A signal for disaster

You may not be able to see the water in this photo, but it is there. I could see water running in this roadside ditch and hear the water as it fell into the hole. This is a sinkhole.

A sinkhole is caused by water seeping downwardly through porous soil on a regular basis. Most often there is sedimentary rock such as limestone below the surface that the water is slowly eroding away as it seeks an underground stream. Missouri is one of the top seven U.S. states where sinkholes are common. Sinkholes can be small like this one or big enough to swallow a house or more. I reported this one to county authorities because it looks new and it is close to a public highway.