Queen palm? Usually a palm that does that means it went from not so good care- to good care and bulked up on the extra water and ferts. The very base did not catch up.

Could have been mower/weed eater damage also years ago that stopped the palm from enlarging at ground level.

So,hard to say those two extremes are just one.

Thanks. Yes I figured some kind of damage or poor care. Queen Palm it is. I know these are sturdy but the base defect makes me concerned.

We had a decade of drought. I wonder if that wasn't a contributing factor.

If the foliage looks normal,nothing to worry about. The trunk looks plenty sturdy too. You might just plant cover at the base.. a ring of succulents or your choice of small plants.