Geysers in Oklahoma

According to the article I first read these have appeared in recent days in the Kingfisher, Oklahoma area.

www.standeyo.com...

The original story was aired on KOTV in Tulsa, they may have shown a map that actually pinpointed the location but I could not find one listed.

www.channeloklahoma.com...

Definately something to keep an eye on.

Nice find, Kanza

I don't know much about the geology of the area, but sudden and unexpected changes like that can never be good.


[edit on 12-12-2005 by loam]

OK, I'm getting this from a very dim and dark corner of my memory, but isn't this one of the signs of imminent activity in the New Madrid fault? The one that runs in the Mississippi Valley?

Montana,
Yes similar activity is in the archaeological record for the New Madrid quakes, evidenced by sand cones formed by upthrust water during the quakes. However they are commenting on gas combined with the water in the case of the Kingfisher geysers, and although they don't say it in so many words I feel they are refering to "natural gas", and there are many natural gas wells in the area. Checking with geological maps, Kingfisher which is located approximately 25 miles northwest of Oklahoma City, is in very close proximity to the Nemaha Fault Zone, so it definately is beginning to look like these geysers could be warning signs that all is not well beneath the surface.

156.110.192.25...

[edit on 12-12-2005 by Kanza]

Interesting. Good spot! I looked for some more information about Oklahoma, as I couldn't remember if there were any ancient volcanic formations there. Here's a link to the USGS page on the state: vulcan.wr.usgs.gov...
Interesting part is the bit about magmatic upwell creating the Wichita mountains.

Oklahoma has some fairly interesting geology.

www.ogs.ou.edu...

Volcanic history of Oklahoma:

www.ogs.ou.edu...

Mapquest of Kingfisher

Here is a video from Channel 9 for this morning. Hopefully you can all access it without having to sign up.

newsok.com...

I saw the story this morning on TB2K and their comments were that a possible underground natural gas storage site using abandoned salt mines as the storage tank is leaking.

This happened in Kansas a few years back and the leak was caused by a crack in the salt dome of a gas storage site several miles away from the actual leak.

I know what you are saying about the sand boils and geysers along the NM fault, I hope it's not a sign of things to come, and I hope it's just a leak of sometype

At first I would think that it sounds like something bad happening. But the fact that they all occur in a relatively small area leads me to believe this is a leak in a nearby underground storage facility like an old mine. However.... why would the water come gushing to the surface? This stuff isn't stored under pressure is it? It would require some sort of pressure to be forced to the surface.

The current word from investigators of the State Corporation Commission is that the gas geysers are not due to a leak of a gas storage facility in the area as there are none.

www.ktok.com.../local.html&instance=1&article_id=57002

They are still no closer to solving the mystery of the origins of these geysers.

I live in a suburb of Tulsa and this is certainly a topic of discussion among my neighbors. Apparently one of our news outlets mentioned the fault lines so now people are wondering if this is the case. I was surprised that none of them seemed to realize it was even through the state or could impact our state.

I just heard something strange on the news concerning this...

They are still warning residents not to drink the water if it smells like gas...

I thought, but for an additive, natural gas is odorless??? It sounds like they have NOT completely ruled out a man-made origin. Otherwise, how would the gas smell?

Originally posted by loam
I just heard something strange on the news concerning this...

They are still warning residents not to drink the water if it smells like gas...

I thought, but for an additive, natural gas is odorless??? It sounds like they have NOT completely ruled out a man-made origin. Otherwise, how would the gas smell?

Very good catch, loam. Where did you hear that report by the way? I'd like to follow up. This advisary would hint at sulfur content in some form. Not a good sign!

EDIT NOTE: Spelling corrections due to lack of coffee intake prior to posting.

[edit on 12-13-2005 by Valhall]

I heard it on CNN...

I've seen the report twice now...

Valhall here is a local news report on the gas and the water "smell".

I am intrigued by the fact they state when the local pipeline was shut down the geysers got worse not better.

State Corporation Commission spokesman Matt Skinner says investigators first thought a natural gas pipeline had broken. But he says the only pipeline in the area was shut down and the geysers got worse.

The gas is flammable but Kingfisher Fire Chief John Crawford said Monday that it's unlikely the gas will ignite because the leaks are in rural areas along a creek.

