Impending Signs of Landslides and

Sinkholes Continuation…..
Disaster Readiness and Risks Reduction
WATER All life requires water.
The hydrosphere (Earth’s water) is
an important agent of geologic
change. It shapes our planet
through weathering and erosion,
deposits minerals that aid
in lithification, and alters rocks
after they are lithified. Water
carried
by subducted oceanic plates causes
melting in the
WATER
 Properties of Water
The physical and chemical properties of water are what makes it essential to
life and useful to civilization. Water is a molecule made of one negatively
charged (-2) oxygen ion,(An atom or molecule that has a charge [positive or negative] due to the loss or gain of
electrons.) and two positively-charged (+1) hydrogen ions, giving it the chemical

formula H2O, with strong covalent bonds (Two or more atoms or ions that are connected
chemically.)between the oxygen and two hydrogen ions. The shape of the water

molecule allows for an uneven distribution of charge, where one side is

slightly positive and one side is slightly negative. Because of this polarity (A
molecule [like water] which has a positive side and a negative side.) , water molecules form hydrogen

bonds (A weak chemical bond which attracts hydrogen to a negative part of a molecule. Many of water's properties are due to
hydrogen bonds.) with each other. Hydrogen bonds are electrostatic (relating to stationary
 Properties of Water
Water is amphoteric (Possesses properties of both acid and base),that is it can self-ionize,
breaking down into an acidic hydrogen ion (H+) and a hydroxyl ion (OH-),
chemically a base. Because of its polarity and its ability to be amphoteric,
water is a universal solvent—a chemical that can dissolve a wide range of
other chemicals.
 Other side-effects of water’s polarity
Properties of Water (A molecule, like water, which has a positive side and a negative
side.) are cohesion (water likes to stick to itself or
forces that hold a substance together. )
and adhesion (water likes to stick to other things or
Forces that cause one substance to stick to another.). Water

has the highest cohesion of

all nonmetallic liquids. Cohesion giv
es water surface tension (Stresses that pull
objects apart into a larger surface area or volume; stretching
, allowing water glider insects to
forces.)

float on the water surface.

Surface tension is what gives rain
drops a spherical shape.
Properties of Water
Surface tension is what gives rain
drops a spherical shape. Capillary
action occurs when a combination
of adhesive and cohesive forces
causes water to move up narrow
passages and tubes, rising higher
than surrounding liquid. Capillary
action happens when
the adhesion of water to the tube is
greater than the water’s internal
cohesive forces. Paper towels have
small pores that use capillary forces
to clean up watery spills. Plants use
capillary forces to pump water into
 Properties of Water

Water has a high specific-heat capacity. Specific-heat is the amount of

heat required to raise the temperature of a substance. Compared to
many other substances, water requires a large amount of heat to raise
its temperature. The high specific heat of water allows it to act as an
energy buffer to extreme changes in air temperature. It also allows the
oceans to soak up solar heat without changing temperature much and
distribute that heat over the Earth by currents thus making the Earth
habitable.
Properties of Water
The density curve of water shows
that as water is cooled, it becomes more
dense, as do most other substances, but it’s
greatest density occurs at about 4 degrees
Celsius while most other substances
continue to increase in density until they
freeze. This unique density curve means
that water is most dense just above its
freezing point and sinks. Thus the oceans
remain liquid. If water behaved like other
substances, the oceans would be frozen.
 Properties of Water
When water freezes, the molecules
arrange themselves in a well-ordered
crystal structure, creating a spacing
between molecules that is greater than if
water is in liquid form. The difference in
molecular spacing causes ice to be less
dense than water, making it more buoyant
than liquid water, causing it to float on
water. Because of its high specific-heat
capacity, ice floating on a lake’s surface
insulates the liquid water beneath and
keeps it from freezing.
Properties of Water
Because of its hydrogen
bonds, water also has a high
heat of vaporization. A
significant amount of energy
is required to evaporate
water. As water evaporates,
energy is absorbed by the
breaking of hydrogen
bonds and the air around the
evaporating water is cooled.
This energy is stored in the
water vapor.
WATER CYCLE
The water cycle describes how water changes between
solid, liquid, and gas (water vapor) phases and changes
location. Water can be evaporated, which is the process
where a liquid is converted to a gas. Solar energy warms
the water sufficiently to excite the water molecules to the
point of vaporization. Evaporation occurs from surface
water bodies such as oceans, lakes, and streams (A channeled body
of water.) and the land surface. Plants contribute significant

