Cause of sinkhole on I-80 in NJ revealed [View all]

Mineshaft. 40-foot deep.


The sinkhole was caused by the collapse of an abandoned mineshaft, according to the New Jersey Department of Transportation.

There are several abandoned iron mines in the area dating back to the 1800s, according to an official New Jersey state geology information map. That includes the old Mount Pleasant iron mine, which operated about 25-50 feet away from the sinkhole in Wharton, according to state records.

Jim Hill, the owner of the nearby Knotty Pine Pub in Wharton, said there are mineshafts all over the area and that sinkholes have popped up for years.Wharton is within a stretch of Northern New Jersey that was once a mining hub — home to 445 mines that are now abandoned.

“The underground is basically Swiss cheese,” said William Kroth, the executive director of the Sterling Hill Mining Museum.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/cause-sinkhole-80-nj-revealed-201934381.html