Southern Louisiana is unlike any other land; it's the sediment deposit of a continent, with mud from Montana, Minnesota, Ohio, and Pennsylvania. It lacks bedrock, causing it to sink, held only by a single concrete structure since the river tried to reroute in the 1950s. Explore 30 intriguing facts about this engineered, fast-disappearing U.S. landscape. Discover the lake that drained in three hours in 1980 when a drilling rig hit a salt mine, pulling down barges and a tugboat. Learn about a hot sauce company on a salt dome, bayous that are actually dead rivers, and a city where the oldest areas are its highest ground. The Old River Control Structure, which almost failed in 1973, is the sole barrier preventing the Mississippi from redirecting to the Atchafalaya. The gumbo and jazz are authentic but not the main attraction. What's Covered: - Over 2,000 square miles of land lost since the 1930s, more than Delaware, and why it sinks instead of eroding. - Sediment layers with no foundational bedrock. - The French Quarter as high ground, and draining back swamps causing New Orleans to deflate. - The Chenier Plain and why Bayou Lafourche and Bayou Teche are Mississippi's abandoned channels. - Jurassic salt columns, Five Islands, and Avery Island's Tabasco factory. - Lake Peigneur's 1980 whirlpool, reversed canal, and waterfall. - The Atchafalaya Basin, North America's largest river swamp, and the lost cypress forest. - Birdfoot Delta sediment dumping into deep waters. - Delta lobe switching, Mississippi's overdue switch to Atchafalaya. - Old River Control Structure, 70/30 split, and near-failure during the 1973 flood. - Bonnet Carré Spillway, opened by timber pins. - Mississippi River Gulf Outlet and 10,000 miles of oil and gas canals. - Saltwater intrusion, barrier islands disappearing, and storm surge amplification. - Isle de Jean Charles, the first federally funded community relocation of its kind. - Port of South Louisiana, petrochemical corridor, and offshore oil traps built by salt. If you're from southern Louisiana and think we missed something, please comment — locals always know what the maps omit. 0:00: A lake that drained in three hours0:50: A disappearing state with no bedrock2:02: Why New Orleans is below sea level3:10: Cheniers and bayous - dead rivers and old beaches4:30: Salt domes and Avery Island5:46: Lake Peigneur - the lake that drained into a salt mine6:58: The Atchafalaya Basin and the lost cypress forest8:06: The Birdfoot Delta8:42: Why the Mississippi wants to change course10:02: The Old River Control Structure and the 1973 flood11:16: Bonnet Carre and Morganza - the release valves11:48: MRGO and 10,000 miles of canals12:58: Saltwater, barrier islands and storm surge14:41: Isle de Jean Charles15:15: The busiest port in America and the petrochemical corridor16:53: This is not land #SouthernLouisiana #Geography #MississippiRiver #Louisiana #Sediment #OldRiverControlStructure #AtchafalayaBasin #LakePeigneur #Saltdomes #NewOrleans Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
