Giant Texas Sinkhole Keeps Growing
Officials Speculate That The Collapse Of An Old Salt Dome Is Behind The Big Hole
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Giant Texas Sinkhole
"Caught On Tape": Large field equipment can be seen falling into an enormous sinkhole near Daisetta, Texas. No injuries have been reported.
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A helicopter flies over a massive sinkhole near Daisetta, Texas Wednesday afternoon, May 7, 2008. A large sinkhole swallowed up oil field equipment and some vehicles Wednesday in southeastern Texas and continued to grow. (AP/Houston Chronicle, J. Nielsen)
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There were no reports of injuries or of any homes being damaged early Thursday.
Investigators with the Texas Railroad Commission were checking pipelines in the area and trying to determine if any regulations have been violated, said agency spokeswoman Ramona Nye.
Officials with Texas Natural Resources and Conservation were monitoring air and water quality. So far, no pollutants have been detected.
"Right now we're not concerned about any kind of explosion or any kind of hazard," said Tom Branch, coordinator of the Liberty County Office of Emergency Management. "We are monitoring some other things around the area to make sure everyone's OK."
Power provider Entergy cut electric lines Wednesday to prevent power from being cut off in the town.
Sunoco, which manufactures petroleum and petrochemical products, secured two 6-inch crude oil pipelines near the sinkhole that had started to leak Wednesday, said Lester Edwards, hazardous materials coordinator for Liberty County.
Television news footage showed a tractor, some oil field equipment and some telephone poles falling into the sinkhole as it grew near Daisetta, which has a population of around 1,000 and is located about 60 miles northeast of Houston.
The sinkhole was believed to have grown to at least 600 feet long and 200 feet deep by Wednesday night.
Farm-to-Market Road 770 was closed to traffic and vehicles were being diverted to FM 834 over concerns the pit could spread to the roadway.
Officials are trying to determine what prompted the sinkhole near the Liberty County community. But its history as a once booming oil town might be to blame.
The ground might have caved in because of the collapse of an old salt dome where oil brine and natural gas are stored underground, officials said. Daisetta sits on a salt dome, one of the most common types of traps for oil.
Sinkholes are rare and often take up to two weeks to stabilize, said Geoffrey Paine, a geologist and geophysicist with the University of Texas.
© MMVIII The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.



Posted by dragonwagon5
Not close enough. Daisetta''s a suburb of Houston; Crawford''s south of Fort Worth. How can they say there''s no pollutants - the water is black.
Posted by observer2020
yes, swallow up that filthy president bush and the child "protective" services and the KLK (krazy lesbians kult) which has broken up the mormans women and children from the little village in texas.
Posted by observer2020
yes, swallow up that filthy president bush and the child "protective" services and the KLK (krazy lesbians kult) which has broken up the mormans women and children from the little village in texas.
Posted by cpaide
I didn''t know we had crazy lesbian cults. I want to go.
Seriously dude, are you nuts? If so I can suggest some great self help clinics.
Suspecting that giant earthworms with teeth like those in the movie "Tremors" may be after him, the Great Emperor has ordered scientists to determine what is causing the sink hole and why it is growing. If they cannot find out, he has demanded that they give him a projection as to how long it will take the sink hole to "swallow up" the entire state of Texas, including his beloved Crawdford ranch and the all-important Great Emperor Bush Library.
Not that he cares one bit for the people of Texas, but he wants to insure that HE has enough time to relocate his ranch (and Library, naturally) to the Bushie compound at Kennebunkport, Maine; as far away from the sink hole and what is left of Texas he can get!!!!
SIG HEIL, BUSH!!!!
sig heil, DEFINITELY MORE OF THE SAME, McCain!!!!
"Krazy Lesbians Kult (KLK):
A lesbian sect generally considered to be Extremist or False, with it''s followers often living in an unconventional manner under the guidance of one or more Authoritarian, Charismatic leaders. Obsessive, especially faddish devotion to or veneration for a person, principle or thing."
Posted by hippychicky
i recommend the following good and honest study for more information on the filthy violent nature of the KLK (krazy lesbians kult) which is trying to obtain control of the mormon children:
No More Secrets : Violence in Lesbian Relationships
http://www.amazon.com/No-More-Secrets-Violence-Relationships/dp/0415929466/
"This study of abuse in lesbian relationships looks you in the eye and dares you to turn away. Far from being a prurient study of a fringe group of violent lesbians, this book demands that the queer community at large--afraid of straight disdain --recognize its accountability. No More Secrets illustrates that despite what many lesbian feminists believe, acts of violence are not committed solely by men."
***I agree***
Looks like Texas is getting ready for 1.20.2009...
"Oh, Lord, send a great wave. Take us if you must, but TAKE HIM!"
Or a sinkhole will do. More fitting somehow.
I''m sorry, I just couldn''t help myself. hahahaha
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by bsimon2007
May 9, 2008 11:10 AM PDT
- Oh, I''m sorry, i thought this story was about Dubya...
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