NOEL — A suspicious hole in Noel looks to be erosion, not a sinkhole.
The hole was discovered when Noel Streets superintendent Christopher Craig was performing work in the city park area and creating a berm for minor flooding, Noel Mayor Terry Lance explained. Concerned city officials then contacted a state agency.
The depression -- approximately six to eight inches in diameter -- was reviewed on April 30 by a Missouri Geological Survey geologist.
City officials and employees were present to discuss the city's known infrastructure and potential implications of the depression, Geologist Molly Starkey wrote in a report on behalf of the Missouri Geological Survey. The report was sent to Lance.
The exact depth of the hole was difficult to determine because the area was slightly flooded due to recent rain, Starkey wrote.
However, the geologist tested the area with a handheld auger to inspect the soil type and look for void spaces.
"Based on the location of the collapse and site observations, it was determined that the collapse was more likely to be normal streambank erosion and not a sinkhole," Starkey wrote of the geologist's findings.
The geologist also added that the city park is "near the contact of the overlying Mississippian limestone units that commonly develop sinkholes with the Chattanooga Shale, which is a low permeability shale which does not form sinkholes."
Lance said state officials recommended filling in the depression with topsoil and gravel and continuing to monitor it.
"It's part of my job as mayor to maybe be overly cautious," he said "Missouri has more caves than people ... it's a feature of our topography. We want to continue to monitor it."
Having the depression reviewed and tested by a professional gave Lance some peace of mind. City officials will continue to check on the depression and make sure there aren't any changes, he said. If there are developments, the geologist will revisit and retest with more sophisticated equipment, he added.