Question

The ground beneath the Nelson's house is beginning to sag and sink. Which of the following is a possible explanation?

a.The groundwater has been exhausted.

b.The Nelsons have built their home on a continental plate.

c.There is too much salt in the soil.

d.Leaching is causing the soil to weaken.

Answer 1

D

Answer 2

Generally when a house is sinking, the problem can be traced to a weak foundation. One can improve foundation problems by hiring a specialist or installing subterranean concrete beneath the house to raise it. The problem may also be poor soil quality, in which research should be done before repairing the foundation.

Answer 3

You got that off Chacha, right? @ZairaHernandez
I read that too.

Answer 4

Lol @beamarie yeah lol you probably do to lol you dont explain lol

Answer 5

lol no direct answers. btw...

Answer 6

You could have just sent them the link, no direct answers, no plagiarism either.

Answer 7

Hi @bloo-p...
The answer given by @beamarie should not have been D. Leaching, however I can see how that could be confusing, which is why they give that as a possible answer.
Leaching is simply the removal of minerals from rock and soil into a solvent such as water. Just because mineral leaching may be taking place under a house, the material is still there underneath supporting the weight. It doesn't matter if the minerals move into water, the mass is still under the house. If you however live in a house in an area where an ancient seabed once existed like in Florida or parts of the mid US, you can have soil made out of limestone, gypsum, or dolomite which are all soluble in water. However that alone isn't enough, you would need the water to be flowing and carrying away your supporting minerals. This is called Karst topography and the main reason you see sinkholes form and suck in houses and cars. Regardless, Leaching is not the answer.

The best answer is A, groundwater removal. Removal of groundwater decreases the pore space in between grains of strata. When this happens, the ground is not being supported any longer by the water pressure within the pore spaces and the soil will compact and sink called subsidence. Look at this picture to understand why this is the correct answer. The picture shows a telephone pole and years. Where it says 1925, that is where the surface of the land used to be! It sank or subsided 27 feet because of using groundwater from the aquifer to irrigate crops. http://water.usgs.gov/edu/pictures/full-size/land-subsidence-poland-calif.jpg

The best answer is A.

Hope this helps! :o)