Officials Puzzled by Okla. Gas Geysers

http://www.newsday.com/news/science/wire/sns-ap-kingfisher-geysers,0,1401000,print.story?coll=sns-ap-science-headlines

Officials Puzzled by Okla. Gas Geysers

By Associated Press

December 11, 2005, 7:47 PM EST

KINGFISHER, Okla. -- An outbreak of geysers spewing mud and gas into the air in rural Kingfisher County is puzzling state and local officials.

Kingfisher Fire Chief John Crawford says initial reports of the geysers came in Friday morning, and that firefighters and Oklahoma Corporation Commission officials were on the scene yesterday.

The geysers have appeared throughout the countryside of rural Kingfisher, with stretches of up to 12 miles between spots, and some as short as a quarter of a mile.

Crawford says the threat of the gas igniting is unlikely, but he says there is a concern the gas could begin coming up through water-well lines.

snip

Surprising that someone in Oklahoma hasn't put something on those geysers to capture it. ;)

time thugs are in control.

had Andrew..... when we lambasted Iraq this time.... we got lambasted ourselves. I wonder if there are any correlations to the amount of emotional anguish and aggression going on in the world and the amount of hell the world unleashes on us. Curious.

I recall that when we had the hurricanes some Islamic militants said Allah was punishing the US. Then the Pakistan quake occurred.

something I have been wondering about.

I look at it as there was a deep fault, things shifted, water rose. Strictly a geological event.

happened in the past when times were peaceful and violent.... still I wonder.

;)

tripods emerge from the ground.

There is some sort of geologic activity for these geysers. Something is pushing this gas to the surface.

OGS Map GM-3: Tectonic Map of Oklahoma Showing Surface Structural Features

http://www.okgeosurvey1.gov/level2/geology/GM3/GM3.html

The eastern part of the state is quite hilly, parts even mountainous.
And as a life-long resident of OK I can tell you this is unprecedented in living memory.

call and your input. Thw first thing I wondered was if it was volcanic

not too far from where I live (central OK) last year. We do get them, apparently, just small ones. I can go hunting for stories if you want.

On edit: I guess the earthquake was a little farther than I thought, and it was THIS year, pretty far from where this is occuring. The first link shows Kingfisher county:

http://www.kingfisherco.com/map.htm

and here is where the last OK earthquake was:

http://wwwneic.cr.usgs.gov/neis/states/oklahoma/last_event.html

If these geysers are a precursor to increased geologic activity in the continental shelf, then the Midwest is in danger.

Earthquake History of Oklahoma

The series of great earthquakes in the New Madrid, Missouri, region in 1811 - 1812, and a strong earthquake centered in Arkansas (October 22, 1881) were probably felt in the area that is now Oklahoma.

The first earthquake known to have centered in the State occurred in September 1918. A series of shocks at El Reno produced only minor effects; the strongest was intensity V on September 10. Objects were thrown from shelves. Other shocks occurred on the next day. On December 27, 1929, another tremor centered in the same area was felt in portions of central and western Oklahoma. Some plaster cracked and at least one chimney fell (intensity VI) at El Reno. In addition, clocks stopped, objects moved, and some reports indicated the walls and floors seemed to sway. In several cities, people rushed from their homes in alarm. The total felt area included about 20,000 square kilometers.

The magnitude 5.5 April 9, 1952, earthquake centered near El Reno affected most of Oklahoma and parts of Arkansas, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, and Texas. Damage from the 10:30 a.m. CST earthquake was not extensive, but many people in the epicentral area were alarmed, some to near panic. Portions of chimneys fell in El Reno and Ponca City (intensity VII). Bricks loosened from a building wall and tile facing of commercial buildings bulged at Oklahoma City. Also, plate glass windows were shattered in the business district of El Reno. The total damage amounted to several thousand dollars. Aftershocks were felt on April 11, 15, and 16, July 16, and August 14; an earthquake that was felt (IV) at Holdenville and Wewoka on October 7 apparently was unrelated to the April 9th event. Homes and buildings shook and some persons were awakened (V) at El Reno from the April 16th shock, which occurred 5 minutes after midnight. Felt reports were also received from Kingfisher, Oklahoma City, Tulsa, and Union City.

http://neic.usgs.gov/neis/states/oklahoma/oklahoma_history.html

with the potential for huge devastation. OK could hardly not be included in the range if it shifted big.

surface or shallow phenomenon caused by the 5 year semi-drought we've been having. Ground cracks, gas escapes. There are lots of methane deposits at really shallow depths over there. It's a shame there's no efficient way to 'capture' it...

It seems that the problem is localized to the Kingfisher area. I am not a geologist, but I am smart enough to pay attention when the Earth is sending warning signals.

tilted up on the NW corner...it's actually pretty flat. In this part of the state, natural gas is somewhat deeper because of anticlines and uplifts...generally more than 1000 ft. deep. (The highest sea level elevation is Black Mesa right on the Colorado border.)

I find this story rather interesting.

production over there...if this had happened 20 years ago, I'd be there trying to lease up properties! :D But I have enough mineral royalties, someone else will have to leap into the breach, as it were. ;-)

My family and I have land here in Eastern Ok. We have lately been contacted by companies wanting to buy our mineral rights. We don't want to sell, but they say sooner or later they will have our land and we cant stop it. It is the only thing I have and I will not let them make another quarry out of my family's land. Eminent Domain my ass, I would rather die protecting my land than let them take it away from me.

the county.

don't know if that could be contributory to such earth farting, but just had to comment on how frickin dry it is around here. Have had days recently with relative humidity less than 15%. That is pretty dry.

will sink and split. If the gas deposits are close to the surface, they can be released. That could be what is happening.

and to the north and west, is an area in which the acquifer is close to the surface. Don't know if that means anything. Also, Kinfgisher floods all the time, very low lying area.

Flooding doesn't translate into recharging of the aquifer in all cases.

Man... someone had some bad burritos in Oklahoma! :D

every damned burrito here in OK is bad (by comparison)!

We make our own...they are ridiculously easy to make and are good...even with store bought tortillas! :D

Now Taco Bueno! That I'll go for. Wish there were Taco Buenos's in L.A.!

You need to have some of my co-worker Maria's burritos and enchiladas. I'm getting hungry thinking about them. I may have to kidnap her husband and ransom him for burritos. :-)

so decided to split the difference?

That would suck.

fundy moran variety. :evilgrin:

of 1807 which was possibly the worst ever in the US.

It too was surrounded by natural gas phenonomnea, fish kills and the Mississippi River reversing course.

http://hsv.com/genlintr/newmadrd/

It's not totally inactive now, either.



http://www.ceri.memphis.edu/public/facts_long.shtml

Not bad for memory.

Great read...course, I like all the "End of the World" books.
Lucifer's Hammer / Earth Abides / Alas, Babylon / The Wild Shore

:)

:)

http://www.blm.gov/education/high_plains/article.html

Cool. Bring on the R.O.U.S.es

> Cool. Bring on the R.O.U.S.es

They're all busy in Congress. :-)

Tesha

Nickles and Inhofe.

After all isn't there somewhere like this called Yellowstone National Monument? They probably will have some bubbly mud before long...

...that has blown before. And it will blow again someday.

Link

Oklahomans eat a lot of burritos