August 21, 2011

California's Sulfuric Smells, Volcanoes and Earthquakes

***UPDATE Sep 27, 2016 

200+ Small Earthquakes Hit Salton Sea Area Recently. (Los Angeles Times) September 27, 2016



***UPDATE***
July 24, 2012
http://www.cbs8.com/story/19104569/mystery-smell-reported-along-north-county-coast


Mystery smell reported along North County coastPosted: Jul 24, 2012 6:00 PM PDTUpdated: Jul 24, 2012 6:00 PM PDT

SAN DIEGO (CBS 8) - Several residents are reporting a strange gas-like smell along North County coastal areas Tuesday.

Some callers have told News 8 the smell is similar to an incident in 2011.
News 8 is looking into what the mysterious odor could be. Watch News 8 at 6:30 p.m. for the latest in this developing story.
***UPDATE***



July 7, 2012




1.7 Mag Carlsbad, CA May 16, 2012 Earthquake Info Wiped off of The Web

1.7 Mag Carlsbad, CA May 16, 2012 Earthquake Info Wiped off of The Web

Following this update, go to the bottom link, where I have more detail from my blog I wrote August, 2011.

I can't figure why this link no longer goes to the site. It wasn't wiped out good enough because the link is still there. And I provided the info that's stil available before it's no longer available. If you go to the usgs website and site-search for "Carlsbad, California", the link will appear. But the link won't direct you to the info page. There's a dormant volcano in Carlsbad, too. I wonder if property value and earthquake insurance is based on publically available seismic data? Here is what appears after the site-search from http://earthquake.usgs.gov/search/?q=carlsbad%2C+California&cx=012856435542074762574%3A49ga9ubtojk&cof=FORID%3A11&sa=Search&x=23&y=7

May 16, 2012 ... Location and Magnitude contributed by: California Integrated Seismic Network. Summary. Preferred Location Parameters. Parameter, Value ...
earthquake.usgs.gov

earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eventpage/ci15149841

Now, here is some updated info on the "volcanic plug", Mt Calvera, from http://www.preservecalavera.org/calavera.html

The word calavera means skull, which probably comes from the unusual shape of the area's centerpiece, Mount Calavera. The 513-ft. Mount Calavera is not really a mountain at all but rather a 22 million-year-old volcanic plug. A volcanic plug is a mass of volcanic rock that solidified in it's vent and feeding system millions of years ago. When the volcano becomes extinct and starts to erode away, the "plug" is all that is left behind.

 Mount Calavera is one of only three volcanic plugs in Southern California. In the early 1900's, the ancient plug was mined for gravel. The mining was accomplished by stripping away it's west face and continued into the 1930's. What is left is a rather remarkable blemish on the side of the mountain that somewhat resembles the Grand
Canyon. You can easily spot Mount Calavera from either northbound Interstate 5 at Cannon Rd., or westbound on Lake Blvd., just past Oak Riparian Park.
Now, here is my blog from August, 2011, with more detailed information on California's volcanic and
earthquake possibilities as well as some awesome photos and maps with credits and source links of detailed

Following is information beginning northeastern Southern California volcanic areas of Southern California's Mammoth Mountain and moving southwest to more techtonic areas of Mt. Whitney, and on the southwestern coastal areas of Santa Barbara and San Diego Counties, concluded with the latest information from a San Diego news station, "poopooing" reports of gasious smells throughout the coastal areas of San Diego. There is no mention of what a power company employee told me, as I mention below. Mind you, I've lived in the desert counties of California's High Sieras in the 1980's and 1990's and remember the many reports in the local papers of increased co2 levels of Mammoth Mountain, and geologists reports that a major volcanic eruption is imminent. Now, recent steam and smoke being released and on video in recent months on Santa Barbara's coast, and now, last weeks reports of aroma's in San Diego begin. And keep in mind, from Southern California up to the Cascades of the Northwest, we have hot-water springs reaking of sulfer all over the place. Where I live as a property Maintenance Supurvisor, in Carlsbad, 2 blocks from the beach, just two months ago, tenants in my apartment complex reported natural gas smells, and upon investigating from our power company, the employee told me that the ocean floor commonly releases gas, and the clouds travel inland, and residents then make calls reporting gas smells. Obviously no one can do anything about the earths activities, but it's clear that there's always patterns of activity in which volcanic and techtonic activity such as earthquakes and volcano erruptions follow. So here's a brief collection of information to give you a picture on what it is that we live in, here in California. And of special note, is the 3rd article that details history and patterns of our natural disasters here, and the last article with details of where I live, Carlsbad's Mt Calavera, one of only 3 volcanic "plugs" in Southern California.


