Which risk increases when extensive groundwater depletion weakens karst bedrock?

💡 Explanation

Sinkhole formation increases due to groundwater depletion causing decreased hydrostatic pressure; reduced support means overburden stress exceeds bedrock strength because mechanical weathering via dissolution accelerates. Therefore, sinkholes form, rather than geothermal changes which need subsurface heat.

• Which mechanism causes the rapid uplift of land during a large subduction earthquake along a megathrust fault?
• Which mantle process results when a subducting slab reaches a density threshold?
• Which outcome occurs when pyroclastic flow loses momentum?
• Which mechanism causes deflection of ocean gyres formed along continental eastern boundaries?
• Which consequence results when deflation concentrates desert varnish?
• Which effect occurs when sustained offshore winds drive coastal upwelling of nutrient-rich water?