A properly placed underwater tactical low level nuke could end the problem.

Matter of fact, the above scenario is in the US government's data on the subject, in the "what if" scenario section.

The properly placed and detonated underwater tactical nuclear explosion has the capability of fusing sand, rock, etc. into a permanent PLUG CAP on the sea floor.

"Low level" tactical nuke of 12 kiloton or less. That is half the power of the first atomic bomb ever used against our fellow humans. And a lot less than stuff detonated in the ocean in past times for testing.

However bad the nuke may be for the environment, it is a lot less impact than the current oil and gas situation.

With so many people scared to death already due to their own scientific and engineering ignorance on such subjects, however, it is unlike that an administration interested more in the political than the fundamental is going to allow such solution to the problem, though.

"Never waste a good crisis" -- That's what they actually said.

People more concerned with punishing than solving the problem.

Doesn't make much sense to me.

I like how they only show the broken pipe spewing 5000ft down there.."nothing to see on the sea floor" however..betcha when they proclaim loudly with their eternal uncaring ego's: "we've stopped the spill",we will never be shown all the other cracks a spewing on the floor down there..i mean how the hell am i to believe anything that comes out the mouths of these current demons. That's what they are,it's all part of the anitchrist's little EU agenda this little oops of "whosh,boom"

[This message has been edited by mr9000 (edited 06-19-2010).]

You see there's that word again, "shareholders" who the hell are they?? just mostly normal folks like you and me, we weren't the one's to cause the GFC, it was the high and greedy, who even after the disaster were taking the cream from the top like the filthy fat cats they are.

This situ is no different, we have reached the crossroads people, this is it, yes we need an answer for the greatest environmental castastre we have ever caused but we need a way out, not only environmentaly, but also the stock markets are not the way, and neither is the alternative (Communism) we need answers and solutions, its obvious this oil blowout is much bigger than anyone expected, that is ofcourse unless you were high on the tree of BP as it looks like.

I said previously in a post here "an international body not connected with the companies with the power under force to shut down opperations if necessary until they are deemed safe", and don't be fooled by the other oil company people saying "oh we wouldn't have done what bp did" they are also beholden to thier shareholders to, and probably after this major mishap all stops have been pulled by them to clean up thier act, as it should be.

Real alternatives thats what we need, I said it before and I'll say it again (Scully and Moulder), the answers have been bought and paid for by the high and mighty, thge select few also involved in the GFC and we need governments brave enough to force them the reveal the technologies they own for humanities benefit before its all too late.

Robbo, you make a very good point. We need answers, we need regulations, and we need an international body free from influence by big corporations to oversee the safety of such risky ventures that threaten the livelihood of millions.

Just to put matters in perspective, the top 5 largest oil companies made $23 billion in profits (not revenue), in just one quarter. Compare this $23 billion in profit per quarter to the $1 billion that was spent in total by both parties in the US Presidential elections.

Big oil has enough money to buy out both sides. It is chump change to them. Do you think the puny Mineral Management Service stand any chance of being an effective regulatory agency?

MMS is nothing but a rubber stamp for Big Oil. MMS has been reduced to being nothing but their cheerleader and PR agency.

The Oil Drum has an excellent thread detailing the causes that led to the Deepwater Horizon Blowout.

http://tinyurl.com/27yhyox


Everything that went wrong was a result of a cascading series of willful negligence where warning signs were ignored in favor of cost cutting measures.

Yet, when Tony Hayword, CEO of BP was asked in front to Congress to be forthright, come clean and answer a few direct question, he stonewalled and evaded with his classic defense – “I do not recall…I was not responsible…I cannot discuss the details…”

Beyond Pathetic.

Here are some clips:

http://tinyurl.com/269kvmq

http://tinyurl.com/24m4mff

http://tinyurl.com/2bmj27l

While Big Oil and their shareholders are living their big life with $23 billion in profits per quarter, the entire $2.2 Trillion dollar Gulf Economy is going to the gutters.

Watch these 14 slides to see the economic and environmental impact to the 5 Gulf States of Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida.

http://tinyurl.com/2auaef3


The Guardian published a heartfelt article by Naomi Klein on Saturday. Naomi explains the whole saga behind the Gulf Oil Spill and focuses on the human element behind the tragedy.

At the end of this article, there is a short 20 minute video that informs the viewers what the local residents have to say, how their hopes and dreams have been dashed, how their environment has been polluted, their bodies poisoned.

http://tinyurl.com/25tyz4p


In the 60 days since the rig exploded, an enormous amount of information has been assimilated by various websites. Here is the most detailed documentation I have found on the Deepwater Horizon. This is a master reference to the spill related activities.

