Google Funding the Next Big One? 295
wdavies writes "According to this New York Times article, Google is funding a controversial deep drill geothermal project north of San Francisco. Apparently the company, AltaRock, omitted to disclose that the same deep drilling caused a major quake in Basel, Switzerland when it was last used. Given the notorious geological instability of the Northern Californian coast, this strikes me as kind of dumb — and given the known likelihood of this technique producing earthquakes, somewhat EVIL."
Caused a quake in Basel? (Score:3, Insightful)
Probability (Score:5, Insightful)
Probability of a major earthquake if google does not drill: 1
If there is a quake, at least it will release some tension now rather than a year from now when it will be greater.
Re:Unfair Blame to Both Google And AltaRock (Score:3, Insightful)
Forgot to add ... why aren't they drilling in some desert area... some abandoned nuclear test site? Sure, the power transmission losses will be larger, but so will the safety (especially compared to SF)
Re:Caused a quake in Basel? (Score:3, Insightful)
Yup... that's some nice reasoning behind that claim. How about we see this seismic data that's mentioned but not linked to?
3.4? (Score:5, Insightful)
Apparently (it's hard to say for sure, since all the stories I found were kinda sensationalist) the project in Basel caused a magnitude 3.4 quake.
That's an extremely small earthquake.
Big trucks going a construction site also rumble and shake the ground when the go past. People bitch, but it's not considered a reason to stop construction projects (except perhaps in very exceptional circumstances).
Frankly the furor seems to be more the "OMG they're doing something we don't understand which doesn't involve overeating and reality television! Stop them!" sort than it does a well-grounded and considered opposition.
Re:Unfair Blame to Both Google And AltaRock (Score:2, Insightful)
You're correct. That's why limited small government is so important.
Re:"the next big one" (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:3.4? (Score:3, Insightful)
Releasing pressure might be a good thing (Score:5, Insightful)
I would rather have a number of small quakes rather than one large one. If this results in pressure being gradually released from a fault zone, I would consider it an asset, not a liability.
Re:What scare-mongering stupidity! (Score:4, Insightful)
The forces involved in an earthquake are so far beyond what man can control or cause that it is not even funny.
What about lubricating a fault with water?
Re:Unfair Blame to Both Google And AltaRock (Score:3, Insightful)
Well... hold on here. when you say "the entire Internet has been complaining", you mean a couple-few hundred thousand people have been bitching about these things on blogs, twitter, email, useless "e-petitions", and in some cases mass form emails sent to congresscritters -- form letters indistinguishable from spam for all intents. How many of "the entire Internet" have actually written a letter to their representative, or even know who their representatives are?
Yes, and those few hundred thousand usually happen to be the ones most affected by it. Its similar to putting a bunch of restrictions on dairy farmers and watch how the public doesn't seem to care much about it yet dairy farmers do, but using that reasoning to keep the legislation in effect because most of the population doesn't know how it works. Same with the DMCA, the people who complain about the DMCA are usually those affected by it, plus, I consider it part of congress's duties to check out what their legislation has done not just to the lobby groups but on those who it also affects who don't have the millions to be represented. Despite making a huge change in copyright law, the DMCA hasn't done anything positive save for the safe harbor provisions, the rest has lead to nothing but destruction. If a person were to Google DMCA they would find the first batch of results to be not only "this is what the DMCA is" but active anti-DMCA groups. They should take that as a sign that they might need to review that bill and repeal it if need be.
As for writing letters, I have written a few letters to my representatives and the only time I got a letter back was when I specifically urged them to vote against a certain bill, I revived a nicely written reply assuring me that they were heavy promoters of the bill and they would vote for it. Considering there was no way that anyone beyond a third-grade reading level could mistake that what I wrote was in support of the bill the only logical explanation is they didn't read it.
As for voting, in America if it isn't a republican or democrat you are out of luck. For example, I am a libertarian, however I don't think that there will be a libertarian in high office for quite some time. I share some beliefs with both republicans and democrats but both have things I am overwhelmingly against, for example, even though republicans are pro economic freedom, they seem to think we need laws prohibiting anything that might be morally questionable which I disagree with strongly. And even though I am for a lot of the pro-freedom of speech that democrats propose, I strongly oppose their crusade to tax everything, their crusade for stronger government and their crusade on weakening second amendment rights.
So really, my beliefs are not represented at all in congress and those who are supposed to be listening to me don't, nor do they even take the time to check what their actions did to the world.
Re:Heady questions (Score:5, Insightful)
You asked...
What if we could tell the Big One was coming in the next decade but had the technology to loose its destruction at a time of our choosing?
