Tremors felt 45 miles away from Bayou Corne Sinkhole!

Originally posted by severdsoul
just a odd question, not sure if anyone has any idea,

but at what depth is the magma in that area at?

kind of curious, if this thing keeps getting deeper, and all this water
reaches the magma chamber, ....

well.. bad images are flashing in my mind... i would think fresh water and
magma mixed would cause one heck of a boom when it met up.

What is in fresh water to make go boom?

reply to post by severdsoul

at the risk of sounding like a jerk, why would the depth matter ?

what if it was many miles below ??
i honestly don't know if such a detail has ever been reported or studied directly.

and where do you get the idea that the sinkhole fluid is 'fresh water' ??
at best it is brackish but nothing even resembling fresh, as was Lake Peigneur.

i'm also curious why you think magma contact with water would be so explosive ??

a bit more concerning would be it mixing with the ingredients stored in the collapsing caverns through whatever faults and fissures exist beyond the sinkhole.

knowing about the volcanic creations in Arkansas, it would be disingenuous to think magma is not present deep beneath the bayou.

This is a picture of the depth of the earth's crust in the eastern USA.

source 2013

It shows the crust near the sinkhole to be about 32 kilometers thick (not quite 20 miles). Crust is cool (relatively) and brittle. Below that depth is the mantle (a solid), which can flow, over time, because it is so hot, but it is not considered magma. Magma (a liquid) generally forms in high-temp, low-pressure areas, closer to the earth's surface.

I don't know where you all are getting this notion that there is magma near the surface of the sinkhole.
If there was active igneous volcanism in the area, there would be lots of monitoring and research going on.

There are asphalt volcanoes on the floor of the GOM, but that doesn't involve magma.

If I have screwed up and missed it, please link a website with info .

Approximately 120 miles from our sinkhole. There seems to be major gas escaping.

What officials described as a 'major cloud of gas' surrounded a shallow-water natural gas platform that experienced a blowout on Tuesday morning. The blowout happened about 9:50 a.m. on Hercules Platform No. 265, which is located about 40 miles south and 10 to 15 miles west of Grand Isle, according to the Coast Guard.

BTW- this is Breaking news in the area
Officials: 'Major cloud of gas' surrounds platform after blowout Read more: www.wdsu.com... snfz/-/index.html#ixzz2ZuZzptOk

Louisiana seems to be having major problem that can all be traced back to the gas & oil companies.

What happens if theres a hole in the spinning.,,bucket,, Dear Liza?,,

Pressure . thats right.

and for your enjoyment,,

www.youtube.com...

or ,,

www.youtube.com...

hurry.

reply to post by Olivine

thanks for the graph but that has nothing to do with magma content, flow or concentrations.

olivine, just to clarify, no one mentioned magma near the surface of the sinkhole.

previously, i mentioned the presence of magma below the sinkhole region possibly contributing to the increased toxic gas accumulations which could lead to a catastrophic toxic cloud release, comparable to Nyos.

If there was active igneous volcanism in the area, there would be lots of monitoring and research going on.

in Arkansas, (not far from this sinkhole region) there is and there has been for some time now.

the Murfreesboro region is riddled with volcanic piping, hence, magma and lots of it.
see my previous posts for more details.

as for the toxic gas and potential toxic cloud, that is my personal observation given historical anomalies.

as for magma studies ... here ya go, you might find this interesting.
linky/Tulane

We know that temperature increases with depth in the earth along the geothermal gradient. The earth is hot inside due to heat left over from the original accretion process, due to heat released by sinking of materials to form the core, and due to heat released by the decay of radioactive elements in the earth. [color=amber]Under normal conditions (which don't exist at the sinkhole or surrounding regions), the geothermal gradient is not high enough to melt rocks, and thus with the exception of the outer core, most of the Earth is solid. Thus, magmas form only under special circumstances, and thus, volcanoes are only found on the Earth's surface in areas above where these special circumstances occur.

emphasis mine and added txt in ( ).

looking at the region as a whole, can you really say that the bayou is not above an area where these special circumstances occur ??

reply to post by Honor93

I share your horror concerning the Lake Nyos CO2 event. Tragic. But Nyos lies in a known volcanic field.

Doing a little internet exploring, I can't find any reference to active volcanism in Arkansas (or in Louisiana).

