-Caveat Lector- Sci/Tech Fake quake shakes Israel Many tourists visit the Dead Sea By BBC News Online's Damian Carrington Over 5,000 kilograms of explosives have been detonated in the Dead Sea, producing a blast that will improve the monitoring network which detects nuclear weapon tests and earthquakes. The BBC's Paul Adams: "Seismologists all over the world were put on standby" The explosion, 100m below the surface, created a bright flash and sent a spurt of water high into the air. The tremors were equivalent to an earthquake of magnitude four on the Richter scale. "These tests are to calibrate two stations which are part of an international monitoring network, set up to support the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CBTB)," said Dr Aoife O'Mongain, at the British Geological Survey, which is helping with the tests. Experts from the United States and Russia have witnessed the tests. Russia's military attache told journalists that the experiments were of military interest. Environmental damage But, Israeli Environment Ministry and environmental groups have criticised the tests, saying they could damage the sea's ecosystem. The Environment Ministry had tried to stop the test blasts. Ministry spokesman Yiftah Kramer said: "We have to be sure there is no damage to the environment, to the rivers that flow to the sea, to the caves and nature reserves around there.". The Dead Sea's extreme salinity allows only bacteria to survive Ofer Ben-Dov of Greenpeace Israel added: " You have to be very careful in such a delicate area and I'm not sure they have taken all the necessary precautions." However, Avi Shapira of Israel's Seismology Department in the Geophysical Institute said two studies carried out by the Institute and the Geological Survey of Israel had "addressed all the problems" of environmental safety. An Institute statement stated there is: "no hazard to the people, property and the environment". They add that explosions "have no effect on the environment because there is no plant or animal life in the Dead Sea because of its high salt content." Millisecond accuracy Two earlier blasts using 500 kg and 2,000 kg explosive charges had already been detonated to test for environmental damage before the main test. The timing of the tests is controlled with millisecond accuracy and the location to five metres. This means the source of the artificial earthquake is known and so the effect of the rocks in the region on the signal can be worked out. Dr O'Mongain told BBC News Online that this will "help a lot" in precisely identifying the force and epicentre of future nuclear tests and earthquakes, and in distinguishing between the two. The tests are part of a project called "Improvements in Monitoring the CTBT in the Middle East by the Israel Seismic Network " which is funded by the US Defense Threat Reduction Agency. Scientists last released a controlled explosion in the Dead Sea in 1977 but this type of test occurs around the world more frequently. The last was in Kazhakstan in 1998. Dr Shapira rejected the possibility that the blast could trigger a natural earthquake, pointing out that much bigger nuclear blasts in the past had never managed to have this effect. An earthquake in Turkey which occurred at about the same time was not related to the blast. DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion and informational exchange list. Proselyzting propagandic screeds are not allowed. Substance�not soapboxing! These are sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory', with its many half-truths, misdirections and outright frauds is used politically by different groups with major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. That being said, CTRL gives no endorsement to the validity of posts, and always suggests to readers; be wary of what you read. CTRL gives no credeence to Holocaust denial and nazi's need not apply. Let us please be civil and as always, Caveat Lector. ======================================================================== Archives Available at: http://home.ease.lsoft.com/archives/CTRL.html http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/ ======================================================================== To subscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SUBSCRIBE CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] To UNsubscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SIGNOFF CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] Om
