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.
What caused the sinkhole in 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.
What happened to the sinkhole in Louisiana?
The result of a collapsed salt dome cavern, the sinkhole grew from one acre to around 34, swallowing whole trees in its path and releasing methane gas. On Aug. 3, 2012, just 12 hours after the sinkhole developed, Assumption Parish ordered a mandatory evacuation of the Bayou Corne community.
How deep is the sinkhole in Louisiana?
750 feet deep
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. Since then it has expanded to over 26 acres as of 2014, and is estimated to be 750 feet deep.
What’s the biggest sinkhole in the world?
Xiaozhai Tiankeng
Xiaozhai Tiankeng – the deepest sinkhole in the world (over 2,100 feet), located in Fenjie Count of Chongqing Municipality.
What is the salt dome in Louisiana?
The salt dome is under Jefferson Island and Lake Peigneur; the mound was produced by a salt spine, and the lake by subsidence due to solution of a flat table of salt. More than 250 salt exploration, oil exploration, and sulphur exploration and pro- ducing wells have been drilled on this dome.
What are the warning signs of a sinkhole?
Here are signs that might indicated you have a slow-burning sinkhole on your hands:
- Fresh cracks in the foundations of houses and buildings.
- Cracks in interior walls.
- Cracks in the ground outside.
- Depressions in the ground.
- Trees or fence posts that tilt or fall.
- Doors or windows become difficult to open or close.
What is a sunk hole?
A sinkhole is a depression in the ground that has no natural external surface drainage. Basically, this means that when it rains, all of the water stays inside the sinkhole and typically drains into the subsurface.
What happened Bayou Corne?
The sinkhole, located near the community of Bayou Corne in northern Assumption Parish, Louisiana, was discovered on August 3, 2012, and 350 nearby residents were advised to evacuate. Scientists have stated that the evacuation order could last for years….
| Bayou Corne sinkhole | |
|---|---|
| Max. depth | at least 750 ft (230 m) |
What is at the bottom of sinkholes?
Sinkholes are rare but happen in areas where the most common rock below the land surface is limestone, carbonate rock, salt beds, or rocks. These are rocks that can naturally be dissolved by groundwater circulating through them. These rock types are known as evaporites.
Are sinkholes common in Louisiana?
While Louisiana, United States, is not usually considered to have a major sinkhole threat, from among the 153 known terrestrial salt domes in Louisiana (Figure 1) that have formed over the last 70 years, two sinkholes (Lake Peigneur in Jefferson Island salt dome in 1980 (Autin, 1984; Figure 2A) and Bayou Corne in the …
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.