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Here are unusual sinking places like The Millennium Tower (USA) - The
Millennium Tower luxury high-rise opened its doors in 2009 and has since
been dubbed "The Leaning Tower of San Francisco." It has sunk about 16
inches and is tilting several inches to the northwest.
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The Millennium Tower (USA)
The Millennium Tower luxury high-rise opened its doors in 2009 and has
since been dubbed "The Leaning Tower of San Francisco." It has sunk
about 16 inches and is tilting several inches to the northwest.
Developers insist it's still safe for occupancy, and blame its problems
on the city's construction of an adjacent railway station, which they
say removed groundwater from below and caused it to tilt. In truth,
there is no definitive reason as to what caused the lean, but the
dispute continues and has spurred numerous lawsuits involving the
developer, the city, and owners of its multimillion dollar apartments.
Just recently, the European Space Agency has released detailed data from
satellite imagery that shows the skyscraper in San Francisco's financial
district is continuing to sink at a steady rate — and perhaps faster
than previously known. |
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Sinking Bell Tower (Philippines)
St. William's Cathedral, in Laoag City, Philippines, is famous for its
Sinking Bell Tower. 85 meters away from the church, the 45-meter bell
tower was built in 1612 on sandy foundations. It has been slowly sinking
into the ground at a rate of about an inch per year. Legend has it that
when it was newly built, a person on horseback could enter, but today a
person at normal height has to bend just to pass the entrance. Despite
this, the bells still ring to call parishioners to mass. |
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Palacio de Bellas Artes (Mexico)
Mexico City's Palacio de Bellas Artes has sunk so far that its original
ground floor is now a subterranean basement!
The city, built on an island in the middle of a lake around 1325 AD, was
plagued by the provision of potable water for centuries. Deforestation
depleted springs that had supplied the city with fresh water via
aqueducts in the 19th century. The first fresh water well was built in
the city center in 1857, and by 1900 there were hundreds of wells
sucking water from the underground aquifer.
You can see where this is going.
Some parts of Mexico City have dropped more than seven meters (23 ft)
since 1891. Parts of the city center sank more than a meter between 1948
and 1951, and another meter by 1960. The city fell two meters below what
remained of Lake Texcoco, posing a serious risk of flooding during the
rainy season. In 1950, new wells were drilled south of the city reducing
central city sinking to its current rate of about 10 cm (4 in) a year.
It helped, but buildings in the southern part of the city began to sink
more rapidly. |
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Taj Mahal (India)
The Taj Mahal, built more than 350 years ago as a symbol of the Mughal
Emperor Shah Jahan's love for his wife, is sinking. One of the minarets
of the building has tilted by 3.5 centimeters over the last 30 years.
The ebony foundation of the palace, built on the Yamuna River, requires
a steady stream of moisture to maintain stability. Due to climate
change, the river now dries up completely during the summer months,
causing the breakdown of the foundation and resulting tilt. |
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Leaning Tower of Pisa (Italy)
Only 3 meters deep, the foundation of the Leaning Tower of Pisa was
built on a dense clay mixture, but clay was not strong enough to hold
the building upright. Construction began in 1173, but Pisa started to
lean in 1178 when the second floor was added.
The tower is slightly curved from attempts by various architects over
the centuries to keep it from leaning more or falling over. In 2008,
engineers stated that Pisa had stopped moving, marking the first time in
its history that it has not been slowly leaning further to one side.
They expect it will remain stable for at least another 200 years. If
another intervention is then required, the technology available to make
improvements could be far more advanced and preserve the tower for 800
more years. (Tourists, you have plenty of time to post photos of
yourself "holding the Tower up " to Instagram. How awesome is that?)
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