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Episode "Man-Made Disasters"

Published
  • Dump truck removing
  • The 727 foot (222 meter) Hoover Dam in the largest concrete dam in the United States. The reservoir behind it is Lake Mead, the largest human-made lake in North America. Since the lake reached its peak of 475 feet (nearly 145 meters) in 1939, the amount of seismicity has fluctuated based on the water level. The reservoir induced hundreds of quakes where none had been before.
  • Underground workers at Edgar Mine. Mines are the most common culprits of geo-physical hazards triggered by humans. Earth Scientist, Dr. Christian Close, PhD estimates that 50% of all human triggered earthquakes recorded globally are induced by mines.
  • The 727 foot (222 meter) Hoover Dam in the largest concrete dam in the United States. The reservoir behind it is Lake Mead, the largest human-made lake in North America. Since the lake reached its peak of 475 feet (nearly 145 meters) in 1939, the amount of seismicity has fluctuated based on the water level. The reservoir induced hundreds of quakes where none had been before.
  • Mud Fields at the Salton Sea. The mud fields are at the tip of Southern California's San Adreas Fault, which is a strike-slip fault, just like the fault near the Indonesian mud volcano, Lusi.
  • Michael Manga, Geophysicist from the University of California Berkeley at the Salton Sea mud volcanoes studying bubbles coming from the mud.
  • Underground workers at Edgar Mine. Mines are the most common culprits of geo-physical hazards triggered by humans. Earth Scientist, Dr. Christian Close, PhD estimates that 50% of all human triggered earthquakes recorded globally are induced by mines.
  • A tornado forming In the tornado simulator at Texas Tech's Vortech Wind Center.
  • The Salton Sea Geysers are typical mud volcanoes. The Indonesian mud volcano is a million times bigger than these. Attention has turned to the Indonesian gas exploration company, Lapindo Brantas, that has been drilling an exploration well close by when Lusi, the Indonesian mud volcano blew.
  • Underground workers at Edgar Mine with an electro-hydraulic jumbo drill. It is needed to access portals and is powered by water. The miner drills a series of holes in the wall that later will be filled with explosive charges. Water also helps lubricate the steel cutting into the rock. The large amounts of water collect in the mines after hundreds of years, which may cause earthquakes.
  • Miners at the Edgar Mine waiting for explosives to go off while they blast new tunnels. The water from the water table and the drilling can trigger earthquakes after hundreds of years of mine use.
  • Dev Niyogi, a climatologist from Purdue University explaining urban heat islands causing severe weather.
  • Underground workers at Edgar Mine with an electro-hydraulic jumbo drill. It is needed to access portals and is powered by water. The miner drills a series of holes in the wall that later will be filled with explosive charges. Water also helps lubricate the steel cutting into the rock. The large amounts of water collect in the mines after hundreds of years, which may cause earthquakes.
  • David Lockner, Geophysicist at the US Geological Survey explaining his fault machine at the USGS lab. He uses it to see how water would effect faults.
  • A tornado forming In the tornado simulator at Texas Tech's Vortech Wind Center.
  • The spill out side of Zipingpu Dam. A 512 (156 meter) dam that holds up to a billion tons (900,000,000 metric tons) of water. In 2008, 90,000 people were killed or missing and 5 million were left homeless when a 7.9 magnitude quake ripped through Sichuan Province in China. The Dam sustained large cracks and if the dam had burst, the death toll could have been in the millions. Some scientists believe the dam is not only a victim of the quake, but that the dam itself helped trigger the quake.

  • Man Made Disasters 04

    Dump truck removing "muck" from blast in Edgar Mine. Mines are the most common culprits of geo-physical hazards triggered by humans. Earth Scientist, Dr. Christian Close, PhD estimates that 50% of all human triggered earthquakes recorded globally are induced by mines.

  • Man Made Disasters 14

    The 727 foot (222 meter) Hoover Dam in the largest concrete dam in the United States. The reservoir behind it is Lake Mead, the largest human-made lake in North America. Since the lake reached its peak of 475 feet (nearly 145 meters) in 1939, the amount of seismicity has fluctuated based on the water level. The reservoir induced hundreds of quakes where none had been before.

  • Man Made Disasters 13

    Underground workers at Edgar Mine. Mines are the most common culprits of geo-physical hazards triggered by humans. Earth Scientist, Dr. Christian Close, PhD estimates that 50% of all human triggered earthquakes recorded globally are induced by mines.

  • Man Made Disasters 15

    The 727 foot (222 meter) Hoover Dam in the largest concrete dam in the United States. The reservoir behind it is Lake Mead, the largest human-made lake in North America. Since the lake reached its peak of 475 feet (nearly 145 meters) in 1939, the amount of seismicity has fluctuated based on the water level. The reservoir induced hundreds of quakes where none had been before.

  • Man Made Disasters 16

    Mud Fields at the Salton Sea. The mud fields are at the tip of Southern California's San Adreas Fault, which is a strike-slip fault, just like the fault near the Indonesian mud volcano, Lusi.

  • Man Made Disasters 01

    Michael Manga, Geophysicist from the University of California Berkeley at the Salton Sea mud volcanoes studying bubbles coming from the mud.

  • Man Made Disasters 12

    Underground workers at Edgar Mine. Mines are the most common culprits of geo-physical hazards triggered by humans. Earth Scientist, Dr. Christian Close, PhD estimates that 50% of all human triggered earthquakes recorded globally are induced by mines.

  • Man Made Disasters 05

    A tornado forming In the tornado simulator at Texas Tech's Vortech Wind Center.

  • Man Made Disasters 02

    The Salton Sea Geysers are typical mud volcanoes. The Indonesian mud volcano is a million times bigger than these. Attention has turned to the Indonesian gas exploration company, Lapindo Brantas, that has been drilling an exploration well close by when Lusi, the Indonesian mud volcano blew.

  • Man Made Disasters 03

    Underground workers at Edgar Mine with an electro-hydraulic jumbo drill. It is needed to access portals and is powered by water. The miner drills a series of holes in the wall that later will be filled with explosive charges. Water also helps lubricate the steel cutting into the rock. The large amounts of water collect in the mines after hundreds of years, which may cause earthquakes.

  • Man Made Disasters 10

    Miners at the Edgar Mine waiting for explosives to go off while they blast new tunnels. The water from the water table and the drilling can trigger earthquakes after hundreds of years of mine use.

  • Man Made Disasters 06

    Dev Niyogi, a climatologist from Purdue University explaining urban heat islands causing severe weather.

  • Man Made Disasters 11

    Underground workers at Edgar Mine with an electro-hydraulic jumbo drill. It is needed to access portals and is powered by water. The miner drills a series of holes in the wall that later will be filled with explosive charges. Water also helps lubricate the steel cutting into the rock. The large amounts of water collect in the mines after hundreds of years, which may cause earthquakes.

  • Man Made Disasters 07

    David Lockner, Geophysicist at the US Geological Survey explaining his fault machine at the USGS lab. He uses it to see how water would effect faults.

  • Man Made Disasters 09

    A tornado forming In the tornado simulator at Texas Tech's Vortech Wind Center.

  • Man Made Disasters 08

    The spill out side of Zipingpu Dam. A 512 (156 meter) dam that holds up to a billion tons (900,000,000 metric tons) of water. In 2008, 90,000 people were killed or missing and 5 million were left homeless when a 7.9 magnitude quake ripped through Sichuan Province in China. The Dam sustained large cracks and if the dam had burst, the death toll could have been in the millions. Some scientists believe the dam is not only a victim of the quake, but that the dam itself helped trigger the quake.

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