A sinkhole, also known as a swallow hole, shake hole, swallet, or doline, is a depression or hole caused by a collapse of the surface layer of the earth. Sinkholes can range from just one meter (swallowing up a single person walking by on the street) up to hundreds of kilometers, taking out entire cities. They can happen naturally by wind or water erosion, or artificially due to people mining and drilling in unsafe areas.<br /><br />Whichever the case and whatever the cause, people notice. It's a literal force of nature and it can be terrifying. Though some are later turned into a nice vacation spot. They happen all over the world, on both continents and islands. Below are the worst sinkhole disasters of all time, ranked by users. Vote up the disaster you think was the worst, and keep an eye on the earth beneath you.<br />Hurricane Agatha Guatemala City Sinkhole<br />Disaster struck Guatemala City again when, less than 2 kilometers from one the sinkhole that opened up in 2007, another sinkhole swallowed an entire three story building. The ground collapsed more than 300 feet and 15 people were killed. <br />Berezniki Sinkhole<br />This sinkhole in the Russian city of Berezniki is ENORMOUS and approaching its 30th birthday. It started in 1986 and has been growing every year. As of 2012, it was 340 yards wide, 430 yards long, and 780 feet deep. It's slowly consuming the entire city.<br />Brazil City Block Sink Hole<br />In January of 2014, a sinkhole took out an area, and all of the stores and homes in it, almost the size of an entire city block in a small town North of Rio, Brazil.<br />Guatemala City Sinkhole<br />The people of a Guatemala City had been hearing strange sounds for weeks when suddenly, in late February 2007, an almost perfect circle sinkhole opened up 300 feet of earth beneath them! That's nearly the size of the Statue of Liberty but... DOWN. Unfortunately three people were killed and over one thousand had to be evacuated.<br />Brazilian Port Sinkhole<br />Not much is known about this incident in Brazil other than an ENTIRE PORT was swept away in a matter of minutes, causing untold dollars in damages and a permanent end to that Port.<br />Ubar<br />An entire trading and fortress city in the Arabian peninsula was swallowed up 5,000 years ago when it's underground water system (ironically the very thing that made it such a thriving city) gave way and swallowed up the entire city. It's been compared in scope to Los Angeles just falling into the earth. The Lost City of Ubar is known as the "Atlantis of the Sands."<br />San Diego Split<br />Devil's Sinkhole<br />Agrico Gypsum Stack<br />St. Jude, Quebec<br />The Florida Sinkhole That Consumed a Man.<br />San Francisco Sinkhole<br />Taipei Sinkhole<br />Ein Gedi Sinkholes<br />Daisetta Texas Sinkhole<br />Winter Park Sinkhole<br />Chinese Sinkhole Swallows Thousands of Fish<br />Bayou Corne Sinkhole<br />Bowling Green Kentucky<br />Deltona Florida Sinkhole<br />Corvette Eating Sinkhole<br />An IHOP Parking Lot in Meridian, Mississippi<br />Hertfordshire Sinkhole<br />