Mammoth MountainVolcanic gas discharge  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mammoth_Mountain#Volcanic_gas_discharge 

Mammoth is outgassing large amounts of carbon dioxide out of its south flank, near Horseshoe Lake. The concentration of carbon dioxide in the ground ranges from 20 to 90 percent CO2. Measurements of the total discharge of carbon dioxide gas at the Horseshoe Lake tree kill area range from 50 to 150 short tons (45 to 140 t) per day. This high concentration causes trees to die in six regions that total about 170 acres (0.69 km2) in size (see photo, below).[14]
The tree kills originally were attributed to a severe drought that affected California in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Another idea was that the kills were the result of a pathogen or other biological infestation. However neither idea explained why all trees in the affected areas were killed regardless of age or health. Then in March 1990, a United States Forest Service ranger became ill with suffocation symptoms after being in a snow-covered cabin near Horseshoe Lake.[15]






Carbon dioxide has killed a large area of trees

Measurements around the lake found that restrooms and tents had a greater than 1% CO2 concentration (toxic), and a deadly 25% concentration of CO2 in a small cabin. CO2 concentrations of less than 1% are typical and healthy in most soils, however soil concentrations of CO2 in the tree kill areas ranged from 20% to 90%. This overabundance of CO2 was found to be the cause of the tree kills because tree roots need to absorb O2 directly and the high CO2 level reduced available O2. Researchers also determined that Mammoth releases about 1,300 short tons (1,200 t) of CO2 every day. As of 2003 the concentration of carbon dioxide in soil gas at Mammoth Mountain is being monitored on a continuous, year-round basis at four sites - three at Horseshoe Lake and one near the base of Chair 19 at the ski area.[14]



The most likely sources of the CO2 are degassing of intruded magma and gas release from limestone-rich metasedimentary rocks that are heated by magmatic intrusions. The remarkable uniformity in chemical and isotopic composition of the CO2 and accompanying gases at different locations around Mammoth Mountain indicates that there may actually be a large reservoir of gas deep below the mountain from which gas escapes along faults to the surface.[14] Measurements of helium emissions support the theory that the gases emitted in the tree kill area have the same source as those discharged from Mammoth Mountain Fumarole.[10][16] There is evidence that the rate of CO2 discharge has been declining,[17] with emissions peaking in 1991.[18]





Mount Whitney

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
    
Mount Whitney

East Face close-up seen from the Whitney Portal.
Elevation14,505 ft (4,421 m) NAVD 88[1]
Prominence10,080 ft (3,072 m) [2]
Parent peakEl Pico de Orizaba
ListingUltra, US State High Point of California, 81st most prominent, SPS Emblem peak [3]
Location
RangeSierra Nevada
Coordinates36°34′43″N 118°17′31″W / 36.578580925°N 118.291994950°W / 36.578580925; -118.291994950Coordinates: 36°34′43″N 118°17′31″W / 36.578580925°N 118.291994950°W / 36.578580925; -118.291994950[1]
Topo mapUSGS Mount Whitney
Geology
TypeGranitic
Age of rockCretaceous
Climbing
First ascentAugust 18, 1873 – Charles Begole, Albert Johnson, John Lucas [4]
Easiest routeMount Whitney Trail (hike)






Mount Whitney 3D map

Mount Whitney is the highest summit in the contiguous United States with an elevation of 14,505 feet (4,421 m).[1] It is on the boundary between California's Inyo and Tulare counties, 84.6 miles (136.2 km) west-northwest of the lowest point in North America at Badwater in Death Valley National Park (282 feet (86 m) below sea level).[5] The west slope of the mountain is in Sequoia National Park and the summit is the south end of the John Muir Trail which runs 211.9 miles (341.0 km) from Happy Isles in Yosemite Valley. The east slope is in the Inyo National Forest in Inyo County.

