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Satellites could predict the next human-caused earthquake
Back in March, the US Geological Survey (USGS) changed its method of tracking earthquakes to include human-induced seismic activity. Suddenly, Oklahoma looked as tremor-prone as California, mainly due to the spread of wastewater disposal wells in the state. A team of geophysicists set out to build a model to predict this seismic activity. In their report released today in the journal Science, they analyzed three years of satellite radar data linking land deformation above wastewater disposal to earthquakes in the surrounding area.
Drilling makes Oklahoma as earthquake-prone as California
Drilling for oil and gas has made parts of Oklahoma and Kansas as likely to be hit by major earthquakes as California. A new United States Geological Survey (USGS) hazard map shows that the risk of a "damaging" quake within the next year is now as high in north Oklahoma -- 10-12 percent -- as anywhere else in the US. The revelation comes from the USGS changing the way it forecasts earthquakes in the country. In the past, its hazard maps only highlighted natural risks, meaning only California and small parts of Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Washington and Wyoming were mapped. Now, it factors in "induced earthquakes" triggered by human activity, with the primary cause being wastewater disposal from oil and gas production. This tainted liquid is injected into deep underground wells, which can lead to an increase in pressure that negatively affects the seismic stability of an area.
Curiosity learns to drill into Mars rocks without breaking them
It's no secret that scientists want the Curiosity rover to drill into Mars more often. However, it first has to learn how to drill properly -- until now, it was so aggressive that it sometimes broke the rocks it was trying to sample. Thankfully, NASA has a fix. It recently started testing a new drilling algorithm that starts at the lowest power levels and ramps up only if there isn't much progress. This gentler touch appears to be successful in early tests: as you can see above, Curiosity bored into a relatively fragile rock without smashing it to bits. It's too soon to say whether or not the technique will work well in every circumstance, but researchers can at least be confident that they won't destroy crucial evidence before they've had a chance to look at it. Update: NASA has released a Curiosity selfie (below) at its latest drill site showing a lot recent landmarks. [Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS]
Researchers end quest to drill through 3km of ice after fuel runs low
Sad to say, but British researchers have called off their quest to drill through the 3km-thick sheet of ice over Lake Ellsworth in Antarctica. The mission to find organisms that have evolved in isolation for at least 100,000 years was called off after the team realized it didn't have enough fuel to power its water jet drill all the way to the lake. Complications arose trying to connect the drill's main hose to a cavity of water created in the ice by a short pilot hose. The team burned through so much fuel trying to get the hose connected properly that they no longer had enough left to reach the lake below the glacier's surface. The plan has not been scrapped entirely, however. The scientists are heading back to the UK, along with all their kit, to revise their plan and modify their equipment for the next attempt. Still, it appears breaking through to Lake Ellsworth is at least three years out. For more from geoscientist and expedition member Martin Siegert, check out the source link.
Researchers to bore through 3km of Antarctic ice, seek organisms isolated for 100K years
UK researchers are ready to see if life can exist in one of the harshest environments on the planet: Lake Ellsworth in the Antarctic, 3 km (2 miles) below a glacier. They'll try to drill through the ice by December 12th using a high pressure sterile water jet heated to 90 degrees Celsius (194 Fahrenheit) and sterilize the patch of lake with intense ultraviolet light before attempting to retrieve a sample. If any organisms can be found, they'll have evolved in isolation for at least 100,000 years, according to team, and probably even much longer. That could help scientists understand more about how life evolves on this planet, and possibly elsewhere -- like iced-over oceans on Europa, Jupiter's moon, or other harsh planetary environments. It'll be the deepest borehole ever made with hot water, and the team will have a mere 24 hours to sterilize the lake entry and collect samples before it refreezes. When asked which part of the tricky experiment worried him the most, lead scientist Chris Hill replied, "everything." For a video tour of the drill site, head below the break.
Polaris rover will travel to the Moon in search of polar resources, try to survive the long lunar night
The Polaris rover may look a little punk rock, but that mohawk is no fashion statement. It's for catching solar rays which shine almost horizontally at the Moon's north pole, a location Polaris is due to explore before 2016. Built by Astrobotic Technology, it'll be ferried aboard the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket to our celestial companion, where it'll drill into the surface in search of ice. The company, spun out of the Carnegie Mellon University, hopes to identify resources at a depth of up to four feet that could be used to support manned Moon expeditions in the future. The plan is to complete the mission during a 10-day window of sunlight, digging at up to 100 sites over a three-mile stretch. However, if it can live through the harsh two-week-long nights, then it may continue to operate "indefinitely." NASA is backing the project, providing ice-prospecting gear and money, although Astrobotic hopes to get more cash for its work -- over $20 million from Google's Lunar X Prize. Right now, Polaris is a flight prototype and there are still improvements to be made, mainly on the software side, before it tackles the rough terrain. Check out the short video of its public unveiling below, although we don't think the soundtrack quite matches the hairdo.
Scientists propose a 'journey to the mantle of the Earth'
This particular "journey" may not involve any humans descending into the Earth, but that doesn't mean it isn't still plenty ambitious -- a pair of scientists are now proposing to drill to the Earth's mantle and bring back some samples, effectively picking up where the first attempt to do so left off some fifty years ago. Of course, the key word here is "proposing," but the scientists, Damon Teagle and Benoît Ildefonse, say that we now have the technology and knowledge necessary to do so, and that drilling could begin by 2020 if everything goes as planned. They're looking to get things underway well before that, however, and are already planning an expedition in the Pacific as soon as next month where they say they will "bore further into the oceanic crust than ever before."
The iPad makes a pretty good skateboard, too
We've seen an iPad blended and microwaved, so why not turn it into a skateboard, right? That's exactly what Fuel.tv did, and you can watch the results above. Does it stand up to the skater scrutiny? Yes and no ... okay, mostly no. The screen surprisingly breaks right away, and the form factor seems a little too small to support the skater's balance. However, after a little reinforcement (including a drilled hole through the middle that results in ... smoke? Is that the "magical" part?), they can actually get it to roll a little ways. That's not too shabby! Before you start complaining that they've, yet again, wasted an iPad, don't forget that 500 bucks has nabbed them over 100k views of their video online. So, for them, it's not a complete throwaway. [via Mashable]
