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Large cracks on the ground around the Shanghai Tower that are causing public alarm are nothing to worry about, say the builders of what will become China's tallest skyscraper. "The surface cracks, which were caused by a usual settlement of the foundation ditch, are in a controlled and safe state," said a statement sent to China Daily by Shanghai Tower Construction and Development on Monday. It added that an independent team of experts had been closely and constantly monitoring surrounding structures since construction on the 632-meter tower began. Public concern was triggered when a micro blog user uploaded several pictures of the ground fissures near the building site in Pudong district last week and noted that the ground on each side of one large crack was uneven. The cracks, which stretch across one side of the exit road from the Shanghai World Finance Center opposite the tower site, have been patched with cement. One fissure is 8 meters long and about 4 centimeters wide at some points, with about 5 cm drop from one side to the other. Cracks also spread to adjacent flowerbeds and the sidewalk. Some residents have speculated that the cracks were caused by land subsidence due to the high density of high-rise buildings in the area. Dozens of skyscrapers, each taller than 100 m, gather in the Lujiazui area of the city, including the 101-story Shanghai World Finance Center and 88-story Jin Mao Tower. | 