I checked the Arkansas Geological Survey's Geohazards page, but did not see volcanism listed.

When I looked into the hot springs, the NPS says the hot springs are due to the natural heat gradient of the earth (about 1° F every 70' down) and compression. It turns out, there are warm/hot springs all over the U.S. NOAA Thermal Springs map I had no idea there were so many--really cool (er, warm?), lol.

The USGS says that the most recent volcanism in Arkansas was during the Cretaceous, which agrees with the links you supplied concerning the Crater of Diamonds, dated to about 98 to 106 million years ago.

Lastly, I dug up a heat flow map of the US (from 2004) from SMU's Geothermal Laboratory. It shows the area of the sinkhole to be on the cool side. The southern portion of Arkansas shows a diffuse warm area, but not nearly as hot as known volcanic areas in the West.

It is entirely possible that there is rifting taking place under this area of North America, allowing magma to move higher into the crust. I just can't definitive evidence for it in the hour I've given to research it.

Goodness knows I hope it isn't so--nobody needs a volcano erupting in Arkansas or Louisiana.

Cheers,
Olivine

reply to post by Olivine

i guess that would depend on what you consider 'volcanism'.

imho, you couldn't have looked very hard
here, maybe this will help .. paleoportal
or this ... USGS
or from any of the links provided on pg 92.

never said anything about active volcanism in LA ... just the presence of magma beneath the surface regions.

i haven't said anything about a specific volcano or magma proximity.
just wondering aloud.

the magma potential may be forming as we speak ... like that exposed at the Gates ... which isn't near any volcanos on record.
magma lake in the desert
it's formation was the result of a geologic accident

here's a link you might find interesting ... atlasobscura
as much as i enjoy reading your posts, you completely lost me with this one ...

Lastly, I dug up a heat flow map of the US (from 2004) from SMU's Geothermal Laboratory. It shows the area of the sinkhole to be on the cool side. The southern portion of Arkansas shows a diffuse warm area, but not nearly as hot as known volcanic areas in the West.

now why would a map from 2004 reflect any of the activity since 2012?
or the prior cavern compromises in prior years ?

really Olivine, you'll have to do better than that to dissuade me.

in your stated opinion, it appears that the perception of once dormant, forever dry would apply ?? if so, i completely disagree.

as we are amidst a rather rapid pole shift, that fluid (magma) has to be migrating just as any other liquid does. what path/direction do you think it is likely to follow ??
i vote the one of least resistance.

aside from the movement of existing magma, the creation of magma is an ongoing process in many parts of the world. and, considering what is and has been decaying for decades down there, there's no telling (from any 2004 data) what is happening below.

the natural decay of the NORM storage could easily provide the necessary heat element, then compound that with the constant motion at the sinkhole and surrounding regions and it wouldn't surprise me in the least if we begin seeing rmultiple reports of increased gas clouds in areas far away from the sinkhole (still LA but miles away).

none of this volcanic activity can be reasonably compared to the West or the likes of Yellowstone ... btw, i promoted Yellowstone as a SuperVolcano a decade before the scientists publicly acknowledged the same.

as you said, goodness i hope it isn't so ... however, a toxic gas cloud could and would be devastating.

and that is where all of this volcanism talk began ... with a gas cloud, not an erupting volcano.

as far as maps go, you might want to review this one.
geothermal map/2011
it is from the Geothermal project and was generated in 2011 (still not good enough imho but closer to the reality of today than 2004)
if you'll notice, the region of which we've been speaking is indeed a recognized 'hot spot'.
no comparison to those indicated in the west, however, they are all inter-connected on the same blue marble whether we choose to accept it or not.

please remember, i have never said this will happen, just that it has previously.
this Earth is more dynamic that even we understand and as stated earlier, she compensates for our foolishness often and she will again.

reply to post by Honor93


We are going to have to disagree.
You stated:

never said anything about active volcanism in LA ... just the presence of magma beneath the surface regions.

Magma, by definition, would mean the area is volcanically active, versus dormant.
There is no evidence of "magma beneath the surface regions" of the sinkhole, or anywhere else in Louisiana, IMO.
This is a disaster in its own right: for the residents, their families, the authorities and companies involved, and the environment.

There is no need to hype a highly improbable scenario without any scientific data to back it up.
(btw, that USGS link can be found in my post, too.)

