Abstract

During the late 1960s and 1970s consideration of land instability in Britain was dominated by coal mining related problems. Subsequently, there has been a greater awareness regarding collapses due to non-coal mining and karstic features in soluble rocks. In addition, there has been an improvement in the number of recorded occurrences of sinkholes and crown holes. The hazard of ground collapse in certain geological settings, together with the size of collapses and resulting damage upon development and infrastructure, has become more evident. While a range of subsidence triggers are evident, the principal causal agency is usually water from rainfall or leaking utilities. Wider ranging studies, both in Britain and overseas, provides a useful summary of land settlement and subsidence activity.