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49-502: Once the area was originally only called the " Cancun–Tulum corridor ", but in 1999 it was renamed as the Riviera Maya, analogous to the Italian and French Riviera , with the instigation of among others, Miguel Ramón Martín Azueta. At the time, he was the municipal president of Solidaridad, Quintana Roo . The Riviera Maya includes the municipalities of Solidaridad in the north and Tulum in

98-513: A bad drainage system were blamed for its creation. It swallowed a three-story building and a house; it measured approximately 20 m (66 ft) wide and 30 m (98 ft) deep. A similar hole had formed nearby in February 2007. This large vertical hole is not a true sinkhole, as it did not form via the dissolution of limestone, dolomite, marble, or any other water-soluble rock. Instead, they are examples of "piping pseudokarst", created by

147-788: A gross underestimate based on inadequate data. The greatest amount of karst sinkhole damage in the United States occurs in Florida, Texas, Alabama, Missouri, Kentucky, Tennessee, and Pennsylvania. The largest recent sinkhole in the USA is possibly one that formed in 1972 in Montevallo, Alabama , as a result of man-made lowering of the water level in a nearby rock quarry. This "December Giant" or "Golly Hole" sinkhole measures 130 m (425 ft) long, 105 m (350 ft) wide and 45 m (150 ft) deep. Other areas of significant karst hazards include

196-528: A small area, giving the landscape a pock-marked appearance. These sinkholes drain all the water, so there are only subterranean rivers in these areas. Examples of karst landscapes with numerous massive sinkholes include Khammouan Mountains ( Laos ) and Mamo Plateau (Papua New Guinea). The largest known sinkholes formed in sandstone are Sima Humboldt and Sima Martel in Venezuela . Some sinkholes form in thick layers of homogeneous limestone. Their formation

245-809: A total length of about 350 km (218 miles). It is customarily divided into a western section, the Ponente Riviera, and an eastern section, the Levante Riviera, the point of division being the apex of the Ligurian arc at Voltri . It has about 1.6 million inhabitants, and most of the population is concentrated within the coastal area. Its mild climate draws an active tourist trade in the numerous coastal resorts , which include Alassio , Bonassola , Bordighera , Camogli , Cinque Terre , Lerici , Levanto , Noli , Portofino , Porto Venere , Santa Margherita Ligure , Sanremo , San Fruttuoso , and Sestri Levante . It

294-539: Is Genoa , which divides it into two main sections: the Riviera di Ponente (“the coast of the setting sun”), extending westwards from Genoa to the French border; and the Riviera di Levante (“the coast of the rising sun”) between Genoa and Capo Corvo. It is known for its mild climate and its reputation for a relaxed way of life, old fishing ports, and landscapes. It has been a popular destination for travellers and tourists since

343-1013: Is a type of sinkhole that exposes groundwater underneath. Sink , and stream sink are more general terms for sites that drain surface water, possibly by infiltration into sediment or crumbled rock. Most sinkholes are caused by karst processes – the chemical dissolution of carbonate rocks , collapse or suffosion processes. Sinkholes are usually circular and vary in size from tens to hundreds of meters both in diameter and depth, and vary in form from soil-lined bowls to bedrock-edged chasms. Sinkholes may form gradually or suddenly, and are found worldwide. Sinkholes may capture surface drainage from running or standing water, but may also form in high and dry places in specific locations. Sinkholes that capture drainage can hold it in large limestone caves. These caves may drain into tributaries of larger rivers. The formation of sinkholes involves natural processes of erosion or gradual removal of slightly soluble bedrock (such as limestone ) by percolating water,

392-518: Is also a big tourist draw in the area, including the popular archeological sites operated by the Instituto Nacional de Archeological such as Tulum on the coast, and Chichen Itza and Coba located some distance inland. The self-named ecoparks of Xcaret and Xel-Ha also include some smaller archeological ruins as part of their attractions, but these natural water theme parks operated by private business consortia attract much larger crowds due to

