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A puddle of mud does not seem really threatening, but there is one in California's imperial county that is so annoying that an emergency was to be declared earlier this year.
It's what's called the Niland Geyser and it's exactly that, a bubbling mud geyser. But there is a strange twist: this threatening puddle has slowly crawled on the ground, to the point of threatening the railroad tracks and a national highway.
The Niland Geyser appeared for the first time in 1953 and has been sitting without incident for decades. Then, about 11 years ago, things changed. The geyser began to move on dry ground at a glacial pace.
Now things have become more serious – in the last six months, this pace has accelerated dramatically. In a few months, the Niland Geyser has traveled 18.3 meters (60 feet).
Then he traveled 18 meters more in a single day, worrisome bringing it closer to the Union Pacific Railroad tracks, State Route 111, an oil pipeline and railway lines. fiber optic telecommunication.
Overall, this bubbling puddle has moved about 73 meters (240 feet) from what it was 10 years ago.
(Imperial County)
"It is a slow disaster," said Alfredo Estrada, chief of the Imperial County Fire Department and Emergency Services Coordinator. Los Angeles Times. Last month, the county announced that it was proclaiming an emergency for the affected area.
There have been several attempts to stop the mud. The basin was drained from the water. Wells have been dug to try to reduce the pressure on the geyser. Loose stones were dumped into the mud source.
As a somewhat desperate measure, Union Pacific Railroad built a steel wall and blocks 22.9 meters (75 feet) deep and 36.6 meters (120 feet) long between the mud source. and the railway.
Nothing stopped him, not even the wall. In October, the mud infiltrated just below and continued to move towards the tracks.
The source of the mud, called the mud source, is located at the southern end of the San Andreas Fault, the boundary between the North American and Pacific tectonic plates.
However, it is important to note that the presence and movement of the geyser are not signs of seismic activity. A mud pot is associated with a tectonic limit, but it's actually a bit like a sinkhole (except full of mud).
(Imperial County)
The Niland Geyser is a geothermal element where water is forced to rise through the ground. This is not a very hot source, with a temperature of about 27 degrees Celsius (80 degrees Fahrenheit); instead, it bubbles with carbon dioxide that also seeps into the depths of the soil, released by previous seismic activity.
It would also have a foul odor, slightly smelling rotten eggs – which is not unusual for spring activity underwater, due to the presence of hydrogen sulphide in the water.
By moving in a soft sedimentary rock called mudstone, it leaves a soggy trail, weakening the integrity of the soil up to a depth of about 9 to 12 meters (30 to 40 feet), making it muddy and unfit to support structures.
There is no reason to worry that the long-awaited "Big One" earthquake is about to happen. The Niland Geyser is enough to worry about without borrowing the impending fate.
Union Pacific Railroad has already built an alternative route for the transportation of its trains, which they are doing at a slower pace than before. If mud continues to progress, a more permanent solution, such as a bridge, may be needed.
Ed Joyce of the California Department of Transportation told KYMA that if he slipped too close to the road, "Caltrans will have to close National Highway 111 if the muddy pot goes to a point where it impacts the road. We must obviously divert the traffic. "
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