Geysers in Oklahoma

Even if this turns out to be a disposal well that has somehow been compromised and is bubbling disposed oilfield chemicals to the surface, the area over which these geysers are appearing (several miles) almost mandates that a natural event had to take place to lead to this.

Well Val looks like its time to get your camera out again. It is your neck of the woods

[edit on 13-12-2005 by zoso28]

Forgive me if somebody has already shared this link, but this article has several interesting comments in it. Here's a couple:

www.enidnews.com...

Officials said the U.S. Geologic Survey reported no seismic activity had been reported in the area.

"They said the area had been dead for some time," Skinner said.

That statements reads like it wasn't at one time, now doesn't it?

The area about seven miles southwest of Kingfisher where the leak was first found still spews cold water mixed with mud.

COLD water.

Also, worth noting, the geyser's were first spotted on Friday - same day as the train derailment and hunting season has been going on for several weeks here, so I'd think they would have been spotted before that date if they had been active prior.

Valhall.... I thought the train that derailed was carrying grain? And it would seem 40mi is a long way for chemicals to run.

Originally posted by jtma508
Valhall.... I thought the train that derailed was carrying grain? And it would seem 40mi is a long way for chemicals to run.

Well, actually, my thought was that what ever natural process caused the geysers, also compromised the railroad tracks. Either seismic activity - which the official statement is now "no seismic activity has occurred in that area in two weeks" - that's actually not very long, now is it? So could this have been a micro-quake that didn't get picked up? Or maybe there is a gradual ground-swell that compromised the tracks and cracked a salt-dome capping a gas zone.

I'm starting to get really hooked on this one because some of the statements being made are ludicrous.

For instance, on this site

newsok.com.../main

over in the brown/green/something box half the geologists are saying they suspect a natural event and the other half are saying its from drilling activities. Here's one statement:

He [Charles Mankin] said the most likely cause is a drill that let natural gas to escape into permeable underground layers.

Well, I'm sorry, but that doesn't happen without you knowing it. The drilling rig is either going to take one hell of a kick (near blow-out) or they are going to start losing returns on their drilling fluid. You don't just drill through a "taking" reservoir and not have a clue.

Now, one scenario here:

[Galen] Miller said the most likely cause is equipment failure [is] a natural gas well. "It could be an old abandoned well that somebody didn't cap properly," he said. "The most logical explanation to us is that the casing of somebody's well is leaking."

is more plausible than the previous, BUT I take issue with the statement that it is "the most logical" explanation. First he's claiming that one well is causing gas to bubble to the surface in multiple areas over a 13 mile stretch. Sorry Charlie (or Galen), but if there was a natural gas well that could do that it would be producing right now. Furthermore, you have to come up with a plausible way all this apparently high-pressure gas is making it to multiple spots at the surface over a 13 mile stretch: are you claiming the gas is migrating through the water table and/or fissures? If so, why weren't there artesian springs in the area prior to the geysers?

Furthermore, if the gas is supposed to be traveling through the water table or fissures, why hasn't there been a single report of a resident in the area reporting that their well water is contaminated? It hasn't happened yet that I can find. The authorities have warned the residents, but not one report from the residents that their water stinks or tastes bad or their cattle won't drink it.

AND - if there is one abandoned well in a field that's causing this massive sucking wound to a gas reservoir, then why hasn't there been reports that all of a sudden other gas wells in the area have either total loss of production or suffered severe production decreases? Because the gas isn't going to go two ways...it's going to go to the path of least resistance. Not a single report of this happening yet.

This is a weird weird deal if you ask me.


[edit on 12-13-2005 by Valhall]

Good info. I agree. Totally weird. The points you make about the wide expanse of the geysers and no other correlating observations is truly bizarre.

I am puting up a link to the reference of the smell similar to "model glue".

www.upi.com...

It seems like there is a great deal of runaround concerning this whole matter. Something is fishy and it's not the gas odor.

Latest update:

newsok.com.../main

It appears they are starting to die down. We're down to a "five mile stretch" of geysers and they have stopped advancing toward Kingfisher. One point

Steve Loftis, emergency management director for Kingfisher county, said there has been no indication that gas has gotten into the city water system or into local wells.

"If people's well water starts getting contaminated or if the gas starts migrating towards town, we do have the threat of possible health issues and we would need to start trying to protect citizens," he said.

Here's an image from The Enid News:


Very bizarre indeed. It sounds a bit like the sinkholes we sometimes see in SE Michigan, where the infrstructure is ancient and large water pipes sometimes collapse.
But, this is a little stranger:

A hole that has engulfed half of a county road is spitting a mixture of mud and water while venting gas into the air above a 5-foot crater the geyser created.

