BACKGROUND: In Spring of 2012, Louisiana's Corne and Grand Bayou residents noticed strange bubbling in the bayou for many weeks, and they reported smelling burnt diesel fuel and sulfur. Suddenly a sinkhole the size of three football fields appeared on Aug. 3, swallowing scores of 100-foot tall cypress trees. The sinkhole resulted from the failure of Texas Brine Company's abandoned underground brine cavern. The Department of Natural Resources issued a Declaration of Emergency on Aug. 6, and 150 families were evacuated.
For maps, diagrams and additional information, please see the sixteen previous installments in this series, listed at the end of this article.
The Police Jury notes, "the depth to the top of the berm is 3'9" at it's deepest point. Also, the trees on the Southwest side are showing signs of sinking, some up to 10' in depth."
A 2-minute flyover video taken on June 4 can be seen at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=puv5wAtnwmY
A depth survey posted by the Police Jury on May 24 shows the deepest part of the sinkhole has a 174-foot depth. click here
In comparison, the Capitol building in Washington, DC, is 289' in height. If it sat on the sinkhole's lowest level, about two thirds of the Capitol building would be underwater, and only the top 115' would show.
Height/depth comparison (artist's conception, scale is approximate.)
(Image by Meryl Ann Butler) Details DMCA
The diameter of the Capitol rotunda measures 96 feet across. Recently calculated dimensions of sinkhole indicate that it is 975' x 840.' Therefore approximately ten rotundas could fit across the diameter of the sinkhole.
Diameter comparison. (Artist's conception, scale is approximate)
(Image by Meryl Ann Butler) Details DMCA
The base photo of the sinkhole used for the Capitol comparison images is by On Wings of Care, used with kind permission. On Wings Of Care is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization dedicated to the protection and preservation of wildlife, wild habitat, and natural ecosystems, founded by Bonny Schumaker, Ph.D.
Previous articles in this series:
16. Bayou Corne Sinkhole: Micro-Earthquake Activity Halts Work (May 8 2013) click here
15. Haunting Video Shows Trees Descending into Bayou Corne Sinkhole (April 20, 2013.) click here
14. Experts Called in To Tackle Bayou Sinkhole Devastation (April 12, 2013.) click here
13. Sinkhole Update: Explosive Gases Found in Adjacent Residences (April 4, 2013) click here=164803&submit=Back
12. Bayou Sinkhole Update: Increased Seismic Activity, Access Ramp Caves In (March 28, 2013) click here
11. Bayou Corne Sinkhole Swallows 25 More Trees (March 26, 2013) click here=164412&submit=Back
10. Over 90 "Micro" Earthquakes Overnight at the Bayou Corne Sinkhole (MAR. 13, 2013) click here
9. Nightmare Sinkhole Out of Control, Cave-ins Continue at Bayou Corne (Feb. 13, 2013) at click here
8. Just Released: Wildly Bubbling Gases Near Catastrophic Louisiana Sinkhole (Jan. 22, 2013) at click here
7. Gov. Jindal Ignores Sinkhole Disaster; Activists & Scientists Demand Assistance for Traumatized Residents (Jan. 20, 2013) at click here
6. Sudden Seismic Activity in Louisiana Bayou: Sinkhole Burps, Pad Cracks, Police Copter Arrives UPDATED (Jan. 19, 2013) at click here
5. Bayou Sinkhole Site Update: Flammable Tap Water (Nov. 2, 2012) at click here4. Alarming Sinkhole Continues to Cave In: Seismic Activity, Odors, Health Symptoms Reported (Oct. 30, 2012) at click here
3. Mysterious Bayou Sinkhole Continues to Cave In: Radiation, Hydrocarbons Detected (Sept. 29, 2012) at click here
2. Dangerous Levels of Radium at Corne Bayou Sinkhole (Aug. 26, 2012) at click here
1. Does Sudden Sinkhole Portend a Nuclear-sized Explosion? (Aug. 17, 2012) at click here.
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