Authorities have shared video of the moment when a sinkhole formed in the middle of a road just north of Fresno.
The 15-foot-by-20-foot-deep sinkhole formed in a 12-foot-by-15-foot section of the street, causing the street fall to into the sewage line, the City of Madera Police Department said in a Facebook post. The road is expected to be closed for repairs for an “extended” period of time.
Authorities suspect recent rainfall may be responsible for the damage.
Rain can trigger sinkholes in areas where land surface is made up of “rocks that can be naturally dissolved by groundwater circulating through them,” according to the U.S. Geological Survey:
When water from rainfall moves down through the soil, these types of rock begin to dissolve and spaces and caverns develop underground…If there is not enough support for the land above the spaces, then a sudden collapse of the land surface can occur.
More Must-Reads from TIME
- How Donald Trump Won
- The Best Inventions of 2024
- Why Sleep Is the Key to Living Longer
- Robert Zemeckis Just Wants to Move You
- How to Break 8 Toxic Communication Habits
- Nicola Coughlan Bet on Herself—And Won
- Why Vinegar Is So Good for You
- Meet TIME's Newest Class of Next Generation Leaders
Write to Olivia B. Waxman at olivia.waxman@time.com