http://www.theverge.com/2014/2/12/5404326/eight-cars-swallowed-by-20-foot-sinkhole-in-national-corvette-museum
Eight cars swallowed by 40-foot sinkhole in the middle of the National Corvette Museum
By Adrianne Jeffries 43 Minutes Ago
A sinkhole reportedly opened up inside the National Corvette Museum in Bowling Green, KY at around 5:44AM local time, swallowing eight cars that were on display. The sinkhole is reportedly about 40 feet wide and at least 20 feet deep. No one has been hurt.
The Bowling Green fire department was on the scene right away and geologists from Western Kentucky University have been called to investigate. Much of the western Kentucky region is underlain by karst, limestone that has been eroded to produce springs, sinking streams, caves, and sinkholes.
The sinkhole occurred in the museum's Sky Dome, a yellow cone-shaped dome 140 feet in diameter with a nearly 100-foot high glass ceiling. Cars in this area are rotated, as they are in the rest of the museum. No one is being allowed into the Sky Dome, but the rest of the museum remains open. Update: The museum reportedly closed later in the morning so an engineer could assess damages.
According to local news stations, the damaged cars include a 1993 ZR-1 Spyder on loan from General Motors and a 2009 ZR1 "Blue Devil" on loan from General Motors, as well as a 1962 Black Corvette, 1984 PPG Pace Car, 1992 White 1 Millionth Corvette, 1993 Ruby Red 40th Anniversary Corvette, 2001 Mallett Hammer Z06 Corvette, and 2009 White 1.5 Millionth Corvette, all owned by the museum.
Staff removed one car, an irreplaceable 1983 Corvette, but are leaving the other cars in the Sky Dome until the structure has been assessed.
Corvettes, which are made by General Motors, are assembled in Bowling Green.
Eight cars swallowed by 40-foot sinkhole in the middle of the National Corvette Museum
By Adrianne Jeffries 43 Minutes Ago
A sinkhole reportedly opened up inside the National Corvette Museum in Bowling Green, KY at around 5:44AM local time, swallowing eight cars that were on display. The sinkhole is reportedly about 40 feet wide and at least 20 feet deep. No one has been hurt.
The Bowling Green fire department was on the scene right away and geologists from Western Kentucky University have been called to investigate. Much of the western Kentucky region is underlain by karst, limestone that has been eroded to produce springs, sinking streams, caves, and sinkholes.
The sinkhole occurred in the museum's Sky Dome, a yellow cone-shaped dome 140 feet in diameter with a nearly 100-foot high glass ceiling. Cars in this area are rotated, as they are in the rest of the museum. No one is being allowed into the Sky Dome, but the rest of the museum remains open. Update: The museum reportedly closed later in the morning so an engineer could assess damages.
According to local news stations, the damaged cars include a 1993 ZR-1 Spyder on loan from General Motors and a 2009 ZR1 "Blue Devil" on loan from General Motors, as well as a 1962 Black Corvette, 1984 PPG Pace Car, 1992 White 1 Millionth Corvette, 1993 Ruby Red 40th Anniversary Corvette, 2001 Mallett Hammer Z06 Corvette, and 2009 White 1.5 Millionth Corvette, all owned by the museum.
Staff removed one car, an irreplaceable 1983 Corvette, but are leaving the other cars in the Sky Dome until the structure has been assessed.
Corvettes, which are made by General Motors, are assembled in Bowling Green.