Southwestern parts of the United States spotted with giant cracks or fissures in the ground

In several southwestern regions of the United States, extensive cracks or fissures have emerged in the ground, primarily due to the indiscriminate extraction of groundwater over the years.

Giant cracks have been observed in parts of Arizona, Utah, and California, raising concerns and prompting a New York Times investigation that highlighted this issue as a national crisis.

Groundwater serves as a crucial source of freshwater worldwide, accounting for nearly half of all drinking water and about 40 percent of global irrigation needs.

These fissures are not a natural occurrence but rather a consequence of excessive groundwater extraction from natural aquifers beneath the surface. The land subsides and forms cracks when too much groundwater is pumped up, as explained by Joseph Cook, a researcher specializing in Earth fissures at the Arizona Geological Survey.

The presence of these cracks signifies tension within the Earth’s crust and typically surrounds large, flat areas of land that have sunk due to the loss of groundwater support.

Earth fissures are a common issue in basins between mountains and can lead to damage to infrastructure such as homes, roads, canals, and dams. They also pose threats to property values, livestock, and human safety. Arizona has been monitoring this problem since at least 2002, with the Arizona Geological Survey currently charting 169 miles of fissures.

A comprehensive investigation by The New York Times examined water levels at tens of thousands of locations across the United States, revealing that the aquifers supplying approximately 90 percent of US water systems are depleting rapidly and dangerously. Many monitored sites have experienced significant declines over the past four decades, with four out of every ten sites reaching “all-time lows” in the past decade. The excessive pumping of American groundwater is outstripping natural replenishment.

The recovery of these aquifers, if possible at all, could take centuries or even thousands of years, according to The Times. The consistent and excessive use of water has hindered rainwater from replenishing underground aquifers.

One of the main challenges in addressing over-pumping is the lack of consistent regulations across the country. The federal government has minimal regulations regarding groundwater extraction, and regulations vary widely from region to region, leaving individuals with weak and inconsistent rules, as reported by The Times.