Toppled trees, cracked basements, a yawning sinkhole: An underground mystery baffles a Syracuse neighborhood

Syracuse, N.Y. – The first omen in the North Valley neighborhood was the mysterious tilting and toppling of tall, mature trees.

Then craters developed in once-smooth lawns. Cracks spidered cross basement floors; water seeped in. A kitchen and adjoining deck leaned precariously. A house foundation shifted, opening a gap big enough for a pit bull to crawl in. A 12-foot-deep sinkhole suddenly gaped.