WASHINGTON Radar images taken from planes or satellites could someday be used to predict where sinkholes might form a potential boon for Florida, the nations sinkhole capital.

The possibility of an early-warning system stems from new NASA research into a monstrous sinkhole that opened in Louisiana in 2012, forcing the evacuation of hundreds of residents.

Two NASA researchers examined radar images of the sinkhole area near Bayou Corne, La. Cathleen Jones and Ron Blom discovered that the ground near Bayou Corne began shifting at least a month before the sinkhole formed as much as 10 inches toward where the sinkhole started. Since its formation, the sinkhole has expanded to 25 acres and is still growing.

The NASA findings raise the possibility that engineers eventually could develop a way to predict the location of sinkholes. It would require the constant collection and monitoring of the Earths surface with radar data collected from planes or satellites.

Its not a magic bullet, Blom said. But it could be one more tool in a tool kit.

The radar images studied by the two NASA scientists were part of the agencys ongoing effort to monitor the Louisiana coast, which is rapidly sinking into the Gulf of Mexico. Although the Louisiana images were taken from a research jet, the scientists said a satellite with similar technology could do the same job.

And though such a system wouldnt be cheap the price of building and launching a satellite usually is in the hundreds of millions of dollars the gains could be significant. In Florida alone, sinkholes cause about that much property damage each year.

Although there are no recent state data on sinkhole damage, a 2010 report by the Florida Office of Insurance Regulation estimated that sinkholes each year cost the state $200 million to $400 million.

Thousands of claims related to sinkholes were made and closed in recent years. In 2009 alone, there were about 4,700 closed claims and 2,600 open claims, according to the report. The majority of claims tallied by state officials were from three counties Hernando, Pasco and Hillsborough along Floridas west coast though Orange and Polk were in the top 10 statewide from 2006 to 2010.

In one high-profile case last year, a sinkhole wrecked villas at Summer Bay Resort near Walt Disney World, forcing residents to evacuate.

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NASA research could lead to predicting sinkholes