When legal matters involve complex technical issues, RETTEW’s expert witnesses provide clarity and credibility. Our court-qualified professionals translate specialized knowledge into clear, compelling testimony for juries, judges, and mediators. With decades of experience across disciplines, including geophysics, utility engineering, environmental science, and more, our experts deliver authoritative insights backed by rigorous analysis. Whether in federal or state court, RETTEW’s experts help clients build strong, evidence-based cases with confidence. From investigation to litigation, we make the complex understandable and the facts undeniable.
A Hole Lot of Trouble: Cracking the Case of the Collapsing Ground
For almost ten years, RETTEW’s Tim Bechtel provided expert analysis and testimony on the causes of a massive sinkhole near a salt dome in a Louisiana oil and gas field. Building a defensible conceptual model involved rock mechanics, hydrogeology, and geophysics, as well as knowledge of well construction and closure, salt solution mining, and sonar surveys. Tim had often worked on determining the causes of sinkholes, but never for one this large with so many complicated factors.
With numerous parties and experts involved, and voluminous data from pre- and post-sinkhole studies, the work was like doing a 10,000-piece jigsaw puzzle without looking at the box. In reviewing work by other experts, Tim needed to relearn aspects of finite element modelling using Fortran77, last used in 1977!
The figures below are views of a 3D model Tim constructed. Blue lines are “dry hole” tracks with no petroleum production or perforations. Black lines are production wells with perforation zones shown as yellow disks. The Well #1 production zone, which is closest to the salt dome, is red. The gray mesh “curtain” is the approximate salt outer wall from 3D seismic reflection data. A salt solution mine inside the dome is shown in green and scaled in depth, but not in diameter. Compiling this 3D geometry was just the start of figuring out what happened next. We are confident we did.
Meet Tim Bechtel, PhD, PG
Senior Geophysicist
Meet Tim Bechtel, a Senior Geophysicist, whose global adventures, sharp intellect, and passion for problem-solving bring a unique edge to our Geophysics and Subsurface Utility Engineering Team. From debunking pseudoscience to mastering mobile games across continents, Tim’s story is one you won’t want to miss.
