Houston sinking faster than any major US city, new study shows

Is Houston slowly sinking? Virginia Tech study says yes

BLACKSBURG, Va. (WFXR) – According to new research from Virginia Tech, urban areas of several major cities across the country are slowly sinking. A new study published in Nature Cities highlights 28 major urban cities in the US that are sinking by 2 to 10 millimeters every year. The lead author and former Virginia Tech graduate student, Leonard Ohenhen, said the main cause is the extraction of groundwater. “When land shifts downward, even just a…

Houston is the fastest-sinking city in the U.S., study finds

The study, published in the journal Nature Cities, found that 42% of Houston's land area was sinking about one-fifth inch per year, with 12% sinking at more than double that rate.

Houston sinking faster than any major US city, new study shows

Houston is experiencing rapid subsidence due to groundwater pumping, affecting 42% of the city at rates over 5mm per year, posing risks like flooding.

Houston is sinking— and faster than any other big city in America, new study finds