Is the Bayou Corne sinkhole still growing?
More than a year after it appeared, the Bayou Corne sinkhole is about 25 acres and still growing, almost as big as 20 football fields, lazily biting off chunks of forest and creeping hungrily toward an earthen berm built to contain its oily waters.
Is the sinkhole in Louisiana still growing?
The sinkhole, located in Bayou Corne about 30 miles northwest of Thibodaux, is still growing. Assumption Parish Government officials say it has grown between 1 1/2 and 2 feet since last year, now up to about 35 acres.
How did the Bayou Corne Sinkhole happen?
In July 2015, Texas Brine began a series of lawsuits against Occidental Petroleum, claiming that an oil well drilled by Occidental Petroleum in 1986 triggered the cavern wall break that led to the creation of the sinkhole.
What caused the sinkhole in Louisiana swamp?
NAPOLEONVILLE — In a blistering new ruling, a state district judge criticized three companies for putting “economic interests over environmental and safety concerns” in operations that led to the formation of the 2012 Bayou Corne sinkhole, blaming longtime salt mining operator Texas Brine, Occidental Chemical and …
What is a salt dome in Louisiana?
Salt domes, or plugs, are an important element in the origin of the south Louisiana oil fields. Exploration for oil and gas has revealed salt domes in more than 100 sedimentary basins that contain rock salt layers several hundred meters or more thick. Salt domes are known in every ocean and continent.
How big is the sinkhole in Louisiana?
What happened in Bayou Corne, as near as anyone can tell, is that one of the salt caverns Texas Brine hollowed out—a mine dubbed Oxy3—collapsed. The sinkhole initially spanned about an acre. Today it covers more than 24 acres and is an estimated 750 feet deep.
What happened Bayou Corne?
One of the most devastating occurred in 2012 at a place called Bayou Corne in Assumption Parish. There, a drilling company called Texas Brine accidentally caused the collapse of a massive cave over 5,000 feet below the bayou in the course of drilling for concentrated salt.
Where is Bayou Corne located?
Assumption Parish, Louisiana
Bayou Corne is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Assumption Parish, Louisiana, United States, along the bayou of the same name. It is in the northwestern part of the parish along Louisiana Highway 70, 7 miles (11 km) west of Paincourtville and 6 miles (10 km) northeast of Pierre Part.
What commonly lies at the top of a salt dome?
The caprock above the salt domes is sometimes the site of deposits of native sulfur, which is recovered by the Frasch process.
Why does Louisiana have so many salt domes?
Over time, the salt is covered with sediment and becomes buried. Since the density of salt is generally less than that of surrounding material, it has a tendency to move upward toward the surface, forming large bulbous domes, sheets, pillars and other structures as it rises.
What makes a sinkhole collapse suddenly?
Sinkholes are all about water. Water dissolved minerals in the rock, leaving residue and open spaces within the rock. (This is called “weathering”.) Lowering of groundwater levels can cause a loss of support for the soft material in the rock spaces that can lead to collapse.
Where was the sinkhole in Louisiana in 2012?
On August 2, 2012, a salt dome operated by the petrochemical company Texas Brine collapsed near Bayou Corne, Louisiana, creating a sinkhole that forced the entire town to evacuate.
When did the Bayou Corne sinkhole open up?
The sinkhole that led residents to abandon the Louisiana town of Bayou Corne first opened on August 3, 2012, as a “slurry hole” the size of a tennis court. The cave-in announced itself with a massive burp of diesel oil coming from below the earth.
How big is the hole in the levee in New Orleans?
The hole is roughly five feet in diameter at the surface and ten feet deep. It appears the clay and soil that make up this earthen levee have eroded away near an underground pipe and valve. Humphreys says there’s an old utility crossing in that area, electrical, sewer and water.
Is the salt dome sinkhole visible on Google Earth?
The sinkhole has gotten so large that it is plainly visible on Google Earth. This isn’t the first time a salt dome has been the site of a man-made disaster.