More karst voids and sinkholes in future

Recent research shows that over the past 100 years an average of 232 m³ of gypsum per sq km per year has melted in Lithuania’s karst region. This means that such volume of underground voids is being formed. Between 2014 and 2023, only 2.82 m³ per sq km sinkholes formed, accounting for merely 1% of the volume of dissolved gypsum. Thus, there are many voids in the subsurface, which we think are responsible for the subsidence of the earth’s surface in the karst region (0.02 m over the last 100 years). The projected 1.5% increase in precipitation by 2100 will lead to the intensification of gypsum melting and the creation of dangerous sinkholes.

Link to the scientific article:

Taminskas J., Minkevičius V., Linkevičienė R., Mikulėnas V., Danielius S., Satkūnas J. 2025. Karst geohazard and climate change: observations and assumptions for prediction. Episodes. Published online. March 15, 2025.

https://doi.org/10.18814/epiiugs/2025/025005

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