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New Concerns Over Earthquakes In Oklahoma Near Vast Oil-Storage Facility (nytimes.com)
HughPickens.com writes: The NY Times reported on October 14, 2015 that a magnitude 4.5 quake struck Saturday afternoon about three miles northwest of the Cushing Hub, a sprawling tank farm that is among the largest oil storage facilities in the world, now holding 53 million barrels of crude with a capacity for 85 million barrels. The Cushing oil hub stores oil piped from across North America until it is dispatched to refineries. The Department of Homeland Security has gauged potential earthquake dangers to the hub and concluded that a quake equivalent to the record magnitude 5.7 could significantly damage the tanks and a study by Dr. Daniel McNamara study concludes that recent earthquakes have increased stresses along two stretches of fault that could lead to quakes of that size. "It's the eye of the storm," says Dana Murphy, vice chairman of the state's oil and gas regulatory body, the Oklahoma Corporation Commission.
"When we see these fault systems producing multiple magnitude 4s, we start to get concerned that it could knock into higher magnitudes," says Daniel McNamara, author of a paper published online that a large earthquake near the storage hub "could seriously damage storage tanks and pipelines." "Given the number of magnitude 4s here, it's a high concern."
"When we see these fault systems producing multiple magnitude 4s, we start to get concerned that it could knock into higher magnitudes," says Daniel McNamara, author of a paper published online that a large earthquake near the storage hub "could seriously damage storage tanks and pipelines." "Given the number of magnitude 4s here, it's a high concern."
They'll be OK.
I have always been told that little quakes unload the pressure that creates big quakes.
Which is it?
THe fear mongering is running rampant.
That said, what measures have been taken to contain a spill caused by some entity storing that much material in one locale?
Rick B.
It seems unlikely there would be a major ecological disaster from tank rupture, and pipeline ruptures could be contained rather quickly.
Unfortunately, some spillage is an accepted part of the energy trade-off provided by crude oil.
Happiness in intelligent people is the rarest thing I know.
Ernest Hemingway
You do realize if there's a major spill, the problem can extend beyond loss of oil and money, don't you?
We can hope the berms and so forth work, but in the case of an earthquake, the ground's integrity can be disrupted, so it's not a sure bet by any means.
There is certainly reason for concern.
As for Slashdot's choice of stories, meh. Don't like the headline, don't read.
I've fallen off your lawn, and I can't get up.
I've heard it comes sweeping down the plain. https://youtu.be/ZbrnXl2gO_k?t...
Syntax error: loose != lose, affect != effect, then!=than
CA has mandatory minimum seismic design requirements.
OK doesn't.
And the energy companies are fighting efforts to add those requirements.
The guy who said the election was rigged won the presidency with the second-most votes.
But not in OK.
And that's the point.
We went from an average of 10 quakes a year BF (before fracking) to over 900 in this year alone.
And the year aint over yet.
we can't even determine the new average yet, cause each year has been higher than the previous one in an ever increasing trend.
And youre estimate of what causes dmg is off too.
House foundations (almost always slabs here) are cracking, requiring (very expensive) shoring/piering. Brick siding is falling off houses. Particularly older houses, which is the majority in the state (not a big new home market, most current dwellings date from the 70s/80s on average).
And we're talking about quakes in the 3's doing that.
and the article is talking about a facility located near the swarms.
a facility that was never designed with seismic activity in mind, because we don't have those rules in OK like they do in CA.
So no its not FUD, but your post is rather ignorant.
The guy who said the election was rigged won the presidency with the second-most votes.
You are the one spreading FUD. Earthquake swarms like the one OK is having now have occurred many times in the past, long before gas well drilling started. There's no reason other than FUD to associate the tremors with human activity.
NewsOK, aka The Oklahoman, our local paper, is well known across the state as a shill for the energy companies.
After all, it's owned by one.
So thanks for linking to a news story they published that has already been dismissed by scientists across the state and country several times.
The guy who said the election was rigged won the presidency with the second-most votes.
Most of the main stream Global Climate Change people will only accept Wind or Solar as a solution to CO2 emissions. Carbon Sequestration is something the fossil fuel industry throws out there, especially coal industry, as a red herring to appease politicians in coal mining areas.
Carbon sequestration is a wonderful thing. You just have to do it meaningfully. Reforestation with followup maintenance to make sure the trees don't just die is meaningful. And as an aside, carbon credit trading is bullshit. Cap and no trade, thanks.
"You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"