Louisiana sinkhole’s dimensions emerge: 250% size of earlier reports!

August 15, 2012 - Details of sinkhole’s dimensions emerge: 250% size of earlier report.

One area so deep it exceeded length of measuring rope, nearby ‘bubbling’!

Official: May be ‘rabbit holes’ or cracks in earth.

From http://theadvocate.com/home/3623924-125/relief-well-permit-granted

"More details have also emerged about the sinkhole’s dimensions. The surface of the sinkhole remains 375 feet across, according to the latest measurements, but, DNR officials confirmed, that diameter means the surface area is closer 2.5 acres, larger than earlier reports.


Also, while measurements of the sinkhole’s depth have reached 422 feet, Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality officials said Monday that recent water sampling may point to the hole being far shallower except for a few small areas.

Chris Piehler, DEQ Inspection Division administrator, said most places that a water sampler was dropped for testing recently reached just 50 feet deep. He said that in one small area, he was able to reel out the 300-foot long rope attached to the sampler.

[...]

Piehler said the deeper points may be “rabbit holes” or cracks that reach deeper into the earth than the rest of the sinkhole. He noted that the deepest point was also near where some of the bubbling in the sinkhole is occurring."

AP ( http://www.nola.com/environment/index.ssf/2012/08/sinkhole_relief_well_permit_is.html ) is still reporting the size of the sinkhole as one acre.