Geothermal company plans to cause tiny earthquakes

by Associated Press

KTVB.COM
Posted on March 13, 2011 at 4:37 PM

TWIN FALLS, Idaho -- A geothermal energy company operating on private land in south-central Idaho is seeking permission from the U.S. Department of Energy to inject cold water underground to create a series of tiny earthquakes to improve well productivity.

The Times-News in a story published Sunday reported that U.S. Geothermal and scientists with the University of Utah are awaiting approval from the federal agency to try the process southwest of Malta.

Research professor Joseph Moore says he expects to get approval for the project within a month.

Moore says the plan involves using cold water to crack quartzite below the surface, allowing channels for hot underground water in the region to be tapped to produce energy.

http://www.ktvb.com/news/Geothermal-company-plans-to-cause-tiny-earthquakes-117905819.html

Be careful what you wish for.

Energy requires change. Extracting large amounts of energy from this planet causes large changes.

There is no escaping this.

I actually approve of geothermal energy.

All I meant was by causing those little earthquakes, something could happen that they didn't expect.

That's all.

:hi:

on the other hand, causing little earthquakes could relieve tectonic streses and make large earthquakes less likely...


of course, large earthquakes relieve massive stresses, so it could set us up for even bigger earthquakes down the line.

It's a shame we are so powerful when we still know so little.

as long as they get signed permission slips from everyone within 1000mile radius

Pumping contaminated wastewater underground to dispose of it. Seismologists noticed a 'wierd' pattern in the quakes, as if they were turning on and off like a lightswitch.

Well, they were, with pumping operations.

because there are hundreds if not thousands of small earthquakes around the world everyday that we never even feel.