Drilling Into Faults

Drilling Into Faults Geologists are daring to go where they once could only dream of going- right to the places where earthquakes actually happen. Three projects have taken us into the seismogenic zone. As one report put it, projects like these put us at the precipice of quantum advances in the science of earthquake hazards. Drilling the San Andreas Fault at Depth The first of these drilling projects made a borehole next to the San Andreas fault near Parkfield, California, at a depth of about 3 kilometers. The project is called the San Andreas Fault Observatory at Depth or SAFOD, and its part of the much larger research effort EarthScope. Drilling began in 2004 with a vertical hole going down 1500 meters then curving toward the fault zone. The 2005 work season extended this slanting hole all the way across the fault, and was followed by two years of monitoring. In 2007 drillers made four separate side holes, all on the near side of the fault, that are equipped with all kinds of sensors. The chemistry of fluids, microearthquakes, temperatures and more are being recorded for the next 20 years. While drilling these side holes, core samples of intact rock were taken that cross the active fault zone giving tantalizing evidence of the processes there. Scientists kept up a website with daily bulletins,  and if you read it youll see some of the difficulties of this kind of work. SAFOD was carefully placed at an underground location where regular sets of small earthquakes have been happening. Just like the last 20 years of earthquake research at Parkfield, SAFOD is aimed at a part of the San Andreas fault zone where the geology seems to be simpler and the faults behavior more manageable than elsewhere. Indeed, the whole fault is considered to be easier to study than most because it has a simple strike-slip structure with a shallow bottom, at about 20 km depth. As faults go, it is a rather straight and narrow ribbon of activity with well-mapped rocks on either side. Even so, detailed maps of the surface show a tangle of related faults. The mapped rocks include tectonic splinters that have been swapped back and forth across the fault during its hundreds of kilometers of offset. The patterns of earthquakes at Parkfield have not been as regular or simple as geologists had hoped, either; nevertheless SAFOD is our best look so far at the cradle of earthquakes. The Nankai Trough Subduction Zone In a global sense the San Andreas fault, even as long and active as it is, is not the most significant type of seismic zone. Subduction zones take that prize for three reasons:    They are responsible for all the largest, magnitude 8 and 9 earthquakes we have recorded, such as the Sumatra quake of December 2004 and the Japan earthquake of March 2011.Because they are always under the ocean, subduction-zone earthquakes tend to trigger tsunamis.Subduction zones are where lithospheric plates move toward and underneath other plates, on their way into the mantle where they give rise to most of the worlds volcanoes. So there are compelling reasons to learn more about these faults (plus many more scientific reasons), and drilling into one is just within the state of the art. The Integrated Ocean Drilling Project is doing that with a new state-of-the-art drillship off the coast of Japan. The Seismogenic Zone Experiment, or SEIZE, is a three-phase program that will measure the inputs and outputs of the subduction zone where the Philippine plate meets Japan in the Nankai Trough. This is a shallower trench than most subduction zones, making it easier for drilling. The Japanese have a long and accurate history of earthquakes on this subduction zone, and the site is only a days ship travel away from land. Even so, in the difficult conditions foreseen the drilling will require a riser- an outer pipe from the ship to the sea floor- to prevent blowouts and so that the effort can proceed using drilling mud instead of seawater, as previous drilling has used. The Japanese have built a brand-new drillship, Chikyu (Earth) that can do the job, reaching 6 kilometers below the sea floor. One question the project will seek to answer is what physical changes accompany the earthquake cycle on subduction faults. Another is what happens in the shallow region where soft sediment fades into brittle rock, the boundary between soft deformation and seismic disruption. There are places on land where this part of subduction zones is exposed to geologists, so results from the Nankai Trough will be very interesting. Drilling began in 2007.   Drilling New Zealands Alpine Fault The Alpine fault, on New Zealands South Island, is a large oblique-thrust fault that causes magnitude 7.9 earthquakes every few centuries. One interesting feature of the fault is that vigorous uplift and erosion have beautifully exposed a thick cross-section of the crust that provides fresh samples of the deep fault surface. The Deep Fault Drilling Project, a collaboration of New Zealand and European institutions, is punching cores across the Alpine fault by drilling straight down. The first part of the project succeeded in penetrating and coring the fault twice just 150 meters below the ground in January 2011 then instrumenting the holes. A deeper hole is planned near the Whataroa River in 2014 that will go down 1500 meters. A public wiki serves past and ongoing data from the project.

