On 9/25/2015 10:46 AM, KenK wrote:
After a big rain, I see holes in bare spots in my yard - an inch or so,
sometimes 8 - 10" and quite deep.

Just wondering where the dirt goes? I have no tunneling animals like moles
or gophers that I'm aware of so it doesn't go in their lairs.

Has me curious.

Sink holes are likely a much larger form of the same thing but I know
nothing about them - never even seen one, just read a little about them.

Here, holes that aren't caused by burrowing critters (always brings
the image of Bill Murray as groundskeeper to mind! : ) are
usually the result of decayed/decaying roots.

I've felled most of the large trees in the yard. Those that I did early
on were limited to just removing the bulk of the trunk and root crown.
Over time, I started noticing "soft spots" in the yard -- walk along
and your foot "falls" 6 inches into what you thought was firm soil!

As the larger trees had very extensive root systems, I started
removing much more of the "tree" when felling more recent trees.
The most recent tree I cleared an area for 12 ft in each direction
and to a depth of 4 ft to clear the soil of the bulk of the
"buried wood" (many of the roots were still thicker than my thigh
at that distance from the trunk -- lots of "volume" that can disappear
when decay sets in!)

Yesterday, I noticed a largish void developing by the (below grade)
water meter First thought that came to mind was a water leak that is
slowly eroding the surrounding soil. (this may, in fact, actually
be the case, but...) On opening the meter vault, I noticed it
*full* of soil (which shouldn't be there as it is *above* the
level of the pipes). So, I now suspect it may be some critter
thats found the soil in that area easier to manipulate (because it
had previously been excavated for the plumbing, then refilled) than
the hard-pan/caliche that lies elsewhere.