Question

Read the following scenario and answer the questions below.
On a September day in 1999, folks began to notice that Lake Jackson in the panhandle region of northern Florida was shrinking. Within a few days, it was almost gone. A sinkhole had opened beneath the lake and drained it, along with all of the fish and alligators.
As aquifers lose water, their substrates can become weaker and less capable of supporting overlying strata and any human structures built on them. In such cases, the land surface above may subside. Sometimes subsidence can occur locally and suddenly, in the form of sinkholes, areas where the ground gives way with little warning. Once the ground subsides, soil becomes compacted, losing the porosity that enabled it to hold water. Recharging a depleted aquifer may therefore become more difficult.
Although Canada has several aquifers, it has not yet experienced sinkholes from water being depleted from any of them. However, there is a natural sinkhole in the Sahtu, Northwest Territories, southeast of Normal Wells. As well, there have been sinkholes as a result of broken water mains.
Sinkholes can occur when ________.
A) too much weight above an aquifer causes it to cave in
B) the water level in an aquifer rises, pushing through to the surface
C) the water in an artesian aquifer is under sufficient pressure that it breaks through to the surface
D) excessive water use lowers a water table and weakens the substrate
E) nonconsumptive use lowers an aquifer

Answer

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