BREAKING NEWS: Louisians sinkhole

News Alert: Top Expert: Fears Napoleonville salt dome to continue to break up below giant sinkhole

“An underground Mt. Everest” — Over 50 caverns inside, some with explosive gas

Enenews,

15 December, 2012

Title: Geologist details failure factors 
Source:  The Advocate
Author: DAVID J. MITCHELL
Date: December 15, 2012Emphasis Added

[...] The assessment by Jeffrey Nunn, [LSU's] Ernest and Alice Neal professor of geology and geophysics and Pereboom professor of science, was a step beyond what other officials and scientists working on the sinkhole response have presented in public meetings and appeared to more closely lay the blame with Texas Brine, which mined the cavern by dissolving the salt.

Nunn spoke about factors leading to the sinkhole Friday during a luncheon talk at Mike Anderson’s restaurant to the Baton Rouge Geological Society. [...]

Nunn, who has been speaking with a group of scientists working closely on the sinkhole, pointed to 3-D seismic imagery of the salt dome from 2007 to make his case.

“What this indicates is that the bottom part of this abandoned cavern completely dissolved away the salt and the cavern was in direct contact with whatever formation is in the area,” Nunn said.

The seismic data indicates that the western side of the dome has an overhang, or bulge on its upper side [...]

One suspicion of scientists working on the sinkhole has been that the overhang, which is above the Texas Brine cavern, collapsed as part of the cavern failure.

Nunn told geologists Friday that one of the scientists’ worst-case fears is that the salt dome could continue to break up from its western edge and threaten other underground caverns. [...]

The dome, a solid salt deposit that Nunn described Friday as an underground Mt. Everest, was thrust up over geologic time through overlying sediments. [...]

According to this December 11, 2012 email, there is still nearly half a million barrels of butane in Crosstex’s nearby caverns. Now what about the other 50 or so caverns in the salt dome? (h/tLouisiana Sinkhole Bugle)

See also:

• Local TV: Concern over potential for additional collapse around Louisiana sinkhole -- "More than 50 caverns underground" (VIDEO)
• Paper: Giant propane cavern also in vacinity of sinkhole -- Capacity over 3 million barrels when added to butane cavern -- Officials: "A lot of dynamic things" happening nearby
• Local Homeland Security Director: Officials concerned cap of giant Napoleonville Dome may 'shift' and release butane from cavern