In 1980, Lake Peigneur Disappeared, Swallowing Most Of An Island And Reversing A Canal

The Lake Peigneur drilling disaster saw an oversight result in a dramatic reshaping of the Louisiana landscape. The resulting sinkhole swallowed up a drilling platform, several barges, trees, and the better part of an island. Suffice it to say, drilling disaster is an apt description.

The dramatic turn of events unfolded on November 20, 1980, when the worlds of oil and salt mining unexpectedly collided. Working in the then-modestly-sized 3-meter (10-foot) deep lake, some engineers were operating on a drilling platform leased by Texaco – but it wasn’t until their drill bit struck deep into the ground that the problems began.

The drill bit ended up puncturing the Diamond Crystal Salt Company's mine that was operating underneath the lake. The subsequent hole started leaking lake water into the mine, dissolving the salt – and the salt pillars that were keeping the workspace structurally sound. Within two hours, the drilling platform was swallowed up, and it didn’t stop there.

The mine was now flooding with the contents of Lake Peigneur, sending several barges swirling toward what was now a giant whirlpool. Sinkholes appearing under lakes are a known trigger for whirlpools as the currents rush inward. Such whirlpools have been fatal in the past, but remarkably it’s reported that all of the workers from the oil and salt companies escaped unharmed, having evacuated as the water first started flowing in.

Good thing, too, as the events generated enough force to cause water to launch 122 meters (400 feet) into the air out of the mine's opening. The lake used to feed into Vermilion Bay through the Delcambre Canal, but this flow reversed once it was emptied, and water from the bay was carried backward. This temporarily created a 50-meter (164-foot) waterfall, before filling the newly dug-out hole with water, the largest waterfall in Louisiana.

Lake Peigneur now has a maximum depth of 61 meters (200 feet), making it the deepest lake in Louisiana. The disaster is thought to have been caused by a miscalculation from using the wrong unit of measurement when trying to locate oil, for which Texaco Oil and contractor Wilson Brothers shelled out $32 million in an out-of-court settlement with the Diamond Crystal Salt Company for damages to the mine. They and Diamond Crystal were also required to pay $12.8 million to Live Oak Gardens Foundation and Live Oak Gardens Ltd.

Truly one of the world’s weirdest engineering disasters, and a reminder that small miscalculations can result in catastrophic screw-ups.