We are unsure of an area in our backyard, could it be possible that a sinkhole is apparent?

Question

We just bought this house a few months ago, this is our first house so we are very uneducated about proper maintenance and care of a home, we are learning as we go.

Either way, as we have been doing updates and maintenance on the house we have noticed a low area in our backyard. There is a tree and where the tree is the land away from it kind of slopes down. We just recently had a lot of rain and this low area filled with water to make a muddy area. It was shallow but deep enough to cover your shoe I would imagine, I did not go into it.

Anyway, we are beginning to get worried that we may have a sinkhole and do not know what to do from here, any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Until we find out more information we have been avoiding the backyard except to mow and prune bushes.

Answer 1

we found one at our house, too.... not a dangerous sinkhole, but rather a garbage dump and it's sinking because the stuff in it is now about decayed and shrinking..... it was done by the builders in this developement... they dug a hole and buried the 'stuff' from building, the leftovers and then covered it up and put grass on top... looked fine until years later.... ask around the neighborhood... more of them may have the same thing.... on mine, I'm making my compost pile there.... soon it will have enuff 'soil' there to be flat again.............there's no way to be sure but to do some digging....

Answer 2

Most likely it just a low spot in the yard. Sink holes are large areas of sudden drop. 10' to 25' or more. Sink holes seldom hold water, it just sinks into the hole in the rock. Was the lot level before the rain and just sank down? If it was low before its just a low spot. Where do you live? Some parts of the world have sink holes most do not.
Here is link with warning signs. http://plants.ifas.ufl.edu/guide/sinkholes.html#sinwarning

Here's another link to help.
http://www.depweb.state.pa.us/sinkholes/cwp/view.asp?a=3&q=503849