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Drainage Mechanisms of Submerged Sinkholes

Authors :
Assaf Tsabar
Eyal Shalev
Amir Sagy
Yizhaq Makovsky
Source :
Remote Sensing, Vol 15, Iss 18, p 4384 (2023)
Publication Year :
2023
Publisher :
MDPI AG, 2023.

Abstract

Subsurface salt layer dissolution along the western shores of the Dead Sea is considered to be the primary cause for extensive large sinkhole formation in the past 40 years. Many of these sinkholes are arranged in clusters and are filled with water from nearby springs. The Mineral Beach resort was built in an area with a thermal spring with water emerging at around 40 °C at the Shalem sinkhole cluster. Unfortunately, the same spring was responsible for the destruction of the resort as it supplied water undersaturated with respect to halite, which promoted dissolution and sinkhole formation. The sinkholes in the Shalem cluster drain out in sudden catastrophic events and then slowly fill again. The drainage mechanisms of this phenomenon are studied in the Shalem-2 sinkhole cluster using leveling data collectors and ground-based LiDAR surveys over a period of 5 years, including thirty-five drainage events. Drainage volume and fluxes calculated using water level and topographic data obtained by LiDAR scans suggest that the formation of additional sinkholes beneath the pond’s bottom triggers drainage events. The subsequent flux shows that the evolution of the newly formed sinkholes either improves the hydraulic connection or temporarily seals the connection between the surface pond and deeper caverns/aquifers. The drainage event ends when either the hydraulic connection is sealed or when the level of water in the pond drops to the level of the newly formed sinkhole. The large volumes of drained water and drainage fluxes imply the existence of a well-developed active underground draining system.

Subjects

Subjects :
sinkhole
salt karst
Dead Sea
Science

Details

Language :
English
ISSN :
20724292
Volume :
15
Issue :
18
Database :
Directory of Open Access Journals
Journal :
Remote Sensing
Publication Type :
Academic Journal
Accession number :
edsdoj.891f9c0eef824054a015b516f5da7abc
Document Type :
article
Full Text :
https://doi.org/10.3390/rs15184384