 

Geography

The summit of Whitney is on the Sierra Crest and near many of the highest peaks of the Sierra Nevada. The peak rises 10,778 feet (3,285 m) or just over two miles above the town of Lone Pine in the Owens Valley below.
Mount Whitney is above the tree line and has an alpine climate and ecology. Very few plants grow near the summit: one example is the Sky Pilot, a cushion plant that grows low to the ground.[6] The only animals are transient, such as the butterfly Parnassius phoebus and the Gray-crowned Rosy Finch.[6]

 Elevation measurements

The estimated elevation of the summit of Mount Whitney has changed over the years. The technology of elevation measurement has become more refined and, more importantly, the vertical coordinate system has changed. The peak was commonly said to be at 14,494 feet (4,418 m) and this is the elevation stamped on the USGS brass benchmark disk on the summit. An older plaque on the summit (sheet metal with black lettering on white enamel) reads "elevation 14,496.811 feet" but this was estimated using the older vertical datum (NVGD29) from 1929. Since then the shape of the Earth (the geoid) has been estimated more accurately. Using a new vertical datum established in 1988 (NAVD88) the benchmark is now estimated to be at 14,505 feet (4,421 m).[1][7]

Geology








Schematic of Sierra Nevada fault-block.

The eastern slope of Whitney is far steeper than its western slope. This is because the entire Sierra Nevada is the result of a fault-block that is analogous to a door: the door is hinged on the west and is slowly rising on the east.[8] The rise is caused by a normal fault system that runs along the eastern base of the Sierra, below Mount Whitney. Thus, the granite that forms Mount Whitney is the same as the granite that forms the Alabama Hills thousands of feet below.[9] The raising of Whitney (and the downdrop of the Owens Valley) is due to the same geological forces that cause the Basin and Range Province: the crust of much of the intermontane west is slowly being stretched.[10]
The granite that forms Mount Whitney is part of the Sierra Nevada batholith. In Cretaceous time, masses of molten rock that originated from subduction rose underneath what is now Whitney and solidified underground to form large expanses of granite. In the last few million years, the Sierra has started to rise. This has enabled glacial and river erosion to strip the upper layers of rock to reveal the resistant granite that makes up Mount Whitney today.





 



The Santa Barbara volcanic cliffs are smoldering once again

http://theextinctionprotocol.wordpress.com/2011/08/16/the-santa-barbara-volcanic-cliffs-are-smoldering-once-again/


August 16, 2011SANTA BARBARA, CA. – Vesuvius, Krakatoa, Mt. St. Helens—names that conjure up images of searing heat, smoke, ash, and rivers of molten lava. Now, what about Rincon or Hope Ranch? The South Coast is not usually associated with volcanoes, but there were indeed such phenomena of a sort in our area. Actually these were not volcanos, but solfataras or fire wells, volcano-like fissures that give off sulfurous gases and steam. The first mention of the Rincon “volcano,” near the present border of Santa Barbara and Ventura counties, appeared in a report written by José María Garcia about a trip in 1835 from Mission San Fernando Rey in the San Fernando Valley to Mission La Purísima near today’s Lompoc. The site, on the cliff side overlooking the beach, then basically disappears from the historical record until the 1870s, when two oil prospectors, digging an exploratory tunnel, rediscovered it. The oilmen excavated down some 250 feet, temperatures climbing as they dug, and they eventually had to abandon the project. The volcano became a bit of a tourist attraction in the 1880s, as the stagecoach route at that time went along the beach right by the site. The height of the volcano’s activity was in the early 1880s, when flames 10 feet high were reported, and rocks were flung into the air. One observer described the sulfurous gases as “almost suffocating.” This, plus the deep beach sands and the dangers of high tides and storms, must have made for quite the adventurous ride for stagecoach passengers. The Rincon volcano settled down soon after; nevertheless, one enterprising gentleman still tried to turn a quick buck by charging admission to the volcano.
He ran a pipe to one of the fissures from a hidden stove where he planned to burn soap fat to “fire up” the volcano. The disagreeable odor of the burning fat would replace the missing smell of the sulfur. The charlatan was discovered, and his scheme unraveled. As late as the 1940s, smoke and steam still issued from the fissures, but today, the Rincon volcano is completely dormant. In a letter dated September 6, 1784, Pedro Fages, at the time governor of Alta and Baja California, described an “active volcano” halfway between Santa Barbara and the large Chumash settlement on Mescaltitlan Island in the Goleta Slough. In another letter a year later, Fages wrote, “Throughout this site, the ground is so hot one cannot approach it; it burns continuously in more than 30 places, like geysers that exude dense smoke. From its stench it appears to be from sulfur …” Another observer later wrote, “… the ground is so covered with ashes that one cannot approach it without being half-buried. … Small flames issued from the mouth from time to time.” The fissures of this Hope Ranch volcano ran some 200 feet from the beach up the cliff to the bluff top. Observers noted that when the rocks were initially submerged in a high tide, much steam was produced. The active area took up about a quarter of an acre. The volcano could be quite dramatic at night, giving off the orange glow of live coals. Located about a half a mile west of Arroyo Burro Beach near today’s Sea Ledge Lane, the site is now quiet. In 1920, some of the residents of the growing and affluent Hope Ranch community, fed up with the stench and the steady flow of curiosity seekers and fearful of the fire danger, had a water pipe run to the fissure. A pond was created over the area and, after several weeks the water apparently extinguished the subterranean fires. It doesn’t appear Santa Barbara will suffer the fate of Pompeii anytime soon. –Independent, August 16, 2011
 
