[ExI] Fwd: Cephalization, proles--Where is government going?

[Rafal Smigrodzki]

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Rafal Smigrodzki <rafal.smigrodzki at gmail.com>
Date: Thu, May 12, 2011 at 3:30 AM
Subject: Re: [ExI] Cephalization, proles--Where is government going?
To: Adrian Tymes <atymes at gmail.com>


On Thu, May 12, 2011 at 3:08 AM, Adrian Tymes <atymes at gmail.com> wrote:
> On Wed, May 11, 2011 at 11:53 PM, Rafal Smigrodzki
> <rafal.smigrodzki at gmail.com> wrote:
>> ### You know the notion of the "water table"? Water cannot seep
>> *under* the water table
>
> Yes.  As was pointed out by someone else: cracking the rocks
> lowers the water table, by cracking the thing that keeps the water
> table at its previous elevation.

If you claim that a substantial amount of water can "seep" down, you
have to explain what substance is being displaced by the water. Above
the water table the displaced substance is air. Below the water table
(by definition) the rock is saturated. Not a drop of water can seep in
there no matter how finely you chop up the rock (special
considerations apply to rocks that react with water, but these are not
found in sedimentary layers), unless you substantially and permanently
increase the rock porosity. Don't you get it?

Of course, since you remove a bit of matter from the depths (after
all, you are mining gas), there will be a bit extra space - but the
amount of water needed to fill it in will not exceed the amount of gas
pumped, in fact it should be substantially less due to spontaneous
compaction of rock under pressure. Since precipitation is orders of
magnitude higher than any conceivable intensity of gas pumping, this
is never going to be an issue.

Generally, there are no new issues related to fracking and its
environmental impact. Coal mining, oil mining, metal mining - all
these present similar externality challenges, none of which requires
governmental intervention, and none of which would justify
interference with these productive activities.
-------------------
>
>> Fluffing up the bottom (=frakking) does not
>> usually change the water level unless you open a connection to a lower
>> stratum capable of absorbing water, and that is a quite rare
>> situation.
>
> The rarity of that needs to be pointed out in these cases.  Some
> water will slip into the cracks - but not much, and if it stays there,
> the water table is not significantly impacted.  But only if it does,
> in fact, stay there and go no further.

### Yes, exactly. It doesn't have anywhere to go.

Rafal



-- 
Rafal Smigrodzki, MD-PhD
Chief Clinical Officer,
Gencia Corporation
706 B Forest St.

Charlottesville, VA 22903

tel: (434) 295-4800

fax: (434) 295-4951



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