Buried under this part of the city is a column of salt several miles deep. It was laid down in a Jurassic sea, and because salt is less dense than the rock piled on it, it has been slowly rising through the sediment ever since, arching the layers above into traps that hold oil. Pierce Junction is one of dozens of these domes around Houston, and they do double duty now: hollowed-out salt caverns store natural gas and part of the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, because salt is impermeable and reseals itself under pressure.
Getting there
29.6620, -95.4030
Locations are approximate and may be inaccurate, on private land, or otherwise inaccessible. Check before you travel.
Hear it from the road
Whistlestop tells you this story automatically when you drive past. No searching, no tapping, nothing to ask.
