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Utah Desalinization Plant Causes Earthquake

Posted by Hemos on from the ka-WHAM dept.

mknewman writes "A Utah desalinization plant which removes 260 gallons of salty brine from a river which feeds the Colorado river has caused a 3.9 on the Richter Scale earthquake, noticeable by people 60 miles away in Grand Junction. More information at http://www.cnn.com/2004/TECH/science/11/15/earthqu ake.wellpumpin.ap/index.html"

4 of 62 comments (clear)

  1. Let me get this straight by wowbagger · · Score: 4, Insightful
    Let me get this straight. You expect:
    1. A /. reader to correctly read the FA
    2. That same reader, upon submitting the story, to correctly plagerize^Wsummarize the story
    3. A /. editor to actually read the FA...
    4. ...and having read it, to note the factual corrections in the story post.
    5. A /. editor to then add the fact that the event in question is nothing new, nor dangerous.

    Boy, you sure don't ask for much, do you?
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  2. Good news by crow · · Score: 4, Insightful

    The theory is that the water essentially lubricates the fault, making it easier for it to move. The pumping does nothing to create pressure. Instead, it reduces the amount of pressure that has to build up before an earthquake hits. This means we get a bunch of small quakes relatively frequently instead of a big bad one when we least expect it.

    So perhaps they should start similar pumping actions in California to allow for more smaller quakes to reduce the pressure buildup?

    1. Re:Good news by KilobyteKnight · · Score: 4, Insightful
      The pumping does nothing to create pressure. Instead, it reduces the amount of pressure that has to build up before an earthquake hits.
      I was thinking the same thing when I read that. Seems like over all a Good Thing[tm]. However, from the FA:
      That event, combined with two significant tremors in 1999, led government officials to reduce the amount of brine injected by a third.
      Perhaps reducing the the amount pumped in increased the likelyhood of bigger quakes. It seems like lubricating the fault line would be the thing to do.
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      When will Windows be ready for the desktop?
  3. it's natural salt by klossner · · Score: 4, Insightful
    Your argument would make sense only if the farmers and cities were distilling the water and returning the solids to the river. They're not, so there's no "tragedy of the commons" here.

    The salt in the Dolores River comes from natural underground salt formations. Ground water passes through a collapsed salt anticline and becomes brine. You can read the technical report at http://water.usgs.gov/pubs/wri/wri02-4275/ and see photos at http://www.geo.mtu.edu/~jeh/Photos/Captions/capday 4.html.

    Natural salt water is not uncommon in this region. The Great Salt Lake formed long before the Industrial Age.