Friday, August 8, 2014

A Sandy Freaky Friday...!

Some of these features for Freaky Friday are places that can actually be visited right here in the good ol' USA. This is just of them.

You'll have to excuse me for not wanting to visit places like this, but I have a real aversion to being eaten by a giant sandy sink hole.

Mount Baldy’s Randomly Appearing Holes

Investigation_BaldyEntry


In 2013, a six-year-old boy exploring the sand dunes of Mount Baldy in Indiana Dunes National Park was swallowed by a sinkhole that suddenly appeared beneath him. The boy recovered after a three-hour ordeal in which he was buried under a little more than 3 meters (11 ft) of sand, and other sinkholes have been randomly appearing ever since.

Geologists are baffled by the phenomenon at Mount Baldy. As the landscape is made of sand, which doesn’t create air pockets, none of the conditions necessary for sinkholes to form should be present. In fact, when the sinkholes do occur, they only last about a day before they’re filled in with surrounding sand. The use of ground-penetrating radar has yielded no clues.

A year after the first sinkhole was seen, they’re not only still appearing, they pop up with such frequency that the park is still off-limits. In an attempt to stabilize the sand dune, grasses are being planted with the hope that their root system will stop erosion and ground-shifting. Some scientists believe that the instability of the sand dune may have something to do with its rather storied history, which includes supplying much of the sand once used to make Mason jars.

Living close to the Texas coast, I don't mind the sand at the beach or the dunes. I do have a problem with any sudden appearance of child gobbling sink holes that no one can explain, though. I'm funny that way, I guess!

Coffee outside this morning. Warning here...it was 83 at 3 in the morning, so beware!

13 comments:

Mamahen said...

Sink holes bother me also. There is a rather large one not to many miles from where I live, and it's one of the things that stays in the back of my mind. You wouldn't catch me going to chuckle check out a place like that either.....We haven't had much "summer" this summer here. 57 at 5:30 a.m.....How bout some Fudge Stripe cookies to go along this morning :))

Mamahen said...

Don't know where chuckle came from.....gotta remember to proof....but if I haven't started by now , I don't see that happening lol.

Chickenmom said...

Hearing a lot about sink holes lately. Save some of the cookies for me! It's 49 on the deck thermometer.

tffnguy said...

Wow! That's weird. Don't think I'd want to go there either. I'm having my first cup of coffee in over a week, but its inside. Heck I may take t outside after I post this.

texasann said...

Wow, Chickenmom and Mamahen (are y'all related?), your weather sounds kinda cool to me. Now, if it were October, those temps would be great, but here on the Texas gulf coast, that would be freaky today. We have yet to reach 100 here this summer, but I'm sure not going to check the temps under a sand dune sink hole!
Big hugs to Bubba - thanks for the call last night....

linda m said...

That is why I don't visit the Dunes in Indiana anymore. I have an aversion to being swallowed alive. 60 degrees on my weather deck this AM. Fudge cookies sound great. Have a great weekend.

JO said...

I still say these sink holes are from all the ground water being sucked up. But then what to I know.

You Ladies sure are having some nice temps. It's already in the high 70's here. And high humidity again. Didn't even open the windows and door this morning. Need a refill please.

Sixbears said...

There's something very disturbing about the ground opening up and swallowing someone.

Coffee in the yard, as soon as the sun warms things up a bit.

Dizzy-Dick said...

Back in 1959, I walked all over those dunes. Guess I was lucky the sand creature didn't suck me in, too. Maybe it was just a baby back then (grin).

Rob said...

The earth opening up & swallowing you has to be one of man's basic fears...

HermitJim said...

Hey Mamahen...
I'd keep an eye on them, if I were you! They seem to have a mind of their own!

Thanks for the cookies and the visit!



Hey Phyllis...
Guess the Earth has decided to swallow us up.

Thanks for dropping in today!



Hey TFFNGuy...
Long time, no see! Glad to have you come by this morning.

Guess it's pretty hot at your place, huh?

Thanks for coming over today!



Hey Sis...
My patio temps and the weather guy don't seem to be together on the temps.

Wonder if we are going to get another storm this year?

Thanks for coming over this morning!



Hey Linda M...
I'd avoid them as well, I think.

Sure could use some of those cooler temps today!

Many thanks for coming over today!



Hey Jo...
Whatever is causing them, it's pretty darn scary.

Looks like you and I have about the same temps...HOT!

Thanks, sweetie, for dropping in today!



Hey Sixbears...
Disturbing is a good way to describe it. Not a pleasant thought!

Thanks for coming over today!



Hey Dizzy...
Guess it didn't want the ol' tough snack and waited for the young and tender ones!

Thanks for coming by this morning!



Hey Rob...
Guess it happened a lot back in the old days as well. The fear is there, for real!

Thanks for the visit today!

Mamahen said...

Lol texasann, cm and I aren't related. Mamahen 101 is the name my daughter gave me when she helped me set up my first email account many yrs ago, since at the time had never touched a computer and swore i'd never own a cellphone :))

Dizzy-Dick said...

"Old tough snack". Now that was funny. Thanks for the chuckle. But I was only 16 years old at the time back in 1959.