In other news...
reply to post by AuntB

AuntB thanks for bringing attention to the Walter well blow-out offshore. It looks as though a fire broke out last night. source
Thankfully, there were no injuries.

Ok here we go with my greif Texas Brine is giving the residents of Bayou Corne. The following document shows a sub surface ventilation system that Texas Brine has a contractor company going around and installing in homes around the sinkhole mandated by the State.

www.texasbrine.com...

Now, here is the problems and lies in this document.

To date, owners of 78 out of 93 properties have not allowed access for the instillation of sub-surface ventilation systems.

Well, I recieved word that they have not been going around asking. Some of them had no idea about this project. Some residents do not even need it at all on their homes, a lot of homes have impervious clay under their foundation.

Another thing is, this contract company they hired to do the job are idiots! One guy watch them drill a hole in this home slab on the other side the house near the gas monitors. They then decided, wait wrong side the house.... They go on the other side begin drilling the hole in the slab on the other side then stopped and decided they did not have the gas monitors close enough to continue and they will come back tomorrow.

Also, General Honore has been a great assest to the residents of Bayou Corne. He is fighting for the people of Bayou Corne and trying to bring awareness to this disaster.


Also, can someone tell me if the sinkhole may in face be connected to the aquifer and now washing away the salt dome.

reply to post by CajunBoy





file

It certainly looks like the sinkhole has reached the depth of the aquifer according to this status update. Whether or not this would have a deleterious affect on the salt dome is beyond me and I would not hold my breath for honest answers from those who do know better.

reply to post by jadedANDcynical


Well if the sinkhole has reached the level of the aquifer it is now feeding the salt dome with an infinate amount of fresh water. Really, this could be a problem that can wash away the dome and all it's contents.

reply to post by CajunBoy


That would probably be a worst worst case scenario than anyone has a contingency for.

You know how big the dome is, and if more than just the area near the sinkhole becomes compromised, things there will only get much worse.

reply to post by jadedANDcynical


If this is the worst case scenerio your looking at the distruction of I believe 2 or 3 petroleum production plants, gas station, a few homes that reside over the dome, and entire highway that supplies the swamp community Pierre Part. That highway does go through the town all the way down to Morgan City, but there is many people in that community that work on the river and need that road to travel west.

The salt dome is 1 by 3 miles. That is a huge area....

reply to post by jadedANDcynical


This image is from the same CPI report as your diagrams.
If you look at the 750'+ depth, that is indeed near or at the level of contact between the disturbed rock zone and the salt.

Not good.

(click image for larger version)

reply to post by CajunBoy


I know, that the state has a bypass route for I-70 tells me that they (the state at least) think the problem will worsen.I don't know how long it would take to dissolve enough of the dome to have that type of impact, but I would imagine that it will take some time.

If you know anyone high up (and they would have to be WAY high up) at either of those petroleum.plants, you might want to slip an question about possible contingencies that may be in the works.

I said it in the other thread about the recent video, and qmantoo has said it several times, this is America's Fukushima ; a man made disaster playing out like a train wreck in slow motion that very few (relatively speaking) care or even know about. It has been downplayed by those who's responsibility is to see to the safety of the community and people have had to stand up for what should be theirs without question.

reply to post by jadedANDcynical


I'm glad my town does not take water from the aquifer system down here. It does pull from Bayou Lafourche which has its own issues with sewage due to old septic tanks. We do have a small problem with flesh eating bacteria down here right now.

reply to post by jadedANDcynical


I can tell you the plan, it is similar to any compromised plant. Plant shutdown followed by flare off or moving of dangerous chemicals, lastly plant evacuation. If I am correct that is the process for when a hurricane passes. I can look into it, I have a relative who works in a petro-storage facility he would know.

Originally posted by CajunBoy
reply to post by jadedANDcynical
We do have a small problem with flesh eating bacteria down here right now.

You say this so casually.

In the latest situation summary it states:

- ORW 12 was P&A’d on Thursday (7/18); squeezed cement with 1,000 lbs of pressure; this morning had 200 lbs of pressure

CajunBoy, do you know, is that good? normal?

reply to post by CajunBoy


I'm talking about something a little more long term, like moving physical assets such as machinery etc.

A short term shut down is one thing, complete suspension and mothballing the plant because the ground beneath is no longer stable is another animal entirely...