engineers with the intention ofexplaining