subsidence

{
  "id": "MLC-T-ENV-027133",
  "term": "subsidence",
  "field": "Environment",
  "definition": "1. The downward settling of the Earth's crust relative to its surroundings.\n\n2. Land subsidence is a gradual settling or sudden sinking of the Earth's surface owing to subsurface movement of earth materials. Subsidence is a global problem, and in the United States, more than 17,000 square miles in 45 states, an area roughly the size of New Hampshire and Vermont combined, have been directly affected by subsidence.\n\n3. A sinking down of a part of the earth's crust. The lowering of the strata, including the surface, due to underground excavations. Surface caving or distortion due to effects of collapse of deep workings.\n\n4. A dropping of the land surface as a result of ground water being pumped. Cracks and fissures can appear in the land. Subsidence is virtually an irreversible process.\n\n5. Lowering of the natural land surface in response to: Earth movements; lowering of fluid pressure; removal of underlying supporting material by mining or solution of solids, either artificially or from natural causes; compaction due to wetting (Hydrocompaction); oxidation of organic matter in soils; or added load on the land surface.\n\n6. Downward settling of the Earth's crust relative to its surroundings.",
  "subject": "Water",
  "references": [
    "Coastal Sensitivity to Sea-level Rise Glossary and Acronyms",
    "NOAA Coastal Inundation Toolkit Glossary",
    "IRS Coal Excise Tax - Appendix I, Glossary of Mining Terms",
    "USGS Water Science Glossary of Terms",
    "40 CFR 146.3 (CFR 2018)",
    "Coastal Sensitivity Glossary"
  ],
  "url": "https://mlchart.com/terminology/environment/subsidence/"
}