JUNEAU -- A small sinkhole opened Thursday in land maintained by Juneau Parks and Recreation near the athletic fields by Thunder Mountain High School.

The Juneau Empire says the sinkhole was about a foot wide and 5 feet deep.

Parks and Landscape Superintendent George Schaaf says a barricade was put up around the sinkhole and a contractor called to fill it in.

Sinkholes form when the rock, clay or soil beneath the surface is dissolved or washed away and the surface collapses.