Dozens of coastal skyscrapers in Miami are sinking – earth.com

North Miami Beach (by Daniel Piraino CC BY-NC-ND 2.0 via Flickr).
North Miami Beach (by Daniel Piraino CC BY-NC-ND 2.0 via Flickr).

Excerpt:
On the barrier islands of Miami, a troubling phenomenon is unfolding. Since 2016, construction has contributed to subsidence, causing 35 high-rise buildings, including Trump Tower III, to sink as much as eight centimeters into the ground…

On the barrier islands of Miami, a troubling phenomenon is unfolding. Since 2016, construction has contributed to subsidence, causing 35 high-rise buildings, including Trump Tower III, to sink as much as eight centimeters into the ground.

Researchers at the University of Houston have played a central role in identifying the cause: urban development is exerting immense pressure on the fragile land beneath these structures.

A recent study published in the journal Earth and Space Science has documented alarming rates of land subsidence between 2016 and 2023. The research highlights that Miami’s coastal skyscrapers, particularly newer constructions, are at significant risk of ground instability.

“About half of the subsiding structures are younger than 2014, and at the majority of them, subsidence decays with time. This correlation suggests that the subsidence is related to construction activities,” the report stated.

The findings suggest that the weight and vibrations from large-scale developments are pressing into the porous and sandy geology of the region, leading to gradual sinking…

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