The Mining Accident That Drained an ENTIRE Lake

On 20 November 1980, when the disaster took place, the Diamond Crystal Salt Company operated the Jefferson Island salt mine under the lake, while a Texaco oil rig drilled down from the surface of the lake searching for petroleum. Due to a miscalculation, the 14-inch (36 cm) drill bit entered the mine, starting a chain of events which at the time turned an almost 10-foot (3.0 m) deep freshwater lake into a salt water lake with a deep hole.

This created an opening in the bottom of the lake. The lake then drained into the hole, expanding the size of that hole as the soil and salt were washed into the mine by the rushing water, filling the enormous caverns left by the removal of salt over the years. The resultant whirlpool sucked in the drilling platform, eleven barges, many trees and 65 acres of the surrounding terrain. So much water drained into those caverns that the flow of the Delcambre Canal that usually empties the lake into Vermilion Bay was reversed, making the canal a temporary inlet. This backflow created, the tallest waterfall ever in the state of Louisiana, at 164 feet (50 m), as the lake refilled with salt water from the Delcambre Canal and Vermilion Bay. The water downflowing into the mine caverns displaced air which erupted as compressed air and then later as 400-foot (120 m) geysers up through the mineshafts

The craziest thing of all?
All 55 employees in the mine were able to escape due to well planned and rehearsed evacuation drills.

I have seen this a while ago and could not believe what I was seeing. As much as it was dangerous, I looked awesome.

Wow thanks for that,that was fascinating,would have been terrifying to be on one of those barges, that was one hell of a balls up by the oil co

reply to post by lektrofellon


indeed! Im shocked everyone made it out OK.

Thank you for posting this.
I found the entire event extremely sickening and saddening.

Agent Smith from The Matrix was right... Humans are a virus, a disease to this world.
If we as a collective, global species can not figure out how to live in balance with this beautiful planet soon, I'd support eugenics, sterilization, and massive population reduction.

Look what we've done to the world. We've destroyed entire forests, entire habitats, killed off entire species to the point of extinction and endangerment. The water is polluted, the air is not safe to breathe, and our foods are poisoned. We are destroying this planet in the name of science, advancement, modernization, materialism, greed, and living beyond balance or what is necessary.

I am becoming more sad, more angry, and more sick of what we have done to earth and it's creatures.
It must end soon.

I watch the video just about every year. I lived and worked near there at the time that it happened. My boss at the time was flying over in a helicopter on his way to the Port of Iberia and saw everything first-hand. They were told to leave the area by the media and then came back to the office to tell us what was happening. It was every bit as incredible as what you see in the video ...and some. I now live about 10 miles from there.

reply to post by csimon


Hows the lake look now?

reply to post by gpena


Looks bigger and like the end of the video with the chimney above water. It's very very deep at the center and sometimes you see bubbles surfacing there ...my 150' fishing line never reaches bottom.

Some segments of land that were at the shore are now islands that became detacted due to gravity and suction.

It's always been a very interesting place to visit ...especially the Joseph "Rip Van Winkle" Jefferson mansion. There's a wonderful restaurant there and they cater weddings that are held at a variety of places on the property. Beautiful southern Louisiana atmosphere and setting. Here is a link to Jefferson Island:

www.ripvanwinklegardens.com...

Originally posted by csimon
reply to post by gpena

 

Looks bigger and like the end of the video with the chimney above water. It's very very deep at the center and sometimes you see bubbles surfacing there ...my 150' fishing line never reaches bottom.

Some segments of land that were at the shore are now islands that became detacted due to gravity and suction.

It's always been a very interesting place to visit ...especially the Joseph "Rip Van Winkle" Jefferson mansion. There's a wonderful restaurant there and they cater weddings that are held at a variety of places on the property. Beautiful southern Louisiana atmosphere and setting. Here is a link to Jefferson Island:

www.ripvanwinklegardens.com...

edit on 14-12-2010 by csimon because: (no reason given)

Thats awesome. Wish I could take a trip down there! How big of bubbles are we talking?

reply to post by Sahabi


You're being awfully dramatic about this. the earth shifts like this all the time.
Why else would we have trouble finding clues to our past.

reply to post by beholdblight


Earth can shift and change as much as it will, that's fine.
But that is no excuse for humans to come along and make a huge garbage dump mess of it all.
It's no excuse for killing off the many plants, animals, and beings that we have. No reason to destroy entire rainforests for lumber and to grow tobacco in it's place. No reason to pollute the air, soil, and water as we have.

If a virus spreads too far, out of balance in its host, the virus will kill the host along with itself. If we keep sucking the earth dry and killing all of its creatures, we deserve to perish as a species.

I'm not down for eco-terrorism, but I'm also not indifferent to killing the earth. We need to stop this # and live like we got some sense. Sense when dealig with fellow humans and the rest of the universe.

reply to post by Sahabi


Looks like the video show a new ecosystem being created. All those new breeding grounds for fishh.
stop looking at the glass half empty Eeyore

reply to post by beholdblight


I appreciate the glass is half full sentiment. And it is nice that a new ecosystem sprang to life.
But what is this, the only oil drilling accident with a "nice" ending?

It is nice new species now have a home there.

reply to post by Sahabi


try to stay on topic. This post isn't about Deepwater/BP

Could never understand why this is called a Mining Accident.
the Accident was caused and the fault of the drilling company.
this should be called a Drilling Accident.

reply to post by Sahabi

That is ONE CRAZY video!

Agent Smith from The Matrix was right... Humans are a virus, a disease to this world. If we as a collective, global species can not figure out how to live in balance with this beautiful planet soon, I'd support eugenics, sterilization, and massive population reduction.

Feel free to go first...........

Sorry but thats my sentiment to anyone with this idea of mass culling of people............

reply to post by beholdblight

Drilling accident....
Human disruption of natural environments...
I felt a correlation.
My apologies.





reply to post by ManBehindTheMask

I meant that in out of frustration, not literal.
Like when you momentarily want to punch someone in the face, but you calm down and don't.
Just one of those moments of frustration.
I don't want to wipe out people.
I just get a bit angry when I consider what damage we have done to this earth.
Thanks for the reflection.

Thanks for the video, never heard of this before.

This is one big engineering disaster, the power of the Earth is amazing.

Interesting story and this should be a lesson to know where your digging.

Pred...

Aww see - Drilling for oil disasters can be good! you get dem better fishies.. Moar BP!!11

Hyuk hyuk hyuk.


Wow.. Imagine this happened in the ocean... Uhh.. Oo You know in a pocket of something other than salt. I mean it's good the people there in the OP love their salt water and new found mutant salt fish but whooh...

I

reply to post by gpena


Wow, thanks for posting...

Amazed no one was killed; obviously there are some heroes involved in getting the others out of the shaft down below.