The US has pumped so much groundwater that it’s literally splitting the ground open across the American Southwest

Photo: A fissure tears open earth and roots in North Sulphur Springs Valley, Arizona. Joesph Cook/AZGS

• The United States has been pumping so much groundwater it’s splitting the ground open.
• The giant cracks occur when the ground sags and splits as natural water levels lower beneath it.
• Freshwater from groundwater is used for everything from food to farming.

The United States has been pumping so much groundwater that the ground is beginning to split open across southwestern parts of the country for miles on end.

These giant cracks, aka fissures, have been spotted in states including Arizona, Utah, and California.

Groundwater is one of the main sources of freshwater on Earth — it provides almost half of all drinking water, and about 40% of global irrigation.

But humans are pumping groundwater faster than Earth can naturally replenish it. 

When too much groundwater gets pumped up from the natural aquifers below the surface, it causes the land to sag and create these cracks, Joseph Cook, who researches Earth fissures at the Arizona Geological Survey, told Insider.

The fissures “are not a naturally occurring thing,” Cook said. “It’s something we’ve caused to form.”

The cracks are signs of […]

Full article: www.businessinsider.com