One concern is the gas might get into water wells or water pipelines and officials say water that smells of gas should not be consumed.

KOTV TV Link

Yea, I heard that this morning on the news as well --- that the geysers got worse when the pipeline was turned off. That would suggest to me that somehow the pipeline is connected to the source and was relieving some pressure. When that pressure outlet was shut-off there was more pressure behind the geysers. And if it's flammable as they say, it isn't SO2. And loam's observation about the smell suggests that it is not natural gas from the earth but commercially processed gas (with mercaptan added for the detectable smell).

Here's an article with more specifics:

newsok.com...

Of importance - the geysers are springing up along a creek called Winter Camp Creek. They are following along this creek - which is weird.

Second - here is a statement about the smell:

Some sort of gas is involved, Cupp is certain. The faint odor was similar to that of model glue. Testing was ongoing Monday afternoon to determine the type of gas.

Okay - that's not sulfur. Sulfur smells nothing like model glue.

Third - everybody involved is stumped on this one. Some quotes:

We're stumped," said Steve Loftis, emergency management director for Kingfisher and the county. "This is one for the ages."

Tony Cupp, district manager for the Oklahoma Corporation Commission's oil and gas division, said: "It's weird. It's really weird."

Thanks, Tony. During a brief meeting Cupp took some questions. Court Clerk Vonnie Dow asked:

"Have you ever seen anything like this?"

"Not like this," Cupp answered.

National Guard Lt. Col. Kevin Staring said the water could be harmful. He urged farmers living along the creek not to let livestock drink from it until the source is determined.

No dead animals have been found in the area.

"It's like something out of 'Jurassic Park,"Corporation Commission spokesman Matt Skinner said.

And then finally, something I sincerely hope is completely unrelated.

Train Derails Near Mulhall

Apparently a Burlington Northern train derailed Friday just around the same time these things started bubbling up. The derailment occurred in Mulhall, just 40 miles away from Kingfisher. No cause has been determined (or at least reported) yet.

[edit on 12-13-2005 by Valhall]

OMG This is amazing! What a great find! What could mother nature have up her sleve this time?

Model glue? That would indicate toluene which does exist in crude oil and some balsam trees in low levels. It's used widely in industrial processes but is not soluble in water. This really is weird. And why along the creek? Has the water level in the creek been affected? Maybe some creek water is percolating into a fissure, contacting heated material (lava??) and exploding upwards? Scary.

Originally posted by jtma508
Model glue? That would indicate toluene which does exist in crude oil and some balsam trees in low levels. It's used widely in industrial processes but is not soluble in water. This really is weird. And why along the creek? Has the water level in the creek been affected? Maybe some creek water is percolating into a fissure, contacting heated material (lava??) and exploding upwards? Scary.

EXACTLY! This is what this little clue is pointing at. I'll include more when I have more time.

Okay, going off the clue that the gas "smells like model glue", this makes the aromatic hydrocarbons benzene and toluene the primary candidates for creating that smell.

Benzene

Toluene

It is worth noting that I found this abstract on a study being conducted by Bethany Burnett on "Formation Mechanisms of Hydrocarbons in Volcanic Gases". (Go to page 5 of the newsletter pdf).

www.tsop.org...

Now - natural gas and crude oils don't typically tend to smell like toluene. And this abstract states:

Theoretically, the more highly saturated hydrocarbons should be thermodynamically stable in volcanic gases with high H/C (hydrogen to carbon) ratios, because they are more reduced. It is expected that aromatic hydrocarbons and alkenes will be present in greater proportions in gas samples with low H/C ratios than in samples with high H/C ratios. Correlations between the distribution of hydrocarbons and the geologic and tectonic setting will also be examined...The stability of hydrocarons will therefore vary between these settings [they list magma temp, redox conditions, and underlying crustal material], which is expected to lead to different distributions of hydrocarbons.

Now, I'm trying to learn as I go here, but I'm reading the above as if it would take higher temperatures to get to the point your hydrocarbon mixture is more aromatics than it is normally.

Benzene and toluene are listed here:

www.geochem.ethz.ch...

as the dominant organic constituents in volcanic gases.

If this turns out to be a natural event instead of man made it will be a ground breaking find. With a couple of fault lines in the area this is sounding scary.