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.
How deep is the sinkhole in Louisiana?
750 ft
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….
| Bayou Corne sinkhole | |
|---|---|
| Surface area | 37 acres (15 ha) |
| Max. depth | at least 750 ft (230 m) |
What caused the sinkhole in Assumption Parish Louisiana?
The sinkhole was caused by a failed brine cavern Texas Brine mined in the Napoleonville Salt Dome. Salt domes are naturally occurring deposits of salt, which can span for miles and stretch thousands of feet below ground.
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.
What is the biggest sinkhole in the world?
the Qattara Depression
Often called the world’s largest sinkhole, not for its depth but its insane area, the Qattara Depression covers about 7,500 square miles of the desert in western Egypt. The average depth is about 200 feet, but its lowest point reaches 436 feet.
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.
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 the biggest sinkhole in the United States?
Alabama claims to have the largest recent collapse sinkhole. It is called the “Golly Hole” and is located in Shelby County in the central part of the state. It collapsed suddenly in 1972. The sinkhole is about 325 feet long, 300 feet wide, and 120 feet deep.
What is at the bottom of sinkholes?
Sinkholes are common where the rock below the land surface is limestone, carbonate rock, salt beds, or rocks that can naturally be dissolved by groundwater circulating through them. As the rock dissolves, spaces and caverns develop underground.
Where are the most sinkholes in the world?
In the rest of the world, you can find enormous sinkholes in the Khammouan Mountains of Laos and the Mamo Plateau in Papua New Guinea. The largest known sinkholes, formed in sandstone, are in Venezuela.
What’s at the bottom of a sinkhole?