24 June 2010

"Worst Case Scenario" for the Gulf oil blowout

About two months ago I posted a "worst case scenario" which postulated a total loss of the wellhead resulting from erosion of the pipe by sand.  Some recent postulates are considerably more gloomy:
Furthermore, geologists believe there are another 4-5 cracks or fissions in the well. Upon using a GPS and Depth finder system, experts have discovered a large gas bubble, 15-20 miles across and tens of feet high, under the ocean floor.

These bubbles are common. Many believe they have caused the sinking of ships and planes in the Bermuda Triangle.

That said, a bubble this large — if able to escape from under the ocean floor through a crack — would cause a gas explosion that Mr. Hoagland likens to Mt. St. Helens… only under water.

The BP well is 50 miles from Louisiana. Its release would send a toxic cloud over populated areas. The explosion would also sink any ships and oil structures in the vicinity and create a tsunami which would head toward Florida at 600 mph.
An audio of the complete interview has been posted at YouTube.  I know nothing about "Richard A. Hoaglund" or the "Coast to Coast AM" radio program.  It sounds like the usual late-night-radio sensationalist fearmongering...

5 comments:

  1. Pretty sure Hoagland was the guy who first saw the face on mars.

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  2. The people who are apparently in the know about this kind of thing, over at the oil drum, call the giant gas bubble a fantasy.

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  3. I clicked links to read the full story and stopped reading the original piece when I hit this:

    "These bubbles are common. Many believe they have caused the sinking
    of ships and planes in the Bermuda Triangle."

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  4. They are referring to this hypothesis -

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bermuda_triangle#Methane_hydrates

    - which is certainly "fringe", but not totally impossible.

    But re Dan's comment, I have great respect for the content published at The Oil Drum, and if they say it's bunk, then maybe I will plan a vacation trip to the Gulf.

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  5. I'm headed to Clearwater, FL for a week at the end of July. I'm not worried about asphyxiation, but I do hope to swim in the Gulf without getting oily.

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