The Louisiana sinkhole is now at about 24 acres, which is about eight times more than a year ago.

Okay, so let's do some simple math, if this continues increasing at this rate:

August 2014: 192 acres
August 2015: 1,536 acres

Okay, now let's convert the following years to square miles. (640 acres = 1 square mile)

August 2016: 2.4 square miles
August 2017: 19 square miles
August 2018: 154 square miles
August 2019: 1,228 square miles
August 2020: 9,830 square miles
August 2021: 78,643 square miles
August 2022: 629,145 square miles
August 2023: 5,033,164 square miles

(Note: Numbers after 2016 have been rounded.)

Now, what does this mean? Well . . .

78,643 square miles is bigger than Nebraska.
629,145 square miles is bigger than Alaska's land area
5,033,164 square miles is about two-and-a-half times as big as Mexico.

Now, obviously, Louisiana is a coastal state, meaning that the figures above WON'T be correct as to actual land loss. Plus, I don't know if the sinkhole WILL continue to grow at an eightfold rate per year.

But can anyone smarter than I explain what WOULD be the possible outcome if this situation is allowed to continue unchecked? How much land CAN be lost before it must stop growing? (In other words, can anyone tell me the worst possible scenario?) And, please, if I am being "stupid" about this, please tell me so!!

(And, btw, according to DESMOG.blog, "Sonny Cranch, the PR spokesman for Texas Brine, says what is happening in Bayou Corne is unprecedented. So far that is the only fact all parties involved have been able to agree upon."