Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • Correspondence
  • Published:

Mitigating sinkhole hazards intensified by climate change

Nature Geoscience volume 18, pages 273–274 (2025)Cite this article

Subjects

The recent emergence of newsworthy large sinkholes in the UK — exceeding the typical recurrence of these hazards1 — highlights the escalating geological risks in human-modified landscapes globally. In China, 600,000 km2 of karstic landscapes are at high risk of sinkhole collapses2. In Iran, extensive subsidence affects approximately 56,000 km2 (3.5% of its territory), resulting in numerous sinkholes and posing serious environmental risks3. Global trends of increasing sinkhole occurrence are driven by ageing infrastructure, legacy land use, and, increasingly, climate change. Sinkholes represent a significant geological hazard, posing risks to human life, infrastructure, and ecosystems. Improved sinkhole mitigation frameworks that integrate hydrogeological, geotechnical, and urban planning perspectives are urgently required.

Natural sinkholes develop through complex interactions between soluble karstic bedrock (for example, limestone or gypsum) and hydrological processes. Human activities may exacerbate the susceptibility of a landscape to sinkhole formation. For example, the recent UK events involved sandstone predisposed to collapse due to abandoned mine workings experiencing rapidly rising groundwater levels during heavy rainfall4 and sandstones beneath a road eroded by a burst water main5. These events caused damage to infrastructure and property, evacuation of residences, and ecological damage. Potential secondary socioeconomic impacts include increased insurance premiums and decreased property values.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Buy this article

  • Purchase on SpringerLink
  • Instant access to the full article PDF.

USD 39.95

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Fig. 1: A schematic overview linking increasing sinkhole hazards with corresponding management strategies.

Jonathan Brady / PA Images / Alamy Stock Photo

References

  1. Farrant, A. & Cooper, T. Geoscientist 24, 12–17 (2014).

  2. Lei, M., Gao, Y. & Jiang, X. in Engineering Geology for Society and Territory – Volume 5: Urban Geology, Sustainable Planning and Landscape Exploitation (eds Lollino, G. et al.) 529–533 (Springer, 2015).

  3. Haghshenas Haghighi, M. & Motagh, M. Sci. Adv. 10, eadk3039 (2024).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  4. Menteth, T. Collapsed culvert that caused Welsh sinkhole raises concerns about ageing infrastructure. Ground Engineering https://www.geplus.co.uk/news/south-wales-sinkhole-raises-concerns-about-climate-change-impacts-on-infrastructure-05-12-2024/ (5 December 2024).

  5. Johnson, T. Godstone sinkhole likely due to burst water main flushing out weakened bedrock says BGS. New Civil Engineer https://www.newcivilengineer.com/latest/godstone-sinkhole-likely-due-to-burst-water-main-flushing-out-weakened-bedrock-says-bgs-20-02-2025/ (20 February 2025).

  6. English, S., Heo, J. & Won, J. Sustainability 12, 3537 (2020).

  7. Linares, R. et al. Sci. Total. Environ. 579, 345–358 (2017).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  8. InSAR research. British Geological Survey https://www.bgs.ac.uk/geology-projects/geodesy/insar-research/ (2025).

  9. Möller, T. et al. Geotechnique 73, 701–715 (2022).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  10. Muili, O. Sinkhole Susceptibility Analysis Using Machine Learning for West Central Florida. MSc thesis, Georgia State Univ. (2022).

  11. Farrant, A. R. & Cooper, A. H. Q. J. Eng. Geol. Hydrogeol. 41, 339–356 (2008).

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

The views and opinions expressed in this paper are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of their affiliated institutions.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Chongqing Key Laboratory for Resource Utilization of Heavy Metal Wastewater, Aquatic Ecosystems in the Three Gorges Reservoir Region of Chongqing Observation and Research Station, Chongqing University of Arts and Sciences, Yongchuan, Chongqing, China

    Hong Yang, Zhigang Xie, Wuquan Ding & Jiahong He

  2. Department of Geography and Environmental Science, University of Reading, Reading, UK

    Hong Yang

  3. Department of Geography, University College London, London, UK

    Julian R. Thompson & Roger J. Flower

Authors
  1. Hong Yang
    View author publications

    Search author on:PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Zhigang Xie
    View author publications

    Search author on:PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Wuquan Ding
    View author publications

    Search author on:PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Jiahong He
    View author publications

    Search author on:PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Julian R. Thompson
    View author publications

    Search author on:PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Roger J. Flower
    View author publications

    Search author on:PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Hong Yang.

Ethics declarations

Competing interests

The authors declare no competing interests.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Yang, H., Xie, Z., Ding, W. et al. Mitigating sinkhole hazards intensified by climate change. Nat. Geosci. 18, 273–274 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41561-025-01674-8

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Version of record:

  • Issue date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41561-025-01674-8

Search

Advanced search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing