What are the effects of subsidence in some areas of Houston?
Subsidence usually refers to sinking of the soil surface in a large area. Unless there is a fault where the soil shifts vertically, the subsidence of land usually does not adversely affect the performance of a building’s foundation. In some cases, subsidence of the land results in tilting of a structure because the surface of the land that has experienced subsidence slopes toward the lowest point of the subsidence. Uniform tilting of a structure does not adversely affect its integrity unless the tilt becomes very pronounced (a slope of greater than .25 inches per foot would begin to have an adverse effect on the acceptability of a structure for comfortable habitation).
