The progression of a subsidence sinkhole is shown below. Rainwater percolates through overlying sediments and reaches the limestone, dissolving the rock and gradually wakening its structural integrity. Gradually subsiding sinkholes commonly form where slow dissolution takes place, mostly along joints in the limestone. These sinkholes tend to form naturally and are not greatly affected by human activities. Potentiometric surface may coincide with the water table.
Sediments carried by the water fill the voids in the rock.
If water collects in the depression, a new lake is formed.