Minnesota Street Sweeper Swallowed By Sinkhole

It's something you definitely don't see every day: a street sweeper swallowed up by a sinkhole!

But, sure enough, it happened Monday on Main Street over in Ortonville, Minnesota. (Ortonville is located right on the Minnesota/South Dakota border, about 4 and a half hours northwest of Rochester.) According to the City of Ortonville Facebook page, thankfully, there were no injuries when this street sweeper fell into that big sinkhole. The entire incident is 'under review,' their page noted.

Sinkholes are something you don't see every day, and that's probably a good thing. I didn't know too much about what causes sinkholes to form, so I checked with the United States Geological Survey for a little more information.

According to their site, "Sinkholes are common where the rock below the land surface is limestone, carbonate rock, salt beds, or rocks that can naturally be dissolved by groundwater circulating through them. As the rock dissolves, spaces and caverns develop underground. Typically, sinkholes form so slowly that little change is noticeable, but they can form suddenly when a collapse occurs. Such a collapse can have a dramatic effect if it occurs in an urban setting." the site said.

And yeah, as you can see in the pictures below, those ARE some fairly dramatic images! (I wonder just which equipment was used and how long it took to get the street sweeper out-- and if it suffered any damage.)

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