amounts of water vapor as a byproduct of photosynthesis in

a process called transpiration. Geologists commonly
combine these two sources of water entering
the atmosphere (The gases that are part of the Earth, which are mainly nitrogen and
oxygen.) in a term called evapotranspiration (A combination of
evaporation and transpiration from plants, which is a measure of water entering the atmosphere.).
Water vapor in WATER CYCLE
the atmosphere can migrate long
distance from ocean to over land
by way of prevailing winds. Over
the ocean or land, the air can cool
and cause the water to condense
back into liquid water. This
usually happens in the form of
very small water droplets that
form around a microscopic piece
of dust or salt called condensation
nuclei. These small water Precipitation is the act of a solid coming out
droplets are visible as a cloud. of solution, typically resulting from a drop in
Clouds build and once the water temperature or a decrease of the dissolving
 WATER CYCLE
Once it has reached the surface it does two important things relevant
to the geology of this chapter. At the surface, liquid water can flow
as runoff (Water that flows over the surface.)into streams, lakes, and eventually back to the
oceans (in most cases). Water in streams and lakes is called surface water.
In addition, water can also infiltrate into the soil and finally fill
the pore spaces in the rock or sediment deep underground to
become groundwater (Water that is below the surface.), the name given to all subsurface
water. Groundwater ( slowly moves through rock and unconsolidated
materials and some of it eventually reaches the surface again, where it
discharges as springs and into streams, lakes, and the ocean. Also, surface
water in streams and lakes can infiltrate (Water that works its way down into the subsurface.) again
to recharge groundwater. Therefore, the surface water
and groundwater systems are connected.
 Sinkholes
• Sinkholes are depressions or openings in the ground surface. They are
generally formed as the result of a collapse in the ceiling of an underground
cavity or cavern. Sinkholes typically develop slowly, but can also form
suddenly when a collapse occurs.
• Sinkholes naturally occur in areas underlain by soluble carbonate or evaporite
rocks Like limestone, dolomite, gypsum, and salt.
• The three types of sinkholes are: Dissolution sinkholes; Cover-subsidence
sinkholes; and Cover-collapse sinkholes.
Salt marsh pond is an area of coastal grassland that is regularly flooded by seawater.
Identify what type of sinkhole it is.
Type of Sinkhole
Cover-subsidence
sinkholes tend to
develop gradually
where the covering
sediments are
permeable and
contain sand.
Type of Sinkhole
Dissolution sinkholes occur where
there is little soil or vegetation over
the soluble rock. Aggressive
dissolution occurs where flow is
focused in pre-existing openings in
the rock , such as along joints,
fractures, and bedding planes, or
in the zone of water–table
fluctuations where the ground
water is in contact with the
Type of Sinkhole

Cover-collapse sinkholes
tend to develop abruptly and
cause catastrophic damages.
They occur where the
covering sediments contain
significant amounts of clay.
 Assignments
EVALUATION (5 MINS)
Definition of Sinkhole
1. Explain in your own words what a sinkhole is.
2. Explain the different types three different types of sinkholes.
3. Explain some of the causes of sinks holes.
4. Suggest some other causes of sinkholes not discussed in the
lecture materials.
 Assignments

ENRICHMENT
Alternative Activities
1. Do an internet search of recent or well-documented landslides that have
occurred in the past.
2. Perform a do-it-yourself landslide experiment as shown in the following
videos:
I. Saferworldcomm (2013) (https://youtu.be/6tSnA9I6uL4)
II. Luke Pajer (2014) (https://youtu.be/mb4O7YDX7N8)
3. Perform the following a simulation-experiment for a sinkhole.
ENRICHMENT Alternative Activities