Mexico City Is Sinking So Quickly, It Can Be Seen From Space

MEXICO CITY – Mexico City is sinking by nearly 10 inches a year, according to new satellite imagery released this week by NASA, making it one of the world’s fastest-subsiding metropolises.

At 3,000 square miles and with some 22 million people, the Mexican capital and surrounding cities were built atop an ancient lake bed and many downtown streets were once canals.

Extensive groundwater pumping and urban development have dramatically shrunk the aquifer, meaning that Mexico City has been sinking for more than a century, leaving many monuments and older buildings — like the Metropolitan cathedral, where construction began in 1573 — visibly tilted to the side.