Summarize and assess Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Summarize and assess - Essay Example In this note, Vattimo also emphasized that metaphysics have no place in this dialogue since metaphysics have already taken the path of interpreting their knowledge that is limited on scientific knowledge and approach—with it are very defined scientific system of belief and tradition i.e. objectivism. At the latter part of his discussion, Vattimo concluded that Christianity should not be tied down on just one entity—which is always is the stereotypical perspective, particularly with Roman Catholicism. The concept of harmonious living, of everything that is good, ethical, and moral must be a sense of charity we feel for one another. And when there is the presence of God, there is Charity (Caputo & Vattimo, p. 45). Thus, when we choose not to clash with one another, that means we are being charitable, thus we are being Christians. Ergo, we profess Christianity in a non-religious perspective. One of the many critical arguments that Vattimo presented in his premise, towards his discourse on proving his point of a nonreligious Christianity is the importance of knowledge and its subjectivity. â€Å"In anything I must choose a perspective.† Science deliberately limited their knowledge because they devoid themselves of their private interests that does not concern their science (p. 27). Though science’s claims of objectivity had help put a finite order in our daily lives, it is clear that Vattimo have efficiently excluded metaphysics in his discourse because Christianity as a philosophical discourse could not be pursued with objectivity. Another critical point that Vattimo made is that knowledge is culturally dictated, as well as the use of language. Therefore, interpretation is also culturally defined. The use of language as a part of a cultural system means that it has its own rules. As he cited, he could be praying the Lord’s Prayer, yet speaking on a spiritual language. Because Vattimo’s discourse is

How to save a failing law firm Speech or Presentation

How to save a failing law firm - Speech or Presentation Example To be specific, the administration develops the rules and regulations required to govern all aspects of the company. Therefore, the administration should exercise innovation, in order to provide the company with guidelines that would shape the destiny of the firm in the long term perspective. On the other hand, management takes the established rules and regulations and implements them using the available resources in the firm. The management goals are usually in the short term. The available resources in a firm refer to the factors of production such as capital, labour, and skills. These two responsibilities are very important in running any firm as they define the future position of a company. For this reason, leaders and managers require to possess vast knowledge and skills for any meaningful success in a company. Knight and Day Company is in the verge of collapsing. Hence, there is the need to integrate leadership and management skill so as to revive the economy of this firm, and save it from losing its credibility. A number of critical issues threaten Knight and Day Company in its leadership and management. There are several challenges that these two dockets need to address immediately in order to save the existing situation. One of the potential challenges in this firm is the labour resource. There is evidence of poor management and utilization of the labour force in this firm. To begin with, there is evidence of unskilled labour resource.In any given company, lack of skilled labour force is one of the major drawbacks in the labour resource. Unskilled labour brings out low productivity in the farm. Labour is one of the most significant and scarce resource in any company. Therefore, it is the duty of the management to oversee hiring of skilled labour to ensure that tapped labour resource can be harnessed effectively. This will provide optimum profits for the firm. In addition, there is evidence of loss of the already existing labour facility as the workers quit their jobs and take up alternatives out of this company.This is a major problem that can lead to failure of a company. This is because when the firm loses its laborer, it takes time to replace it through the recruitment process. This contributes to a large extent to the losses in a firm. The problem of labour resource management might require more allocation of resources such as time and money. In the process of reformation, there is the need to reform the labour resource through a recruitment process in order to have the required skilled labour. The recruitment process involves advertisement, interviews and even orientation of new employees. All these activities require financial support to implement. Moreover, skilled manpower requires that the salaries are moderated, and more specifically raised in order to avoid the massive departures of the employees from the firm. In addition, the whole process would require that the management sit in various sessions in order to provide a new set of development policies that would be used to regulate the labour force. This will require abundant time and also the use of money Another factor threatening the success of this firm is the poor co-ordination of the various departments and branches. For instance, the Los Angeles office operates autonomously from the rest of the offices in

