Can Land Sink?

Question

I mean, has anyone heard of Japan Sinks.

Is it possible?

Could it really happen.

I need answers ASAP!!!

Things I need if it is possible:

Causes

Effects

Thanks a Lot

I need em NOW.

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Answer 1

All I can say is here in Florida land sinks all the time. The cause is usually soft sandy earth destablized by heavy rains or underground springs, collapsing underground caves, or a lowering of the water table.

Sometimes the land sinks so much sinkholes are created that suck down roadways or even whole houses. Other times the land sinks just enough make sidewalks and roads uneven.

Wikipedia link below.

Answer 2

Yes it can. Apparently many major cities are sinking all around the world. Well known examples include Venice Italy, Tokyo, Phoenix, and New Orleans.

The article below discusses the various causes in detail. The following outlines the main reasons and is from the article: Natural geologic subsidence is the sinking of land relative to sea level or some other uniform surface. Subsidence may be a gradual barely perceptible process, or it may occur as a catastrophic collapse of the surface.  Subsidence occurs naturally along some coastlines, and in areas where groundwater has dissolved cave systems in rocks such as limestone. It may occur on a regional scale, affecting an entire coastline, or it may be local in scale, such as when a sinkhole suddenly opens and collapses in the middle of a neighborhood.  Other subsidence events reflect the interaction of humans with the environment, and include ground surface subsidence as a result of mining excavations, groundwater and petroleum extraction, and several other processes.  Compaction is a related phenomenon, where the pore spaces of a material are gradually reduced, condensing the material and causing the surface to subside.  Subsidence and compaction do not typically result in death or even injury, but they do cost Americans alone tens of millions of dollars per year.  The main hazard of subsidence and compaction is damage to property.

Answer 3

it is far more likely that the sea rises ,

the central America shelf is like a plate resting on North and South America ,if they move apart ,in theory central America could disapear beneath the waves

only if their are earth quackes on the bottom of the sea and trenches are formed that swallow land .land can sink

but this is very unlikely

countries like japan are firmly standing on the bottom .like Hawaie which was made from layers of cooling lava ,that kept building up until it broke the surface of the sea ,this kind of achored island cannot sink its roots are deep with in the Ocean floor.