30-foot-deep sinkhole opens inches from earlier sinkhole on Oregon cliff, photos show
A 30-foot-deep sinkhole formed along an Oregon coastline inches away from one that appeared months earlier, park officials said.
The second sinkhole, which is 10 feet wide, appeared Monday, May 8, at the Cape Kiwanda State Natural Area near Pacific City, the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department said in a news release.
Someone posted a photo of the sinkhole on social media, leading park officials to discover it.
This latest sinkhole formed within the safety fence for the first sinkhole, which was located about 10 inches away from the new opening, officials said.
The initial sinkhole opened in January on the “lower northwest corner of the dune,” officials said. It’s 25 feet wide and 15 feet deep, officials said.
“The soil appears to be falling into large, unstable voids beneath the cliff caused by strong ocean waves,” officials said.
Park officials are working with geologists to determine where to place a permanent fence around the sinkholes.
“We ask that visitors respect this barrier and all park safety barriers and that they keep pets on leashes and children away from the edges,” Oregon State Parks park ranger supervisor Travis Korbe said in the release.
Korbe said the site is monitored daily. Park officials ask the public to stay away from the area.
Cape Kiwanda is made of “sandstone outcropping” so it’s weaker than basalt rock, officials said, and it “could change at any moment.”
Anything concerning can be reported to Cape Lookout State Park staff at 503-842-4981.
Pacific City is about 100 miles southwest of Portland.
This story was originally published May 10, 2023 at 12:46 PM with the headline "30-foot-deep sinkhole opens inches from earlier sinkhole on Oregon cliff, photos show."