441-796: Is also known for its historical association with international celebrity and artistic visitors; writers and poets like Percy Bysshe Shelley , Lord Byron , Ezra Pound , and Ernest Hemingway were inspired by the beauty and spirit of Liguria. As a tourist centre, the Italian Riviera benefits from over 300 days of sunshine per year, and is known for its beaches, colourfully painted towns, natural environment, food, and luxury villas and hotels, as well as for its popular resort facilities, major yachting and cruising areas with several marinas, festivals , golf courses, sailing, rock climbing and scenic views of centuries old farmhouses and cottages. Industries are concentrated in and around Genoa, Savona, and along

490-590: Is facilitated by high groundwater flow, often caused by high rainfall; such rainfall causes formation of the giant sinkholes in the Nakanaï Mountains , on the New Britain island in Papua New Guinea. Powerful underground rivers may form on the contact between limestone and underlying insoluble rock, creating large underground voids. In such conditions, the largest known sinkholes of the world have formed, like

539-468: Is flat and covered by low tropical jungle. The geology is high purity carbonates down to a depth of 0.5–1.5 km below the surface. Mean annual rainfall is 1.5 m per year and the efficient infiltration results in the complete absence of any surface rivers. As is common in karst , underground river networks have formed by dissolution, and these have been explored and mapped by cave diving through sinkhole collapses, locally called cenotes . The whole of

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588-676: Is subsidence due to subterranean human activity, such as mining and military trenches . Examples have included, instances above World War I trenches in Ypres , Belgium ; near mines in Nitra , Slovakia ; a limestone quarry in Dudley , England; and above an old gypsum mine in Magheracloone , Ireland . Some of the largest sinkholes in the world are: [REDACTED]  This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of

637-482: Is the pollution of groundwater resources, with serious health implications in such areas. The Maya civilization sometimes used sinkholes in the Yucatán Peninsula (known as cenotes ) as places to deposit precious items and human sacrifices. When sinkholes are very deep or connected to caves, they may offer challenges for experienced cavers or, when water-filled, divers . Some of the most spectacular are

686-667: Is the narrow coastal strip in Italy which lies between the Ligurian Sea and the mountain chain formed by the Maritime Alps and the Apennines . Longitudinally it extends from the border with France and the French Riviera (or Côte d'Azur ) near Ventimiglia (a former customs post) eastwards to Capo Corvo  [ it ] (also known as Punta Bianca) which marks the eastern end of

735-420: Is well understood, and proper site characterization can avoid karst disasters. Thus most sinkhole disasters are predictable and preventable rather than " acts of God ". The American Society of Civil Engineers has declared that the potential for sinkhole collapse must be a part of land-use planning in karst areas. Where sinkhole collapse of structures could cause loss of life, the public should be made aware of

784-484: The Rosetta space probe . Collapses, commonly incorrectly labeled as sinkholes, also occur due to human activity, such as the collapse of abandoned mines and salt cavern storage in salt domes in places like Louisiana , Mississippi and Texas , in the United States of America. More commonly, collapses occur in urban areas due to water main breaks or sewer collapses when old pipes give way. They can also occur from

833-553: The Ebro Basin in northern Spain ; the island of Sardinia ; the Italian peninsula; the Chalk areas in southern England ; Sichuan , China ; Jamaica ; France ; Croatia ; Bosnia and Herzegovina ; Slovenia ; and Russia , where one-third of the total land area is underlain by karst. Sinkholes tend to occur in karst landscapes. Karst landscapes can have up to thousands of sinkholes within

882-461: The Gulf of La Spezia and is close to the regional border between Liguria and Tuscany . The Italian Riviera thus includes nearly all of the coastline of Liguria. Historically the "Riviera" extended further to the west, through what is now French territory as far as Marseille . The Italian Riviera crosses all four Ligurian provinces and their capitals Genoa , Savona , Imperia and La Spezia , with

931-612: The Yucatán Peninsula occurs along the coast of the Riviera Maya with 1,500 mm (59 in) of rainfall with a general decline to the NW with only 400 mm (16 in) per year or less on the opposite side of the Peninsula. While the Caribbean coast of the Yucatán experiences a large number of tropical storms and hurricanes , the storm tracks and therefore landfalls of these are divergent to both

