Although nobody likes to see a failure, especially a catastrophic one, it is important to learn whatever we can from them so that the geo-community does not make the same mistakes again.
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I thought the 17 27 year anniversary of this unique geological disaster was occasion enough for another look. On November 21, 1980 a Texaco oil rig was drilling an oil exploration well from Lake Peigneur in Southern Louisiana when the drill stem punched into the third level of the nearby Diamond Crystal Salt Company as a result of a miscalculation (understatement!). The lake, approximately 2.5 BILLION gallons, drained into the mine taking the drilling platform with it and another 11 barges, trees, and some of the surrounding terrain. As if that weren't enough, the Delcambre Canal which normally flows from the lake into Vermillion Bay actually reversed flow for several days and filled the mine and the lake with salt water. It also temporarily created Louisiana's tallest waterfall at 164-ft (see photo at left). Read on for more info, video, maps, and links.
Miraculously no one was killed. All of the miners from the mine were able to make it safely out of the mine and the drill crew made it off the barge before the water had dissolved enough salt to enlarge the hole and create what must have been an impressive vortex. I think one of the more amazing things is that several days after the event, 9 of the 11 barges resurfaced on the lake!
Another interesting tidbit, since 1994 the salt dome underneath Lake Peigneur has been used as a natural gas storage and hub facility for pressurized natural gas.
gINT generated borehole Google Earth KML file
Design and Construction of Support Infrastructure for a New Quarry in Lee County, Alabama
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I thought the 
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I must have been up in the wee hours posting this one!
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