Approaching the crater, a sound like waves crashing upon a rock shore intensifies, thumping to a hectic rhythm and slapping mud and water onto the road above. In the sunlight, vapors of gas spewing from the ground shimmers and the dry dirt road is soaked 10 feet out from the crater.

About 10 yards from the crater, another geyser can be seen, spitting thin mud and gas into the air.

www.enidnews.com...

I think I'll stay in Michigan after all

Good lord! Look at that hole! This is weird stuff, DTOM. Thanks for the pic!

I found this info on cold water geysers here

Given that many, if not most, cold-water geysers are drilled wells, they rarely reside in pristine natural settings. At Source Intermittente de Vesse, France, Boiling Fount, Germany, and Herlany Geyser, Slovakia, concrete and stonework basins have been constructed around the wellheads; the geysers look like city park fountains. Only two CO2-driven, cold-water geysers—a small unnamed spouter at Salton Sea, California, and Cold Water Geyser, Yellowstone—possess both natural vents and lie in relatively undisturbed settings. The appearance of cold-water geysers may be quite similar to their steam-driven counterparts; however, often CO2-laden water is more white and frothy. Cold-water geysers are known in France, Germany, New Zealand, Serbia, Switzerland, Slovakia, and the United States.
1. In summary, CO2 and water are competing to get out of the ground and the effect with limited, small openings, is occasional eruptions. Aquifer and plumbing attributes (like plumbing depth, CO2 concentrations, depth to confined aquifer, aquifer yield, etc.) combine to provide the differing scales and frequencies of eruptions.

I dont know if this is what it is, but all other geysers I know of are scalding hot water. Concidering that one of the larger geysers is in the middle of a road, and most are in or by the creek, I'm thinking this is totaly natural. What I do know is that caves are a big thing around here. Maybe there is an underground river that is starting to bubble up? FYI, all the cold water geysers I looked up are in the middle of a lake. Thought that was kind of interesting.

[edit on 14-12-2005 by mrsdudara]

Most OIL in Oklahoma is found on top of large salt domes. Oil geysers happen when the pressure between the surrounding rock and the salt dome is expressed in the OIL.

These cold geysers in my opionion were caused by a new pressure to the underlying salt domes in the area.

Note: similar geysers were seen shortly before and after the great quakes of 1811-12 along the new madrid and as far away as western kansas.

Attacked is a link to a list of deep hazardous waste injection wells in the Tulsa area......could also be a source of the geysers.

www.deq.state.ok.us...



[edit on 14-12-2005 by thermopolis]

Originally posted by thermopolis
Note: similar geysers were seen shortly before and after the great quakes of 1811-12 along the new madrid and as far away as western kansas.
[edit on 14-12-2005 by thermopolis]

Is this really true? Would like to get some more info of that. Like when the quake occured in relation to when the geysers were seen. This is looking like it might become a major event. Although sometimes the earth just blows off some steam, so to speak, and then calms down. But there is definately something naturally occurring here. Need to keep watching

Originally posted by thermopolis

Attacked is a link to a list of deep hazardous waste injection wells in the Tulsa area......could also be a source of the geysers.

www.deq.state.ok.us...



[edit on 14-12-2005 by thermopolis]

These are too far away, therm. But there are disposal wells all over Oklahoma. My thoughts are that the Benzene/Toluene gases are either from volcanic/magma gases, or a natural process has compromised an old disposal well and is carrying solvent to the surface.

Mother Nature may be creating one huge toxic spill right now.

I have a question. Could these geysers in Oklahoma have anything to do with the dam busting in Missouri. I mean Oklahoma and Missouri do share a border, is it really that far fetched to think that these two incidents might be related or not?

Originally posted by CelticHeart
I have a question. Could these geysers in Oklahoma have anything to do with the dam busting in Missouri. I mean Oklahoma and Missouri do share a border, is it really that far fetched to think that these two incidents might be related or not?

There is a considerable distance between the two locations. Kingfisher is west of center in Oklahoma, and then the locatin of that dam is about center or maybe south of center in Missouri.

If they're connected, we're in trouble. And by we - I mean a HUGE area of the U.S. I would be more inclined to look at whether the dam is connected to that New Madrid quake yesterday about 100-120 miles away in Missouri.

The word released on the gas analysis is that it is 93% methane, the other seven per cent being ethane, propane, and nitrogen.

newsok.com...

And although unlikely they are checking into a gas well approixmately 12 miles from the geyser outbreak.

Any new info on this situation, Val or Kanza?

The oklahoma Corporation Commission believes they've solved the mystery behind the geysers in Kingfisher County

news.yahoo.com...

Looks like they were drilling in the area. Sure was nice of them to come forward asap.

Here's what the latest is today:

www.kfor.com...