Subsidence, as a geophysical phenomenon, refers to the downward vertical displacement or gradual sinking of the Earth’s surface relative to a reference datum, driven by processes that reduce support in the underlying materials. Mechanisms include natural compaction of sediments, dissolution of soluble rocks (e.g., karst), tectonic extension, crustal loading and unloading, and anthropogenic drivers such as groundwater, hydrocarbons, or geothermal fluid extraction, as well as mining-induced void creation. Subsidence is quantified using geodetic and remote sensing techniques (e.g., GNSS, InSAR) and significantly influences stress fields, surface drainage, infrastructure stability, and hazard assessment in both natural and urban environments.
A crack appears beside a window after weeks of scorching weather. As much as you might hope the ground beneath your house will recover with the first rain, the effects of a dry summer can continue long after temperatures ...
Environment
Oct 21, 2026
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Land subsidence is the gradual sinking of the ground, which can damage buildings, foundations, and drainage and sewage systems, and may increase flood risks. However, information on land subsidence dynamics remains limited, ...
Earth Sciences
Oct 12, 2026
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Many cities around the world are sinking because too much water is extracted from the groundwater reservoirs beneath them. This sinking makes these coastal cities more exposed to rising seas as the climate warms. But as our ...
Earth Sciences
Sep 30, 2026
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Extending some 1,200 kilometers (750 miles) along the length of Italy, the Apennine Mountains present a challenging puzzle for geologists. In some places, the mountains are steadily being stretched apart, while in regions ...
In 2022, the eruption and collapse of an underwater volcano in Tonga caused a devastating tsunami that killed four people, disrupted seafloor ecosystems and damaged critical seafloor telecommunications cables. It was one ...
Stretching more than 200,000 square kilometers (77,000 square miles) across southern Australia, the vast, flat plains of the Nullarbor mark one of the world's largest regions of limestone. It formed when an ancient shallow ...
Earth Sciences
Sep 19, 2026
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Mysterious trenches stretching for kilometers across southern Australia's Nullarbor Plain have been revealed as the surface footprints of deep, hidden ancient cave systems.
Earth Sciences
Sep 17, 2026
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Around a quarter of the U.S. food supply is grown in California's Central Valley. Most of its crops, like rice, fruit trees and nut trees, are water-intensive and require extensive groundwater pumping during droughts. Over ...
Earth scientists at Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore) have published an international study showing that major earthquakes in Southeast Asia can affect regional relative sea-level projections.
Earth Sciences
Jul 13, 2026
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As seismic waves travel through Earth, they gradually lose energy, a process called attenuation. That energy loss doesn't happen uniformly—some features in the crust sap far more energy from seismic waves than others. Researchers ...
Earth Sciences
May 11, 2026
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