cavitation

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cavitation The collapse of a region because it is at a lower pressure than the ambient environment. The collapse of a gas bubble, in water, causes an implosion that may be detectable as a seismic energy source. If the hydrostatic pressure in a rock exceeds the hydrostatic pressure of the drilling fluid, this can cause a collapse of the walls around the hole, or a ‘blow-out’ of the drill stem. Erosion by cavitation occurs in waterfalls, rapids, and subglacial river channels, and can produce pot-holes.

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