Two Reading Journals Essay Example for Free

Two Reading Journals Essay â€Å"A Good Man is Hard to Find† by Flannery O’Connor is a story which utilizes caricatures of people to reveal some aspects of character that all readers can identify with.   While the characters on the literal level seem too unreasonably stereotyped to be real, some of their behaviors and responses are actually very similar to those of all humanity.   For example, the Grandmother begins as the quintessential nagging, hyper-critical, self-absorbed old woman that everyone prefers to ignore. However, her constant spouting of religious maxims and her ability to use her holier-than-thou attitude for guilt purposes is a trait that many readers recognize in their own family members or even themselves, perhaps as the oppressed son, even.    After the initial encounter with the Misfit, these stereotypical demeanors fade away, and the real personality of the characters can come through.    This is similar to the concept that people’s true selves come through in times of great trial or emergency.   The bratty children clam up in fear, and the grandmother begins to treat the Misfit with an almost caring respect, which he doesn’t buy, of course.   Her ultimate attempt to â€Å"save† the Misfit from sin fails, just as her attempt to win loyalty from her son by guilting him into doing her bidding fails.   However, she is forced into thinking about someone else, in this case the Misfit.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   â€Å"Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?† by Joyce Carol Oates tells the story of a tough talking teen girl who is constantly concerned with the appearance she projects to the outside world.   Her tough exterior is extremely believable, as many teens suffer from this underlying lack of confidence. However, her pursuit by the psychotic Arnold Friend forces her t realize that not everyone will fall for the tough and cool exterior. Arnold’s friendly exterior keeps her off guard just long enough for him to draw her in.  Ã‚   He knows that deep inside she is scared and eager to please; this is how he wins her ultimate and fatal compliance.   He had forced her to realize that she was not the tough chick she wanted to be, and she notes that she just felt empty.   The shell was cracked, and there was nothing inside.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Both of these stories contrast the exterior of a person with his or her interior.   In the face of a perilous situation, both the Grandmother and Connie realize they cannot fall back on their usual game.   Both, then allow themselves to be victimized in the absence of any other choices.

Faulkner’s Relationship with his Daughter in the Film, William Faulkner

Faulkner’s Relationship with his Daughter in the Film, William Faulkner: A Life on Paper William Faulkner: A Life on Paper presents Faulkner as a struggling writer, father, and human being. He was moody, a periodic alcoholic, often in debt, affected in manner, and seemingly unable to make and retain significant relationships. Yet despite his apparent failings as a man (or perhaps because of them), Faulkner is perhaps the most successful and influential American literary artist of the 20th-century. Faulkner paved the way for many women writers to take up their pens and continue his literary quest into humankind’s psyche and the truth of our existence. His fathering of the many writers we will be reading this semester was a significant one; however, I am unsure if Jill Faulkner Sommers is able to forgive her father for his apparent neglect of fathering his true daughter. It is a commonly supposed that geniuses are able to produce their masterpieces because they are geniuses - because they do not act according to the customary social expectations of â€Å"average† human beings. They ...