Then folks would be ready for it, just like OP said.
How would such a thing be done?
RTFA.
Where would everyone go?
Vacation.
What about those refuse to leave?
Give them video cameras, clean water, some canned goods, and a P38.
Are there temporary measures that could improve structural stability for 24 hours?
Yes. Tape the windows, close the doors. Remove things from shelves. And avoid doing this in dry season or rainy season, whichever is worse for the upper layers of the crust.
What about people who couldn't afford them?
Help them.
How would insurers decide to react?
They'd act like cowardly children with solid cherry desks, country club memberships, a trophy wife, and a new German car, just like they do any other time something expensive happens.
How would the specifics of the release be affected by politics?
Poorly. Just as every other case where a politician gets involved.
If there were a way to control where the greatest damage would occur, how would it be chosen?
Whatever's cheapest.
Who would choose?
Maps. And clinical, heartless engineers.
Would the people in the way have a say?
They had a say when they elected the government.
What kind of legal liability would those involved at different levels have?
Who cares? If we can print enough money to bail out the economy, we can print enough to cover everyone's ass in a man-made Teh Big One.
Re:Unfair Blame to Both Google And AltaRock (Score:3, Insightful)
Elected officials aren't going to listen to everybody. They listen first to the people who helped them get elected, the people who voted for them, then their own gut feeling. Rather than trying to influence your representative directly, educate and organize your neighbors. Unless you can deliver a congress person votes, there is no practical reason for them to listen to you. The DMCA exists is because legislators are afraid of anything that could cost their districts jobs and money. Why would a representative change the staus quo and upset businesses when those asking for change can't deliver votes?
Well organized vocal minorities can have a great amount of influence. The trade embargo against Cuba has continued because it's an important issue to Cuban exiles in Florida, an important electoral state.
Just writing letters or even e-protests won't make a politician change. Convincing your neighbors to vote in accordance with the issue(s) you find imporant will. It's a lot of work, but freedom isn't easy.
Re:Unfair Blame to Both Google And AltaRock (Score:3, Insightful)
The best way for that change to occur will be for the people who who complain to each other start complaining to others outside of the choir. Logically, coherently, and in a way that makes them both aware of the problem and willing to help fix it.
As for the rest, it doesn't change on its own. Probably just idealism, but the things that the political parties have stood for over time have changed -- and one would have to assume this is the result of the people we vote in and out of office. Will the names of the parties change? You're probably right, not for a very long time. BUt it need not be that long before the beliefs they represent under their current names change. A few political "generations" (terms) is often enough to effect that kind of change.
Re:Their Fatal Mistake (Score:5, Insightful)
OMG NUCLEAR! You want to build a BOMB in my state! How dare you. Not in my county, we'll fight this to the supreme court!
California is not sustainable, because they look only to the short term, and have short memories.
Re:Under Pressure (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:Drilling doesn't CAUSE quakes! (Score:3, Insightful)
Pulling a trigger doesn't CAUSE people to get shot!
Making the bullet causes people to get shot! Sometimes, however, pulling the trigger *releases* the bullet.
Who cares? FUCK CALIFORNIA!!! (Score:1, Insightful)
Your shitty, overpriced state is bankrupt, and you're dragging the rest of us down with you. Even now, that dick Henry Waxman wants to increase the price of energy for every household by $3800 per year according to the CBO. You think the rest of us can't see carbon trading for the shell game that it is? Get a clue: buying indulgences doesn't actually reduce pollution. It just passes the buck on to the customer, a.k.a. the middle class.
Why is your fucking state broke? You live in a virtual gold mine of talent and natural resources, yet your leaders can't accomplish the most basic executive function of creating and sticking to a budget. Are you all idiots? People are feeling overtaxed and fleeing for states with friendlier tax codes and more fiscal restraint like Texas, yet still the only solution your leaders can come up with is to raise taxes, and finally, FINALLY to cut some entitlements. God forbid some fat welfare mammy with 4 kids and no job doesn't get her free money! I'm tired of your state shitting on the rest of us. You got yourself into this mess, now you dig yourself out. Stop robbing the taxpayers in the other 49 states.
Cause and effect (Score:2, Insightful)
Drilling into a Volcano (Score:1, Insightful)
I wouldn't worry too much about the effect of a small hole on such a large system, last night a deep drill into the active volcano Krafla (last eruption was in 1984) froze up at 2104 meters [ruv.is] when the drill got stuck in molten rock. If nothing happens when you drill into a magma chamber of an active volcano then I don't worry about what happens when you drill miles and miles away from a fault-line.