980-1084: The Zacatón cenote in Mexico (the world's deepest water-filled sinkhole), the Boesmansgat sinkhole in South Africa, Sarisariñama tepuy in Venezuela, the Sótano del Barro in Mexico, and in the town of Mount Gambier, South Australia . Sinkholes that form in coral reefs and islands that collapse to enormous depths are known as blue holes and often become popular diving spots. Large and visually unusual sinkholes have been well known to local people since ancient times. Nowadays sinkholes are grouped and named in site-specific or generic names. Some examples of such names are listed below. The 2010 Guatemala City sinkhole formed suddenly in May of that year; torrential rains from Tropical Storm Agatha and

1029-423: The collapse of a cave roof, or a lowering of the water table . Sinkholes often form through the process of suffosion . For example, groundwater may dissolve the carbonate cement holding the sandstone particles together and then carry away the lax particles, gradually forming a void. Occasionally a sinkhole may exhibit a visible opening into a cave below. In the case of exceptionally large sinkholes, such as

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1078-509: The 662-metre-deep (2,172 ft) Xiaozhai Tiankeng ( Chongqing , China), giant sótanos in Querétaro and San Luis Potosí states in Mexico and others. Unusual processes have formed the enormous sinkholes of Sistema Zacatón in Tamaulipas (Mexico), where more than 20 sinkholes and other karst formations have been shaped by volcanically heated, acidic groundwater. This has produced not only

1127-650: The Minyé sinkhole in Papua New Guinea or Cedar Sink at Mammoth Cave National Park in Kentucky , an underground stream or river may be visible across its bottom flowing from one side to the other. Sinkholes are common where the rock below the land surface is limestone or other carbonate rock , salt beds , or in other soluble rocks, such as gypsum , that can be dissolved naturally by circulating ground water . Sinkholes also occur in sandstone and quartzite terrains. As

1176-714: The Riviera Maya are coastal and reef aquatic activities dependent on the beaches, coastal water and the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef System (also known as the Belize Barrier Reef ) which begins near Cancun and continues along the whole length of the Riviera Maya continuing southward to Guatemala. This barrier reef system is the second longest in the world. Activities at the most visited locations include jet-skiing , snorkeling , scuba diving , swimming in cenotes , swimming with dolphins , zip-lining , horse riding, sailing, and guided jungle tours. Archeology

1225-616: The Yucatán Peninsula is underlain by a density-stratified coastal aquifer system with a lens-shaped freshwater body floating on top of intruding saline water. The formation of caves ( speleogenesis ) within this coastal carbonate aquifer is principally associated with carbonate dissolution at the fresh-saline water contact within the aquifer. By 2008, the Quintana Roo Speleological Society (QRSS) reported more than 700 km (430 mi) of flooded cave passages within

1274-423: The area however these only represent a small fraction of the total tourism accommodation available. Government development plans include establishing a number of medium-sized cities of ~200,000 inhabitants within the Riviera Maya with initial planning spanning 20 years. Target areas for urbanization include the towns and villages of: Puerto Aventuras , Akumal , Chemuyil, and Tulum . A major attraction throughout

1323-729: The bidding for construction contracts was to be concluded. The Tulum International Airport was finally finished in December 2023 and is now open. In 2018 construction started on the Tren Maya , which would run the length of the Riviera Maya and connect it with other destinations on the Yucatán peninsula. 20°37′53″N 87°04′23″W  /  20.63139°N 87.07306°W  / 20.63139; -87.07306 Italian Riviera The Italian Riviera or Ligurian Riviera ( Italian : Riviera ligure [riˈvjɛːra ˈliːɡure] ; Ligurian : Rivêa lìgure [ɾiˈveːa ˈliɡyɾe] )

1372-425: The coastal water. Large sections of the extensive mangrove swamps that lie behind the beaches and headlands are included in the areas scheduled for tourism development. Most tourists to the Riviera Maya arrive through Cancún International Airport , approximately 50 km (31 mi) north of Playa del Carmen. About 20 km (12 mi) north of Tulum, a new international airport was announced. In March 2011,

