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Sinkhole

Geology
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

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The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

A depression or collapse in the ground, often caused by dissolved rock below. It can suggest sudden absence, instability, or buried loss.

Detailed Definition
A sinkhole is a depression or sudden collapse of the ground, commonly caused when water dissolves underlying rock and creates empty spaces below the surface. In poetry, it can embody a disappearance that seems abrupt but has been forming unseen for years. A sinkhole may represent grief opening under ordinary routines, a community’s neglected history, or the instability beneath familiar ground. Its force lies in the shock of discovering that solidity was only a temporary appearance.
Example
Example in poetry:
“The sinkhole opened overnight, swallowing the road’s yellow line,” creates immediate danger and disruption in a poem; A poet might write, “After your leaving, a sinkhole formed beneath each ordinary day,” using collapse as a metaphor for grief; “The sinkhole drank rain and reflected a torn piece of sky” makes a geological feature visually complex; In a narrative poem, “the town gathered at the sinkhole’s rim” can show communal awe, fear, or curiosity; “Beneath the lawn, water had been quietly making a sinkhole” suggests that unseen forces can shape sudden losses
Additional Notes
A sinkhole forms when ground collapses into an underground void, especially where water dissolves limestone or other soluble rock. Its suddenness can intensify images of disappearance, precarious foundations, and losses beneath everyday surfaces.
Also Known As
Doline Swallow Hole
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