Soil stability problems also occur along the I-70 corridor. Saturation of these soils by human activity such as irrigation, watering lawns, road construction, and artificial ponding trigger most examples of hydrocompaction. During hydrocompaction, cavities can form under buildings, roads, and other facilities and can cause loss of support and possible collapse of foundations or pavement. Another example of soil instability is related to a process called piping where water erodes pipe-shaped holes that may be hidden under the surface soil. Deposits of loess are commonly found on river terraces and mesas that are used for agriculture and housing developments.
Structural damage related to piping is similar to that caused by hydrocompaction.
Commonly these processes operate together to cause collapse. This photo shows a sinkhole near the town of Carbondale that was initiated by hydrocompaction of surficial deposits and was enlarged by piping into a void caused by solution of the underlying Eagle Valley Evaporite. The collapse feature is about 80 feet across and about 10 feet deep. Swelling and shrinking soils during alternating wet and dry seasons also causes extensive damage to foundations and pavement. Areas underlain by the Mancos Shale in Grand Valley of Mesa and Montrose Counties are particularly susceptible to swelling and shinking clay problems.