Nasa Radar Sees Mexico City Sinking

Up to 2cm a month: Nasa keeps track as Mexico City sinks into the ground.

The teetering of many of the capital’s historic buildings is the most visible sign of a phenomenon that has been ongoing for more than a century: Mexico City is sinking at an alarming rate. (…) 

First documented in 1925, the city’s sinking is a result of centuries of exploitation of the groundwater. Because Mexico City and its surrounds were built on an ancient lake bed, the soil beneath the city is extremely soft. When water is pumped out of the aquifer below, this clay-like earth compacts, resulting in a city that is quietly sinking.
Govorčin said: “Mexico City is subsiding primarily due to pumping of groundwater from the aquifer below the city at a rate that far exceeds natural recharge from precipitation. As water is withdrawn, the aquifer compacts under the weight of the city above it.”

Read The Guardian