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2.5 Mile Deep Hole Drilled Into San Andreas Fault

Posted by CowboyNeal on from the heart-of-the-matter dept.

iandoh writes "Cool research: Geologists at Stanford University and the US Geological Survey have drilled a 2.5 mile deep borehole into the San Andreas fault. They've extracted over one ton of rock from 2 miles down, and they'll be installing sensors down the length of the borehole."

19 of 204 comments (clear)

  1. Lex Luthor is Pleased by hedgemage · · Score: 5, Funny

    Oh, sure, just do his work for him. Why not install some nuclear warheads down there while you're at it.

    1. Re:Lex Luthor is Pleased by Mateo_LeFou · · Score: 3, Funny

      Wasn't it Christopher Walken? And wasn't it TNT?

      --
      My turnips listen for the soft cry of your love
    2. Re:Lex Luthor is Pleased by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

      Because the hole's not big enough. Sure it's deep. But your typical underground nuclear blast involved drilling a hole 6000 feet deep and 10 or 15 feet in diameter. Now that's a hole. Something you can fall into....

    3. Re:Lex Luthor is Pleased by SpectreBlofeld · · Score: 4, Funny

      Time to start investing in midwestern property - it'll soon be prime beachfront real estate!

    4. Re:Lex Luthor is Pleased by iendedi · · Score: 2, Funny

      Oh, sure, just do his work for him. Why not install some nuclear warheads down there while you're at it. Dick Cheney is Lex Luthor.
      --

      It is your personal duty to fight for what is right on a daily basis. Ignoring injustice is identical to approving
    5. Re:Lex Luthor is Pleased by Spacejock · · Score: 5, Funny

      No no. Drill a bunch more holes, just like the tear-off line on toilet paper, and California will be safe forever.

      After all, did you ever see toilet paper actually rip along the holes?

      --
      Hal Spacejock: Science Fiction with Nuts
    6. Re:Lex Luthor is Pleased by Zaatxe · · Score: 3, Funny

      [...] but given that the area in question is up to a mile above sea-level, [...]

      Have you fogotten that global warming will rise the level of the oceans?

      --
      So say we all
  2. Don't let them fool you! by Black+Parrot · · Score: 3, Funny

    It's probably the CIA trying to recover a lost Soviet rock diver.

    --
    Sheesh, evil *and* a jerk. -- Jade
  3. faulty logic. by User+956 · · Score: 4, Funny

    They've extracted over one ton of rock from 2 miles down, and they'll be installing sensors down the length of the borehole.

    I wouldn't want to be the guy who's in charge of monitoring sensory data from something called "the bore hole". that sounds like a really tedious job.

    --
    The theory of relativity doesn't work right in Arkansas.
  4. About time by Xeth · · Score: 5, Funny

    I feel our economy will be well served by the extra 6 energy.

    --
    If your theory is different from practice, then your theory is wrong.
  5. Installing sensors? by baffled · · Score: 2, Funny

    They should dump a few tons of super glue down there. That'll fix her.

  6. Re:talc as a lubricant by dustwun · · Score: 5, Funny

    Does a reply to this involving 'Lubing the bore hole" get modded as funny, or troll?.. you be the judge....

  7. Dear God, No! by cmcguffin · · Score: 2, Funny

    Keep the Mole Men down there where they belong!

  8. Re:And soon, they'll have... by BiggerIsBetter · · Score: 4, Funny

    Can't keep the earthquake inducing villains straight. There are gay earthquake inducing villains? Who knew?
    --
    Forget thrust, drag, lift and weight. Airplanes fly because of money.
  9. 2.5 miles down? by jollyreaper · · Score: 2, Funny

    No, thank you. I'm not checking there for a hidden package.

    --
    Kwisatz Haderach
    Sell the spice to CHOAM
    This Mahdi took Shaddam's Throne
  10. Re:The fools! by tjstork · · Score: 2, Funny

    Hopefully the United States.

    That would be cool. We Yanks could gather 'round the edge of our continent and piss on the rest of you from low earth orbit. So, instead of bitching about 50 million Republicans pissing on the world in some figurative sense, you would get splashed in the face by the real deal!

    --
    This is my sig.
  11. Re:Only 2.5 miles? by doktorjayd · · Score: 5, Funny

    Modern oil wells are drilled as deep as 6 miles or more now.

    heh,

    and modern measures are in metric.

  12. Brilliant by Whiteox · · Score: 3, Funny

    Idiots!
    What a dumb move.
    Geophysicist Nerd 1: "Hey let's drill a hole 2.5 miles into a known fault!"
    Geophysicist Nerd 2: "OK! Let's do it."
    drill drill drill drill drill drill drill drill drill drill drill drill drill drill drill drill
    Nerd 2: "Now what?"
    Nerd 1: "Ummm... How about we put some sensors down there?"
    Nerd 2: "Hey! Why not!!!"
    Nerd 1: "Errmmm... Shit! We've only got 1000ft of wire!"
    Nerd 2: "Damn!"
    .
    .
    "Hey! What's that really hot red stuff bubbling out of the hole?"

    --
    Don't be apathetic. Procrastinate!
  13. Re:Lubricant by hernyo · · Score: 2, Funny

    Lubing the 2.5 mile hole, then pushing the drill down to the bottom of it and taking it out, repeating many times - now THAT is going to cause a HUGE quake!

    Muhahahahaaaa (I guess I'm going to be modded down)