Something Smells in San Diego
http://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/local/Something-Smells-in-San-Diego-127978303.html  AUG 18, 2011
UPDATE: As of 8 a.m. Thursday, San Diego Fire and Rescue has received no new calls regarding strange smells.
A strange smell kept San Diego emergency operators busy Wednesday afternoon as dozens across the county called to report the odor.
San Diego Fire and Rescue spokesman Maurice Luque said that, beginning at about 2 p.m., people complained of an obnoxious, sweet smell that resembled lighter fluid, kerosene, petroleum or a fabric softener.
"We got calls as far north as the Del Mar Heights area, along the beach area -- La Jolla, Pacific Beach," Luque said. "Some from the downtown area, Hillcrest, and a lot of calls from the University City area."
No one reported being ill.
Still, as a precaution, multiple fire station crews were dispatched to the areas that had the highest concentration of calls, attempting to find the smell's source.
One crew checked with University City's water treatment facility employees to see if there were any gas-related issues, but the facility reported no irregularities.
Last year, San Diego residents complained of a sulfur-like smell, Luque said.
The source turned out to be rotten vegetation, caused by low tides and high humidity.
"Unless there's more definititve information, we can't have crews just constantly roaming around, trying to find something that seems to be so widespread that it's all over the city," Luque said. "We'll just have to wait and see if there are any reports that come in that are more definitive in terms of where the source might be, and we'll check it out."
Posted Wednesday, Aug 17, 2011 - 5:59 PM PDT
Source: Something Smells in San Diego | NBC San Diego

Calavera Area Information

http://www.preservecalavera.org/calavera.html





The word calavera means skull, which probably comes from the unusual shape of the area's centerpiece, Mount Calavera. The 513-ft. Mount Calavera is not really a mountain at all but rather a 22 million-year-old volcanic plug. A volcanic plug is a mass of volcanic rock that solidified in it's vent and feeding system millions of years ago. When the volcano becomes extinct and starts to erode away, the "plug" is all that is left behind. Mount Calavera is one of only three volcanic plugs in Southern California. In the early 1900's, the ancient plug was mined for gravel. The mining was accomplished by stripping away it's west face and continued into the 1930's. What is left is a rather remarkable blemish on the side of the mountain that somewhat resembles the Grand Canyon. You can easily spot Mount Calavera from either northbound Interstate 5 at Cannon Rd., or westbound on Lake Blvd., just past Oak Riparian Park.


UPDATED PERSONAL INFO: I desire to respond to disaster sites sharing the love of Jesus at hurricane, tornado, fires and other disasters as a Billy Graham Rapid Response Team chaplain, as I've been one since 2003. I pray to be able to renew my passport and have one for my 31-yr old son who wants to be in missions and ministry with me. Visit my podcast, Michael Tobin Show at, http://www.spreaker.com/show/the-michael-tobin-show .


Please help me respond to natural disasters as a BGRRT Chaplain by purchase of my book, Making America Righteous-Again: From Bitterness To A Delight at, https://www.amazon.com/Making-America-Righteous-Again-Bitterness-Delight-ebook/dp/B01A1JPHUC You may also support through paypal at, https://www.paypal.me/michaeldt
ALSO, you may see more detail at my GiveSendGo account, https://www.givesendgo.com/michaeltobin , and my GoFundMe account, https://www.gofundme.com/almost-homeless-missionary .

    1 comment:

    1. Gasses released from the ocean floor in California? So yesterday while swimming at the beach, (Carlsbad, CA) I actually witnessed a continuous area the diameter of a vehicle, of air bubbling out of the water for at least a half hour. It was in about a 20 foot deep area where the farther waves wer breaking. A few months ago, we had a gas smell in my apartments so we called SDG&E. The tech that came found nothing, we're all electric except a couple water-heater rooms with gas water heaters. The tech said it's common for gas to be released from the ocean floor.

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