Sinkholes usually occur where the rock below the land surface is limestone,
carbonate rock, salt beds, or rocks that can naturally be dissolved by ground water circulating through them. Sinkholes are a natural, common geologic feature in Florida due to underground soluble rocks such as the limestone and dolomite that form the Floridian aquifer system. These types of rocks are dissolved by water circulating through them.
As the rock dissolves, spaces and caverns develop underground. Sinkholes can go undetected for long periods of time because the surface land usually stays intact until while the underground spaces and caverns develop. If there is not enough support for the land above the spaces and caverns, a sudden collapse of the land surface can occur. These collapses can be small, or they can be huge and can occur where a house or road is on top.
