衛星影像顯示，德州溫克市（Wink, Texas）附近，有兩個正在擴大的巨大沉洞，且附近有更多沉洞正在形成。
沉洞自然形成之因，是地下水長久以來侵蝕岩床，在地底形成空洞。空洞往上擴展，直到表層坍塌。
開採石油和天然氣也可能造成沉洞，油井開鑿破壞地下岩層，讓水滲入，溶解岩床間的鹽分，因而在地底形成空洞。
科學家在德州西部溫克市與克米特市（Kermit）之間，發現兩個不斷擴大的沉洞，將之命名為溫克一號和溫克二號。
溫克一號約有110公尺寬，面積約等於一個足球場。溫克二號約有270公尺寬。
溫克一號較不穩定。其變形區域約有500公尺寬，每年約下沉4公分。
溫克二號每年約下沉3公分。
溫克二號西方，可能會形成新的小沉洞，或一個巨大沉洞。同時，在溫克二號正北方，油田車輛所使用的道路，也正每年下陷3公分。
溫克二號距溫克市約3公里，該市有940人口。溫克一號距克米特市6公里，該市有6,000人口。
衛星影像是由達拉斯南方衛理會大學（Southern Methodist University）的地球物理學家提供的。他們在《Remote Sensing》期刊上，發表了研究新發現。
科學家表示，沉洞相當不穩定，並以危險的速度下陷。未來該區可能形成更多沉洞，並且可能會坍塌合併成一個巨型沉洞。
研究者警告，這些沉洞位於兩個市區之間，且當地油田設施密集，萬一坍塌可能造成嚴重災害。
英文原文：
Satellite images show that two sinkholes near Wink, Texas are growing and that more sinkholes are forming nearby.
Sinkholes form naturally when underground water dissolves bedrock, creating voids over time. The voids grow upward toward the surface until the layers above them collapse.
Sinkholes can also be created by oil and gas extraction. Drilling fractures underground rock and allows water to permeate and dissolve the interbedded salt, which creates voids underground.
Scientists have discovered that two infamous sinkholes between the small towns of Wink and Kermit in West Texas, named Wink 1 and Wink 2, are expanding.
Wink 1 is about 110 meters across, or roughly the size of a football field. Wink 2 is roughly 270 meters across.
Wink 1 appears to be the more unstable of the two. It has a deformation area measuring about 500 meters wide and is subsiding up to 4 centimeters a year.
Wink 2 is sinking up to 3 centimeters a year.
New sinkholes or one giant sinkhole may form west of Wink 2. In addition, ground along a road used by oil field vehicles directly north of Wink 2 is also subsiding about 3 centimeters a year.
Wink 2 is about 3 kilometers from Wink, which has a population of 940 people. Wink 1 is about 6 kilometers from Kermit, which has a population of 6,000.
The satellite images were collected by geophysicists at Southern Methodist University in Dallas. They reported their findings in the journal Remote Sensing.
The scientists said the sinkholes are unstable and subsiding at an alarming rate. More sinkholes could appear in the future, and they could collapse into one giant sinkhole.
The researchers warned that a collapse of the sinkholes, which are near two communities and an area heavily populated with oil and gas installations, could be catastrophic.
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