News, Energy Workers Drilling In Hawaii Accidentally Hit Magma. (house, asbestos)

[JD59]

San Francisco, CA (AHN) - An energy crew drilling on the island of Hawaii has discovered magma, the molten rock material that has never been found in its natural habitat.

Scientist Bruce Marsh, with Johns Hopkins University, said magma is the central ingredient in the evolution of planets and the "lifeblood" of all volcanoes.

Energy Workers Drilling In Hawaii Accidentally Hit Magma | AHN | December 17, 2008 (http://www.allheadlinenews.com/articles/7013441071 - broken link)

[MadRussian]

What's difference between magma and lava? I always thought lava is cooling magma. Am I wrong?

[leilaniguy]

The chemical composition of magma is different than lava. It contains gases that usually blow off before the eruption leaves the volcano. Mount St. Helens was a magma eruption. (I try to keep up on this, my house is only a couple of miles from the wells.)

[hotzcatz]

That was in 2005 that they hit the magma, wasn't it?

[leilaniguy]

Yes, 2005. According to a BBC article, it's taken this long for scientists to decipher just what was happening in the well.

[hotzcatz]

Ah, well, I couldn't tell the difference between lava and magma, myself, even if I poked it with a stick no doubt.

Have you tried drilling in your yard for magma? Maybe you could get a scientific grant to go look for the stuff? Sell it as souvenirs, do you think? That would probably get Pele really seriously upset though and the resulting gin bribes would make those some expensive souvenirs, though, don'tcha think?

Are folks in the area less upset with the geothermal these days/years? Used to be there was a lot of folks upset with the geothermal there but that was quite awhile ago. I suppose with the new levels of vog it is hard to tell if the geothermal is outgassing anything.

[leilaniguy]

Hmm, maybe I could get some asbestos forms and make bricks or yard ornaments? On my budget Pele will have to be satisfied with a bottle of Primo and a cigarette There aren't many complaints from Leilani people aboue GEO these days, there hasn't been "an event" in over 15 years. Old timers are suspicious of it though, still telling how birds would fly through the well's gascloud and drop dead.

[hotzcatz]

Has it been that long? I'm glad there is less tension there now, it was really upsetting a lot of folks when they built it. That was also a time when folks weren't as pro-alternate energy as they are now. Perhaps changing social consciousness has improved folks' opinion of Puna Geothermal Ventures.

Wonder if the bird killing gas fumes were from the magma?

[leilaniguy]

I think it has become a necessity. Every time I open my power bill I want to hurl, and there's always the possibility that the oil shipments might stop. I have to admit they've been a pretty good neighbor, clean and usually quiet.