( CNN ) At the Church of the Corvette , it 's the Day After . The doors of the National Corvette Museum opened as usual Thursday morning in Bowling Green , Kentucky , but this day is not going to be typical . When a historically giant sinkhole suddenly appears inside one of the world 's sanctuaries of uber-cool cars as it did Wednesday , it changes the mental landscape a bit . A 40-foot-wide , 20-to-30-foot deep chasm tends to shake you up , say folks who 've seen the hole with their own eyes . No one was hurt , but the mood in the museum is somber . They 're a bit less shaken than they were Wednesday , when the sinkhole swallowed eight priceless Corvettes inside a part of the museum called the Sky Dome . `` We 've been given an OK and everything is safe , '' said museum spokeswoman Katie Frassinelli . About a dozen visitors were exploring the place Thursday morning , she said , but the Sky Dome remains closed indefinitely . Nature 's disturbance of this holy site started a wave of concern across the Corvette Nation that continued to ripple around the web Thursday . `` Who could fathom such a thing ? '' asked CNN commenter 440sixpack . `` I do n't live anywhere near this sort of geological risk , but still I 'm tempted to arrange for a sub-surface analysis under my own garage just so I can still sleep good . '' Fans at Supercompressor.com asked the question : Why could n't this `` have happened to a Yugo museum instead ? '' 'Vette fans have been stepping forward to help . Auto parts store owner Chuck Tamraz told reporters he 's volunteering to find any replacement parts to restore the cars . SWALLOWED BY THE SINKHOLE . -- a 1962 `` Black Corvette '' -- a 1984 PPG pace car . -- a 2009 ZR1 `` Blue Devil '' -- the 1992 white `` 1 Millionth Corvette '' -- a 1993 ruby red `` 40th Anniversary Corvette '' -- a 2001 Mallett Hammer Z06 Corvette . -- the 2009 white `` 1.5 Millionth Corvette '' -- a 1993 ZR-1 Spyder . Source : National Corvette Museum . So , what the hell happened ? How could a gaping hole just appear in such a wrong place ? Keep in mind that this is cave country . Western Kentucky is the home of Mammoth Cave National Park , the largest known cave system in the world . Sinkholes pop up constantly in these parts , usually caused by ground water eroding underground limestone over many years , forming a void underneath the surface of the earth . Eventually , the soil that was above the dissolving limestone has nothing to support it anymore , and it collapses . `` Right now , the ground at the museum seems like it 's pretty stable , '' said Western Kentucky University geologist Jason Polk . Experts have assessed and inspected the entire building using ground monitoring equipment . Engineer Matthew Dettman , a 22-year professor at WKU , said sinkholes rarely form in clusters . `` The likelihood that another is going to drop out is possible , but unlikely . '' `` The contractor in charge will certainly want to do some investigation to verify that we do n't have any other issues in the building that we know of , '' Dettman said . That contractor , Mike Murphy of Scott , Murphy and Daniel Construction , acknowledged that his business runs across at least one of these sinkhole situations every month . `` The only difference is this one swallowed eight collector Corvettes , '' he said . `` But it is repairable . '' He assured reporters Thursday the building was `` in good condition , and the foundation and structure is in good condition . '' But the cars . Those sweet cars . Oh , the humanity ! Some of them , Dettman said , are buried so deep in the hole that they ca n't be seen from the surface . `` It 's fascinating , and sad , '' he said Thursday morning on the phone . But `` the timing could have been a lot worse , '' Dettman said . Amazing closed circuit security video shows the hole opening up early Wednesday morning before the museum was scheduled to open . `` There are times where there are so many people in that room , you ca n't even move around . '' Some of the museum workers were busy washing the cars that survived the sinkhole . `` I ca n't say we 've ever had to clear concrete dust off of our cars before , '' Frassinelli said . `` They have to be really careful . '' Polk , who spent most of Wednesday at the sinkhole site , said `` the whole experience was surreal , '' adding that `` it was definitely lucky for the people -- not so much for the Corvettes . '' By the way , for the record , he says he 's a 'Vette fan -- but he drives a Toyota . For right now , Dettman says the risk is extremely minimal . The Sky Dome has been closed to the public , while visitors will be able to tour the rest of the facility . Another stroke of luck : the dome 's round shape makes it less likely to collapse on itself , Dettman said . But about 10 % of the concrete footing supporting the structure 's signature red spire , which shoots high over the museum , has been `` undermined '' somewhat . `` We do have to shore it up even though part of it is bearing on bedrock , '' he explained . The Sky Dome has a long road to recovery . It will take at least four to six days to pull the Corvettes out of the chasm , and then construction crews will begin filling in the hole , Murphy said . Timing may have been good for the Sky Dome , but it was bad on another level . The sinkhole comes as the museum prepares to celebrate its 20th anniversary this August . Big doings are in the works , including the grand opening of a new nearby MotorSports Park , where sinkholes were found and dealt with during construction . `` Sinkholes are so common here that I would have been shocked if they had n't found any , '' Dettman said . But museum executive director Wendell Strode said the Sky Dome will reopen in time for the festivities . `` August is our target date , '' he said . How do you fix a sinkhole ? You can fill it in with dirt or other types of material . Or sometimes , it 's impossible to fix , and the location has to be abandoned . It depends on the situation , said Polk . Discussions about how to proceed with the museum sinkhole are expected to continue Thursday , and there 's no firm plan yet . No one really knows how long it will be before we know if the Sky Dome will survive this attack by Mother Nature . Hopefully , said Polk , `` the sooner the better . '' CNN 's Chelsea J. Carter contributed to this report .
It will take up to six days to pull the Corvettes out of the chasm , an expert says . Museum opens a day after sinkhole eats 8 priceless Corvettes . Score: 7 Too soon to tell if museum 's iconic yellow Sky Dome will survive .