This document has dozens of pictures and schematic diagrams explaining the technical aspects.

http://tinyurl.com/22su84a


Wikipedia is also doing a good job keeping up with the facts as they are surfacing:

http://tinyurl.com/265vh38


The History Channel ran a series on Mega Disasters.

Dr. Gregory Ryskin of Northwestern University has a theory of how Methane Explosions have originated in the oceans several times in the past. He explains how Methane Eruptions were responsible for mass extinctions eradicating 95% of all species from the face of the earth.

Deep pockets in the ocean allow methane to accumulate over long periods of time. A trigger event releases the deadly storm of methane bubbles with the explosive force of a nuclear bomb.

A similar event was witnessed in a small lake in Africa.

Here is a short 5-minute clip showing what could happen in a Methane Explosion.

http://tinyurl.com/27ew7ac


If Methane levels continue to increase around the Gulf Coast, all inhabitants will be asked to evacuate. FEMA will not be able to handle the evacuation of 8 to 10 million people along the coastal regions. They ran short of resources while dealing with Hurricane Katrina over New Orleans.


[This message has been edited by Tapas (edited 06-20-2010).]

this is too important to let slip down the page. please let's keep this going, we're talking half the planet in dire peril

------------------
Miami Mo

Keysvocalssax, I agree with you 100%. We must keep track of this event as the outcome will affect us all.

The oil began gushing out at an alarming rate this morning when BP removed the well cap for inspection.

The Oil Drum presented dozens of informative posts related to today’s incident.

http://tinyurl.com/2cu5olm


One observer made this remark:

"This well is completely out of control and is getting worse. We have been reviewing the telemetry and I must report that the velocity exiting the well is approaching 15ft/sec. this velocity along with the abrasive sludge will erode the casing. If this velocity isn’t reduced to under 2ft/sec, the casing will fail. this translates into over 45 cuft/sec. If 40% of this is gas and 60% is oil, then the flow rate of oil is 415,000 barrels/day or 17,000,000 gals/day. This is out of control."

Before the cap was removed, the total amount of oil coming out from the seabed was estimated to be 120,000 barrels per day.

The original thickness of the pipe was 2”. It has worn down to 1 inch after 2 months due to the abraisive flow of oil and sand as high speeds. This well will not hold up very much longer.

To make matters worse, a Tropical Storm Alex (Invest 93L) is forming in the central Caribbean.

http://tinyurl.com/2fzqp3r


As hurricane season begins, it will be a race against time to finish the two relief wells in progress.

Oil rains have been reported in Louisiana.

http://tinyurl.com/2bdout7


Louisiana is also reporting people falling ill from the oil contamination.

http://tinyurl.com/2u87vhl


Here is an article that states that North America will face years of Toxic Rain from the oil and chemical dispersants in the Gulf of Mexico.

http://tinyurl.com/36oyk5p


BP is using the highly toxic COREXIT 9500 to suppress the oil from rising to the surface.

It has now been revealed that Carl Casale who is the Director of Nalco, makers of Corexit, is also the CFO of Monsanto, the makers of GMO seeds.

http://tinyurl.com/36vmdct


Why is this connection curious?

If Corexit rains destroys the crops, the farmers will be more reliant on GMO products. It should be pointed out, that there were several other less harmful dispersants that could have been used. BP chose to use Coexit, a product that is banned in Europe and UK.

People have begun to leave Florida.

Here is a first hand account of a person who is relocating this family. The author has included a set of pictures he took from the airplane showing the extent of the spill.

http://tinyurl.com/2c45zwb


The New York Times has published an article that gives an elaborate technical overview of the situation in layman terms. The also provide an animation to explain how a Blind Shear Ram was supposed to function to choke the well and stem the flow. It failed.

http://tinyurl.com/3ymw4tp


Mining and drilling operations, specially in deep water are inherently risky operations with unknown outcomes. Utmost care and caution should be exercised to check and double check and triple check every single step.

It does not pay to expedite a few hours of work to save a few million dollars. The damage cannot be reversed when the gamble fails.

Here is an account of the mining disaster in Lake Peigneur, along the Southern coast of Louisiana documenting how the lake drained into an underwater salt mine when an oil well accidentally bored into a salt mine.

http://tinyurl.com/2fpsb2y


The world will hold its breath as we approach the end of August when the two relief wells are scheduled to be completed. This is our last best chance of avoiding a full-scale environmental catastrophe.