1421-437: The collapse of cavities in soil that have developed where soil falls down into underlying rock cavities, pose the most serious hazards to life and property. Fluctuation of the water level accelerates this collapse process. When water rises up through fissures in the rock, it reduces soil cohesion . Later, as the water level moves downward, the softened soil seeps downwards into rock cavities. Flowing water in karst conduits carries

1470-675: The collapse of large cavities that had developed in the weak, crumbly Quaternary volcanic deposits underlying the city. Although weak and crumbly, these volcanic deposits have enough cohesion to allow them to stand in vertical faces and to develop large subterranean voids within them. A process called " soil piping " first created large underground voids, as water from leaking water mains flowed through these volcanic deposits and mechanically washed fine volcanic materials out of them, then progressively eroded and removed coarser materials. Eventually, these underground voids became large enough that their roofs collapsed to create large holes. A crown hole

1519-421: The diversity and range of activities provided, such as swimming with captive dolphins. The mean annual temperature is 24–25 °C (75–77 °F). The climate is dominated by a rainy season from May through November, and within the dry season there is a period dominated by northerly winds, called El Norte, which usually occurs in the months of January and February. The maximum mean annual precipitation throughout

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1568-405: The downward movement of water beyond the natural rate of groundwater recharge. The increased runoff from the impervious surfaces of roads, roofs, and parking lots also accelerate man-induced sinkhole collapses. Some induced sinkholes are preceded by warning signs, such as cracks, sagging, jammed doors, or cracking noises, but others develop with little or no warning. However, karst development

1617-482: The formation of the deepest water-filled sinkhole in the world— Zacatón —but also unique processes of travertine sedimentation in upper parts of sinkholes, leading to sealing of these sinkholes with travertine lids. The U.S. state of Florida in North America is known for having frequent sinkhole collapses, especially in the central part of the state. Underlying limestone there is from 15 to 25 million years old. On

1666-490: The fringes of the state, sinkholes are rare or non-existent; limestone there is around 120,000 years old. The Murge area in southern Italy also has numerous sinkholes. Sinkholes can be formed in retention ponds from large amounts of rain. On the Arctic seafloor, methane emissions have caused large sinkholes to form. Sinkholes have been used for centuries as disposal sites for various forms of waste . A consequence of this

1715-459: The land surface and natural drainage. Since water level changes accelerate sinkhole collapse, measures must be taken to minimize water level changes. The areas most susceptible to sinkhole collapse can be identified and avoided. In karst areas the traditional foundation evaluations ( bearing capacity and settlement ) of the ability of soil to support a structure must be supplemented by geotechnical site investigation for cavities and defects in

1764-574: The limits of the Riviera Maya including the two longest underwater cave systems in the world of Sac Actun and Ox Bel Ha . These groundwater resources, accessed via the thousands of cenotes throughout the landscape, once supported the Maya civilizations and today remain the only natural sources of potable water in the area. The Caribbean coastline is a series of crescent shaped white sand beaches interrupted every 1–10 km by rocky headlands and inlets, called caletas , through which groundwater discharges into

1813-444: The natural dissolution of rock. The U.S. Geological Survey notes that "It is a frightening thought to imagine the ground below your feet or house suddenly collapsing and forming a big hole in the ground." Human activities can accelerate collapses of karst sinkholes, causing collapse within a few years that would normally evolve over thousands of years under natural conditions. Soil-collapse sinkholes, which are characterized by

1862-521: The north (Cancun) and the south (south of Tulum and down to Belize ) striking generally outside the Riviera Maya. Groundwater and therefore cenote water temperatures are 25 °C (77 °F) year round. Coastal waters range from 26 °C (79 °F) in January to 29 °C (84 °F) in August. The Riviera Maya is completely within the state of Quintana Roo on the Yucatán Peninsula of Mexico. The terrain

1911-417: The overpumping and extraction of groundwater and subsurface fluids. Sinkholes can also form when natural water-drainage patterns are changed and new water-diversion systems are developed. Some sinkholes form when the land surface is changed, such as when industrial and runoff-storage ponds are created; the substantial weight of the new material can trigger a collapse of the roof of an existing void or cavity in

