Coastal Subsidence Throws Off Elevation Data
South Mississippi has sunk about a foot in less than 40 years, and according to geology and surveying experts, the subsidence is throwing off the most basic elevation data used by builders, planners and engineers.
My favorite line: “Officials said the drop is due to instability in the Earth’s crust.”
Ahem, the drop, i.e. subsidence, is instability in the Earth’s crust. The instability is due to the complex fluvial/deltaic/continental-shelf geologic setting of this part of the Gulf Coast combined with some human activity such as building and water depletion.
