Wal-Mart workers tape off what onlookers describe as a “small sinkhole” Monday

An area around what some onlookers were referring to as a “sinkhole” was roped off with yellow tape on the south side of the 15th Street Wal-Mart in Joplin on Monday.

The hole – which appeared to measure  about 3 feet across – was noticed by staffers who quickly sprang into action.

Wal-Mart workers taped off the to discourage any chance of anyone driving over it or exploring it further.

Over the last few years, a number of sinkholes have appeared in and around Joplin – one near a north Joplin residence in 2019 and one in the city’s Landreth park in 2022 – among many others.

Although Joplin is extensively undermined, sinkholes tend to occur most often in places where water can dissolve the bedrock (especially limestone) below the surface, causing overlying rocks to collapse.

Missouri, Kentucky, Tennessee, Florida, Texas, Alabama, and Pennsylvania are most sinkhole-prone states in the nation.