A sinkhole, also known as a cenote, sink, sink-hole, shakehole, swallet, swallow hole, or doline , is a depression or hole in the ground caused by some form of collapse of the surface layer. Some are caused by karst processes—for example, the chemical dissolution of carbonate rocks or suffosion processes. Sinkholes may vary in size from 1 to 600 m both in diameter and depth, and vary in form from soil-lined bowls to bedrock-edged chasms. Sinkholes may be formed gradually or suddenly, and are found worldwide. On 2 July 2015, scientists reported that active pits, related to sinkhole collapses and possibly associated with outbursts, have been found on the comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko by the Rosetta space probe. (source :
wikipedia)