The Tony Ferguson Weight Management Diet

The Tony Ferguson Weight Management Diet: An Information Fact Sheet for Community Members Overview: The Tony Ferguson Diet is a weight loss and management diet, which is based on specialized shakes, soups, bars and muesli. The diet is advertised as low GI and low carbohydrate. The diet is designed to induce the individual into a state of ketosis, ‘Ketone bodies are produced mainly in the mitochondria of liver cells. Its synthesis occurs in response to low glucose levels in the blood, and after exhaustion of cellular carbohydrate stores, such as glycogen.The production of ketone bodies is then initiated to make available energy that is stored as fatty acids. ’ (Wikipedia, 2012). The individual is advised to consume 2 specialized meals per day along with two servings of fruit, 3 servings of vegetables and 2 servings of lean meat. Advice: Advice to the consumer is that of caution. The human body requires carbohydrates to survive. Many functions of the body require carbohydr ates to function effectively. The Tony Ferguson diet effectively induces the body into a mode of starvation, can develop into disease.Ketosis is the desired state of the Tony Ferguson diet, this is where ‘Ketone bodies provide an alternative fuel source during starvation, but when their production exceeds their use, they accumulate in the blood, causing ketosis, a condition that disturbs the body’s normal acid-base balance. ’ (Whitney et al, 2011). When the body is in a state of starvation and it is experiencing a lower than required amount of carbohydrates, ‘the body finds a way to use its fat to fuel the brain.It adapts by combining acetyl COA fragments derived from fatty acids to produce an alternative energy source, ketone bodies. ’ (Whitney et al, 2011). This state can change the normal pH of the blood. ‘This is ketosis, a sign that the body’s chemistry is going away’. (Whitney et al, 2011). The blood glucose of the human bod y is maintained by homeostasis and is extremely important for many of the body’s major functions. ‘When a person eats, blood glucose rises. High blood glucose stimulates the pancreas to release insulin.Insulin stimulates the uptake of glucose into cells and storage as glycogen in the liver and muscles. Insulin also stimulates the conversion of excess glucose into fat for storage. As the body’s cells use glucose, blood levels decline. Low blood glucose stimulates the pancreas to release glucagon into the bloodstream. Glucagon stimulates liver cells to break down glycogen and release glucose into the blood. Blood glucose begins to rise. ’ (Whitney et al, 2011). Carbohydrates are essential for human nutrition and as such, this extreme diet may cause extremely adverse effects.It is recommended that a varied and nutritionally sound diet and exercise program be implemented and that extreme diets such as Tony Ferguson be implemented only as a last resort and alwa ys under medical advice. Reference List: Author Unknown, 2012, Wikipedia, Viewed: 11 April 2012, http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Ketogenesis. Whitney, E. Rolfes, S. Crowe, T. Cameron-Smith, D. Walsh, A. 2011, Understanding Nutrition, 1st Ed, Cengage Learning, Melbourne. Chosen Diet: http://us. tonyferguson. com/1448. aspx

Who Was the Inventor of Hoover Vacuum Cleaners

It might stand to reason that the Hoover vacuum cleaner was invented by someone named Hoover, but that’s surprisingly not the case. It was an inventor named James Spangler who invented the first portable electric vacuum cleaner in 1907. The Janitor With a Better Idea   Spangler was working as a janitor working at the Zollinger Department Store in Ohio when the idea of a portable electric vacuum cleaner first came to him. The carpet sweeper he used on the job was making him cough a lot and this was dangerous because Spangler was an asthmatic. Unfortunately, he didn’t have many other options because standard â€Å"vacuum cleaners† at the time were large, unwieldy affairs pulled by horses and not exactly conducive to indoor cleaning. Spangler decided to come up with his own version of a vacuum cleaner, one that wouldnt  endanger his health. He wasn’t new to inventing, as  he’d already patented a grain harvester in 1897 and a form of hay rake in 1893. He began tinkering with an old fan motor, which he attached it to a soap box stapled to a broom handle. He then converted an old pillowcase into a dust collector and attached that as well. Spanglers contraption eventually became the first vacuum cleaner to use both a cloth filter bag and cleaning attachments as he improved his basic model. He received a patent for it in 1908. Spangler’s asthma was better, but his vacuum got off to a somewhat shaky start. He wanted to manufacture what he called his â€Å"suction sweeper† on his own and  formed the Electric Suction Sweeper Company to make it happen. Unfortunately, investors were hard to come by and manufacturing was at a virtual standstill until he happened to demonstrate his new vacuum cleaner to his cousin. William Hoover Takes Over Spangler’s cousin Susan Hoover was married  to businessman William Hoover, who was suffering some of his own financial frustrations at the time. Hoover made and sold saddles, harnesses, and other leather products for horses, just as automobiles were steadfastly beginning to replace horses. Hoover was itching for a new business opportunity when his wife told him about Spangler’s vacuum cleaner and arranged for a demonstration. Hoover was so impressed with the vacuum cleaner that he promptly bought Spanglers business and his patents. He became the president of the Electric Suction Sweeper Company and renamed it the Hoover Company. Production was initially limited to an average of six vacuums a day that no one particularly wanted to buy. Hoover wasn’t discouraged and began offering customers free trials and signed up a slew of door-to-door salesmen who could take the invention into homes and show the housewives at the time how well they worked. Sales began to boom.  Eventually, there was a Hoover vacuum in nearly every American home. Hoover made further improvements to Spanglers vacuum cleaner over the years, as its often said that Spanglers original model resembled a bagpipe attached to a cake box.  Spangler stayed on with the Hoover Company as its superintendent, never officially retiring. His wife, son, and daughter all worked for the company as well. Spangler died in January 1914, the night before he was scheduled to take his first vacation.