Bacteria To Protect Against Quakes

Roland Piquepaille writes "If you live near the sea, chances are high that your home is built over sandy soil. And if an earthquake strikes, deep and sandy soils can turn to liquid with disastrous consequences for the buildings built above them. Now, US researchers have found a way to use bacteria to steady buildings against earthquakes by turning these sandy soils into rocks. 'Starting from a sand pile, you turn it back into sandstone,' the chief researcher explained. It is already possible to inject chemicals into the ground to reinforce it, but this technique can have toxic effects on soil and water. In contrast, the use of common bacteria to 'cement' sands has no harmful effects on the environment. So far this method is limited to labs and the researchers are working on scaling their technique. Here are more references and a picture showing how unstable ground can aggravate the consequences of an earthquake."

Comments

I hope they are not too successful

[LM741N]

"researchers are working on scaling their technique"

I hope their technique doesn't scale too far. Its hard to make sand castles out of sandstone without power tools.

No harmful effects

[Silver Sloth]

In contrast, the use of common bacteria to 'cement' sands has no harmful effects on the environment. Didn't they say the same about Cane Toads?

Re:No harmful effects

[beavis88]

And kudzu!

Re:No harmful effects

[Alicat1194]

You'd think at the very least it would change the water drainage patterns in the area (and thus the water table, local waterways etc, etc)

Re:No harmful effects

[AlexanderDitto]

Won't somebody please think of the worms?!

Oh humans! Messing with things we don't know aren't harmful. Things like this are nearly always used before they've had a chance to be researched thoroughly, leading to something going horribly, horribly wrong, like giant mutating monsters or zombies or alien attacks.

Maybe I've just been watching too many horror flicks.... Either way, I should hope these people would proceed with extreme caution. I don't like the thought of the soil turning into one big slab of sheet rock. Where would my food come from?

Research needed!

[FredDC]

It seems to me that alot of research is needed to investigate possible side effects of such a process. Changing the soil composition is going to have far greater consequences than just protecting against earth quakes! Especially when used over large areas.

Also I wonder how one would contain these bacteria, and stop them from spreading? I don't think we would want our beaches turned to stone...

I am generally very reserved when it comes to releasing living organism where they don't belong and/or trying to alter the environment. There are just too many factors involved, and there is no way we can cover them all!

Re:Research needed!

[canUbeleiveIT]

Exactly.

FTA: In contrast, the use of common bacteria to 'cement' sands has no harmful effects on the environment.

That should read "...has no *known* harmful effects..." Introducing species has a long history of unintended consequences. For example:

• Introduction of mongooses to various islands, resulting in the decimation of native bird populations
• Introduction of the Nile Perch into Lake Victoria, resulting in the extinction of certain species of chichlids
  
• Introduction of African (killer bees) honey bees to N. America
• etc, etc

Jeez

[dr_d_19]

I know people think Quakers are wierd, isn't biological warfare a bit too much?

Sorry.

Lab workers save from earthquakes

[Anonymous Coward]

US researchers have found a way to use bacteria to steady buildings against earthquakes [...] So far this method is limited to labs I work in a lab, so at least I'll be safe at work.
Awesome.

potential fix for ground water problems in Boston?

[DrewMIT]

Here in Boston, about most of the city's residents and commercial property is sitting on land fill. (At its time, the filling of Boston's Back Bay was the nation's largest public works project ever. The Big Dig is us reclaiming that dubious title) Buildings sit on wooden pilings that are buried in the landfill below the water table. As long as those pilings stay wet, the buildings and streets on top of them are supported. But if and when the water recedes, those pilings start to rot, and bad things can (and likely, will) happen. A century's worth of construction has started to upset groundwater levels. Since most of the landfill material used was sand, I wonder if this discovery could be used to solve the problem here in Boston (and any other cities with similar problems).

Re:Call me daft but...

[bill_mcgonigle]

surely the best way forward is to not build houses on sand in the first place?

Sorry, you must be new here. The way we do it is to encourage the wealthy to build mansions in unreasonable places and then bail them out from disasters with the public treasury, funded by broad-based regressive taxes.