1960-605: The part centred on Sanremo , is the Riviera dei Fiori , after the long-established flower growing industry. Places on or near the Italian Riviera include: The Italian Riviera contains the following UNESCO World Heritage Sites : Sinkhole A sinkhole is a depression or hole in the ground caused by some form of collapse of the surface layer. The term is sometimes used to refer to doline , enclosed depressions that are also known as shakeholes , and to openings where surface water enters into underground passages known as ponor , swallow hole or swallet . A cenote

2009-493: The risks. The most likely locations for sinkhole collapse are areas where there is already a high density of existing sinkholes. Their presence shows that the subsurface contains a cave system or other unstable voids. Where large cavities exist in the limestone large surface collapses can occur, such the Winter Park, Florida sinkhole collapse . Recommendations for land uses in karst areas should avoid or minimize alterations of

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2058-414: The rock dissolves, spaces and caverns develop underground. These sinkholes can be dramatic, because the surface land usually stays intact until there is not enough support. Then, a sudden collapse of the land surface can occur. On 2 July 2015, scientists reported that active pits, related to sinkhole collapses and possibly associated with outbursts, were found on the comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko by

2107-624: The shores of the Gulf of La Spezia. Genoa and La Spezia are Italy's leading shipyards; La Spezia is Italy's major naval base, and Savona is a major centre of the Italian iron industry. Chemical, textile, and food industries are also important. A number of streets and palaces in the center of Genoa and the Cinque Terre National Park (which includes Cinque Terre , Portovenere , and the islands Palmaria , Tino and Tinetto ) are two of Italy's 58 World Heritage Sites . The Riviera's centre

2156-512: The soil away, preventing soil from accumulating in rock cavities and allowing the collapse process to continue. Induced sinkholes occur where human activity alters how surface water recharges groundwater . Many human-induced sinkholes occur where natural diffused recharge is disturbed and surface water becomes concentrated. Activities that can accelerate sinkhole collapses include timber removal, ditching, laying pipelines, sewers, water lines, storm drains, and drilling. These activities can increase

2205-467: The soil to create larger surface depressions. Cover-collapse sinkholes or "dropouts" form where so much soil settles down into voids in the limestone that the ground surface collapses. The surface collapses may occur abruptly and cause catastrophic damages. New sinkhole collapses can also form when human activity changes the natural water-drainage patterns in karst areas. Pseudokarst sinkholes resemble karst sinkholes but are formed by processes other than

2254-490: The south, and extends approximately 40 km (25 mi) inland, to the border with the state of Yucatán . The Riviera Maya is famous for its large scale all-inclusive resorts and a historical tourism base of smaller boutique hotels as well as the many fine-dining restaurants available along the Fed 307 and on or near the beaches. Luxury travel entities have been instrumental in increasing luxury villa rentals and yacht charters in

2303-441: The subsurface, resulting in development of a sinkhole. Solution or dissolution sinkholes form where water dissolves limestone under a soil covering. Dissolution enlarges natural openings in the rock such as joints, fractures, and bedding planes. Soil settles down into the enlarged openings forming a small depression at the ground surface. Cover-subsidence sinkholes form where voids in the underlying limestone allow more settling of

2352-519: The time of Byron and Percy Shelley . Many villages and towns in the area are internationally known, such as Portofino , Bordighera , Lerici and the Cinque Terre . Many villages of Italian Riviera are counted among I Borghi più belli d'Italia ("The most beautiful villages of Italy"). The part of the Riviera di Ponente centred on Savona , is called the Riviera delle Palme (the Riviera of palms);

2401-428: The underlying rock. Since the soil/rock surface in karst areas are very irregular the number of subsurface samples ( borings and core samples ) required per unit area is usually much greater than in non-karst areas. In 2015, the U.S. Geological Survey estimated the cost for repairs of damage arising from karst-related processes as at least $ 300 million per year over the preceding 15 years, but noted that this may be

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