Please, if you are living on the Gulf Coast, give us your first hand account of what is going on and keep us informed.

The deadly combination of Oil and Corexit 9500 is creating a toxic concoction that is threatening marine and land life including humans within a 200 mile radius of Deepwater Horizon located about 50 miles from the coast of Louisiana.
Plans are being put in place for mandatory evacuation of the following 18 Gulf coast cities:

New Orleans
Baton Rouge
Mandeville
Hammond
Houma
Belle Chase
Chalmette
Slidell
Biloxi
Gulfport
Pensacola
Hattiesburg
Mobile
Bay Minette
Fort Walton Beach
Panama City
Crestview
Pascagoula

http://tinyurl.com/25wpsrt


The highly volatile and inflammable oil vapors can be carried by hurricane winds into a major city along the Gulf Coast and cause a firestorm burning the place from top to bottom.

http://tinyurl.com/2ba4sh4


John Wathen presents a 9-minute video to show the extent of the oil spill when he flew over the Gulf on June 21st. It is disturbing to see pods of dolphins on their death throes, and whales coated in oil surfacing for a gasp of air.

http://tinyurl.com/26kfj2c


Reuters is reporting that methane levels in the Gulf have been found to be astonishingly high, as much as a million times the normal level.

In some parts the oxygen depletion has reached 30%.

http://tinyurl.com/2fkbnzr


Petroleum World has published a short summary describing Deepwater Horizon as Well from Hell.

A large methane gas bubble has been discovered 15 to 20 mile across and tens of feet thick under the ocean floor.

A bubble this large if allowed to escape, has to potential to create an explosion like Mt. St. Helens, only under water.

http://tinyurl.com/3xy2ay3


People who are working to clean up the oil spill are reporting illness from the effects.

http://tinyurl.com/27y7eun


This is especially troubling, knowing that almost all of the 1989 Exxon Valdez Cleanup Crew are now dead. There were 11,000 workers. An estimated 8000 have died since 1994.

http://tinyurl.com/23p63od


BP has dumped 1.4 million gallons of Corexit 9500 in the Gulf. This could be the cause of the mysterious crop damage in the Gulf area.

http://tinyurl.com/26bj9r2


Here is an animated forecast of the Surface Currents and Wind Drift in the Gulf of Mexico.

http://tinyurl.com/26xl5se


Here is an animated set of images from Geostationary Satellites covering the Gulf of Mexico. This is useful in watching in real time how the hurricanes are forming.

http://tinyurl.com/26a3xl2


Watch Kindra Arnesen express her outrage at the dog and pony show being presented by BP. You can feel the raw emotions in her voice.

This lady has more balls than our elected officials to convey the truth.

http://tinyurl.com/2v7fvf7


We are watching the slow destruction of the Gulf. We have set into motion the worst environmental disaster in mankind’s history.

It has been 70 days since Deepwater Horizon exploded. We put people behind bars for shoplifting a doughnut. Yet, not a single individual, either from BP, Transocean, Halliburton, or the Government or the MMS has been jailed or charged for this crime against humanity.

Where is the justice? Where is the accountability? If there is no consequence for such irresponsible action, then how do we guarantee a repetition will not occur?




[This message has been edited by Tapas (edited 06-29-2010).]

Crime against Humanity ???? Has this accident been investigated yet and has it now been deemed a crime ? Certainly its a disater and there may be corporate negligence (we dont know that yet) but this is not a crime against humanity. If we are going to provide information that is credible here, leave out the emotive language please.

Hi Spalding1968,

You are correct. I agree with you that we should not resort to hyperbole and lay blame on individuals without due process. We should evaluate the situation with calm nerves and focus our attention towards containing the loss.

However, at the same time, we as citizens must stay vigilant and informed and listen to a wide range of news sources to form our own conclusions and chart our individual destinies.

There is a wide discrepancy between the filtered news coming from the mainstream media and the facts that are being slowly leaked from independent news outlets.

I would encourage all readers who have been following this thread, to spend 20 minutes of their time to listen to the latest interview given my Matt Simmons.

Mr. Simmons is warning residents within 20 miles of the Gulf coast to either evacuate now or buy a gas mask. He talks about a worst-case scenario that may be unfolding before our eyes. There will be no resources available to manage a disaster of this magnitude involving so many humans.

Information is power. Planning and readiness is everything when it comes to a matter of life and death.

This is the scariest interview I have heard to date summarizing the Gulf disaster.

Please download this 10MB mp3 file and start listening to Mr. Simmons from the 8 minute 15 second mark.

http://tinyurl.com/2uejafz