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Started By
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1980 Lake Peigneur Sinkhole, Older O&G guys, were you around for this?
Posted on 10/8/15 at 8:49 am
Posted on 10/8/15 at 8:49 am
1980:
Drillers in Lake Peigneur accidentally penetrate a salt dome.
The lake empties into the dome/cavern while salt miners below earth evacuate just in time.
When Lake Peigneur reaches a level lower than a canal that flows to the Gulf of Mexico, the canal reverses direction and quickly fills the lake back up. During the process, the tallest waterfall in Louisiana is temporarily created. This is also the only time in recorded history where the GoM flows North.
The intense pressure of the water flowing into the dome causes a 400' geiser to blow out of the salt mine shaft.
All this because a 14" drill bit accidentally punctured the dome. WOW!
Sounds terrifying. Luckily no one died
Youtube Engineering disasters skip to 2:40 for detailed explanation.
Wiki
Drillers in Lake Peigneur accidentally penetrate a salt dome.
The lake empties into the dome/cavern while salt miners below earth evacuate just in time.
When Lake Peigneur reaches a level lower than a canal that flows to the Gulf of Mexico, the canal reverses direction and quickly fills the lake back up. During the process, the tallest waterfall in Louisiana is temporarily created. This is also the only time in recorded history where the GoM flows North.
The intense pressure of the water flowing into the dome causes a 400' geiser to blow out of the salt mine shaft.
All this because a 14" drill bit accidentally punctured the dome. WOW!
Sounds terrifying. Luckily no one died
Youtube Engineering disasters skip to 2:40 for detailed explanation.
Wiki
This post was edited on 10/8/15 at 8:51 am
16
Posted on 10/8/15 at 8:56 am to Tigeralum2008
Not an O&G guy, but I was around back then. I think there were only 1 or 2 human casualties, if I remember right. Crazy.
Posted on 10/8/15 at 8:57 am to Tigeralum2008
Wasn't around for that ome, but there's currently one in bayou corne, which might as well be known as Pierre part
Posted on 10/8/15 at 9:02 am to Tigeralum2008
I seem to remember seeing something that said that it completely changed the ecology of the lake. For the better actually.
Posted on 10/8/15 at 9:07 am to Tigeralum2008
In kindergarten , still remember the video from the news that afternoon
Posted on 10/8/15 at 9:07 am to Tigeralum2008
Wasn't around but had family who was and heard the stories growing up. They used the wrong reference for their surface coordinates, placed the rig in the wrong location, and drilled into the mine. It sucked down the rig and barges. The river began to flow backwards and the GOM actually flowed inland for a day or so.
The barges popped back to the surface after but the rig is still down there somewhere.
It was a freshwater lake before. Now it's brackish.
The barges popped back to the surface after but the rig is still down there somewhere.
It was a freshwater lake before. Now it's brackish.
Posted on 10/8/15 at 9:16 am to Tigeralum2008
Sounds a lot like "Scott's Sink Hole."
What a jerk!
What a jerk!
Posted on 10/8/15 at 9:17 am to Tigeralum2008
Everyone got out of the mine right?
Posted on 10/8/15 at 9:19 am to Tigeralum2008
thats fricking terrifying
Posted on 10/8/15 at 9:22 am to Tigeralum2008
quote:
In 1980, Lake Peigneur was an unremarkable body of water located near the Gulf of Mexico and New Iberia, Louisiana. The freshwater lake covered 1,300 acres of land and was only eleven feet deep.
quote:
But it is now a 1,300 foot deep saltwater lake.
Posted on 10/8/15 at 9:25 am to Tigeralum2008
Yeah, I Dindu Nuffin on that.
I remember hearing about it, unless you were geographically close to it or a family member was in O&G it wasn't a big deal.
It was certainly dramatic.
It was pre-internet so the gravity of the event and scale was not widely known.
I remember hearing about it, unless you were geographically close to it or a family member was in O&G it wasn't a big deal.
It was certainly dramatic.
It was pre-internet so the gravity of the event and scale was not widely known.
Posted on 10/8/15 at 9:41 am to Tigeralum2008
Evidently my boss's father was working in the mines when it happened. Said they were in water up to their necks when they got out
Posted on 10/8/15 at 9:52 am to Tigeralum2008
I was a student at the time and remember reading about it in a newspaper that was in the student lounge in the EE bldg. There was a guy fishing in the lake at the time and he managed to get his boat to the shore before he got sucked into the hole. Must have scared the shite out of him.
Posted on 10/8/15 at 10:24 am to Tigeralum2008
Why are all the pics black and white? Scanned from a newspaper?
Posted on 10/8/15 at 10:28 am to Tigeralum2008
Just watched the video - that was interesting. I loved that the guy who was fishing said that he now prefers to buy his fish from a store!
Posted on 10/8/15 at 11:58 am to Tigeralum2008
My dad loves to tell this story. I was only 4 years old when it happened, but I was living in New Iberia. I barely remember hearing about it at the time, but as a kid we took a lot of field trips to Jefferson Island and I remember seeing the video about this and seeing the lake with the chimney sticking up out of it.
Posted on 10/8/15 at 11:59 am to Tigeralum2008
I know the landowners at Jefferson Island Plantation and they have all the pics and stuff of the event. There still is a fireplace that sticks up from the original home position. It is now a bot 50 yes "offshore"
They do weddings and receptions there with the lake in the background. Very nice in spring and fall.
They do weddings and receptions there with the lake in the background. Very nice in spring and fall.
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