The State Geologist of Arizona, Lee Allison, reported January 23, 2017 that a new 2-mile-long, up to 10 feet wide and 25- to 30-feet deep fissure had been discovered in the Arizona desert.
“Unlike older fissures in the Tator Hills, this fissure is free of vegetation, commensurate with having formed over just the past several years.
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Comparing dated Google Earth imagery, AZGS Earth Fissure program manager, Joe Cook, determined the fissure began to form between Mar. 2013 and Dec. 2014. The onset of fissuring began in the north before extending southward and may have coincided with heavy rains in fall 2014. The southern portion of the fissure postdates the Dec. 2014 imagery.
Geohazard! In urban areas earth fissures pose a substantial threat to infrastructure – homes, building, roads and bridges. In rural areas, fissures threaten roaming livestock and individuals recreating in off-road and 4-wheel drive vehicles. Fissure sidewalls are precipitous, unstable, and prone to sudden collapse that could snare an unwary observer standing on the collapsing edge (Figure 3).”
Read the full post here: https://arizonageology.blogspot.com/2017/01/new-two-mile-long-earth-fissure.html