At this point, if you hear about some terrible act of nature is ruining life for a whole bunch of people, you can just go ahead and assume it was caused by the havoc humans have wrought on this planet.

According to scientists, the giant fissures opening up all over the States are no different.

The cracks began in the southwest US, where over 169 miles of them opened up in south central Arizona. They have now appeared in Utah, California, and Texas as well.

Joseph Cook of the Arizona Geological Survey is positive these are not natural formation, and have been caused by human activity.

“More than 80 percent of known land subsidence in the U.S. is a consequence of groundwater use, and is an often overlooked environmental consequence of our land and water-use practices, increasing land development threatens to exacerbate existing land-subsidence problems and initiate new ones.”

Fissures are seen where softer ground collapses but the ground nearby does not. They can open up pretty quickly, which is of course cause for concern.

Also? People using groundwater is usually part of the issue, and Jason Groth, a director of planning and growth management, says it is being depleted faster than it is naturally filling up.

“Most of the water we’re pulling out of the ground is thousands of years old. It’s not like it rains on Monday and by Saturday it’s in the aquifer.”

He believes the country could run out of water within a decade, and though collected groundwater might compensate for a while, it’s only a temporary fix.

“From an objective standpoint, this is a crisis. There will be parts of the U.S. that run out of drinking water.”

So, go ahead and add this to your list of existential worries.

You’ll need one more worry the next time you wake up at 3am, I’m sure.

If you think that’s interesting, check out this story about a “goldmine” of lithium that was found in the U.S. that could completely change the EV battery game.