"New York City's buildings collectively tip the scales at a staggering 1.68 trillion pounds, equivalent to stacking millions of elephants across its five boroughs. Researchers calculated this immense mass using building codes and satellite data, revealing how skyscrapers and brownstones alike compress everything underneath."
"Beneath the concrete jungle lies a squishy reality: clay-rich soil mixed with glacial deposits and landfill. Much of Manhattan was built on filled-in marshes and riversides, creating unstable ground prone to compaction. When trillion-pound loads press down, this mushy base gives way, millimeter by millimeter."
"Satellite measurements confirm the city subsides at about 1 to 2 millimeters per year, raising concerns about the long-term implications for urban life and infrastructure."
New York City is experiencing gradual sinking, attributed to the immense weight of its 1.68 trillion-pound buildings and unstable geological foundations. The city’s structures compress the clay-rich soil beneath, which is prone to compaction. Lower Manhattan, home to heavy skyscrapers, faces significant challenges as the ground shifts. Satellite measurements indicate that the city subsides at a rate of 1 to 2 millimeters annually, raising concerns about the long-term implications for urban life and infrastructure.
Read at Animals Around The Globe
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