Chemical plume near SLC. National Guard called

[defacto7]

Last edited Wed Mar 18, 2020, 06:58 PM - Edit history (1)

There's a plume of some chemical rupture heading toward SLC. Caused by earthquakes and aftershocks. No word on what it is. Its origin is the Kennicott Copper Mine.

Edit: updated the title to reflect revised location

[Champp]

1. A plumb or a plume?

[defacto7]

7. Thanks. I'm still shaken a little.

[whopis01]

80. It happens to be a very straight line of smoke....

[jpak]

2. Link?

WTF

[defacto7]

12. I am the link I guess. I live here and it's crazy.

[doc03]

3. Wow what next! nt

[Blue_true]

63. A Highlander Zombie Apocalypse. nt

[tazkcmo]

4. I love plumbs. nt

[defacto7]

13. Ha.

[tazkcmo]

18. Seriously though

I hope you all are o.k.

[defacto7]

35. I'm ok. The earthquakes were kind of fun but a chemical PLUME

of an unmentioned substance is unnerving.

[defacto7]

5. We've been getting quakes all day.

Last larger one was 4.7. Many aftetshocks. The trumpet fell off the angel that sits on top of the Mormon temple.

[BamaRefugee]

8. The Angel fell because Romney actually made a semi-helpful proposal.

[Champp]

21. The Republican moron's madness made Moroni drop the TRUMPet

[2naSalit]

37. Ruh Roh ...

the angel dropped her trumpet? Holy shit! That's major. Maybe all the churchers will hunker down now.

Hope you will be okay.

[defacto7]

45. When my son was about 5 he asked me "why is the angel smoking?"

[2naSalit]

56. That's funny!

[DFW]

58. When my elder daughter was 16 and went to an American school for the first time

She said it was OK, but they did weird things before starting class.

I asked, "like what?" She said, well, for one this ritual chanting.

Ritual chanting? In a Dallas public school??

She said yes, every morning. I couldn't believe it. I asked what they were chanting.

She said she couldn't make most of it out, as they mumbled most of it, but it started with "I spread the peaches."

I was at a loss for words. In a Dallas public school, the whole class chants something that starts with "I spread the peaches?"

She swore that's what they did. I asked what else they did. She said the all stood up and put their hands on their chests while mumbling.

Ah, now I got it. I said, any chance they were saying "I pledge allegiance?" She didn't know. "What in the world did THAT mean?" Her English was pretty good, but you just don't use the words "pledge" or "allegiance" in everyday conversation, so I hadn't taught her what those words meant. In Germany, excessive patriotism reminds people of another era of German history, so they try not to over-emphasize the patriotism thing. Accordingly, she had NO idea what was going on, and was too shy to ask them.

So, from that day on, as far as I was concerned, kids in American public schools chant "I spread the peaches" every morning.

[defacto7]

59. Ha, that's a great story.

I think her grasp of american nationalism was an enlightened one. My wife is from the former east, escaped with her mother, and the stories of her childhood are a bit... different.

[DFW]

60. I can imagine

But my daughter experienced repression of a different kind in school here. German schools are very Darwinian, and attempt to eliminate those kids perceived by their standards to be the "weakest." They attempt to determine very early who will be the next Angela Merkel and who will be the next cashier at the local bakery. My daughter is anything but stupid, but she was shy, and that was taken for a lack of academic prowess. Aggressive "pick me!" types are preferred, and her teachers told us so in so many words. "Sie meldet sich nicht oft genug."

After obtaining her "Abitur" here in Germany, she begged to go to college in the USA. She said she had had enough of being told what a mediocre student she was. We said she could apply, but couldn't do more than that.

Four years later, she was calling me up from America and asking what the word "valedictorian" meant, and why did it mean she had to give a speech in front of 3000 people?

[defacto7]

69. Ah yes, the German early education system.

I know a bit about it. Very short sighted in my opinion. There must be so many intelligent, gifted, talented kids lost in that stark environment. I think 3 levels if I remember. Once you are filtered to the lower systems your future is set and it's very difficult to rise to the better equiped schools or career opportunities. I don't have a great admiration for the American public schools either but it's not because we lack great teachers but because of the lack of goverment support, parental support, discipline and scientific standards. German and American educational systems are opposites in a way although I've heard some rather unseemly stories about the lower level schools in Germany.

I love to hear success stories about kids overcoming obstacles and rising to the challenge and it sounds like your daughter is one of those fortunate successes. Congratulations.

[DarthDem]

76. Hilarious!

[Blue_true]

65. Well, dropping it is better than what the Angels in Monty Python's Holy Grail did with theirs. nt

[jayfish]

6. Pic From The Scene.

ON EDIT: These are not real.

[BamaRefugee]

11. Best of luck to all the Salt Lake City folks from Los Angeles, we know what they're feeling!

[defacto7]

57. You guys know for sure and these weren't all that bad really.

Just a lot of them plus the other stuff.

[ProfessorGAC]

14. That Sure Doesn't Look Good

It looks like smoke or duct. Explosion?

[defacto7]

17. Local warning says chemical rupture. National Guard called.

[ProfessorGAC]

23. Awfully Dark For A Chemical Cloud

I've worked chemical disaster drills, so I've seen films of a bunch of these things.
Perhaps it's underground and a gas so the gas velocity is churning up dirt.
Have to wait on details, I guess.

[NBachers]

67. It's from Stephen King's movie The Mist

[ProfessorGAC]

68. That Was A Creepy Movie

But, it was a one hour story in a 105 minute movie.
It's a great, scary story but the movie is glacially paced.
Sport, kind of going sideways on this thread.

[I_UndergroundPanther]

71. I gotta see that

Looks like an awesome movie

[NBachers]

72. Pretty much my favorite Stephen King novella; the movie's actually pretty good, too.

You're often taking a chance with movie versions of Stephen King's works, but I endorse this one.

[jpak]

20. Plumbe duct?

[defacto7]

46. I know you love me so just stop.

[jpak]

52. Ha!

[MissB]

27. From a tv show

I think it was called The Fog.

[Roland99]

41. Stephen King's The Mist?

[MissB]

43. That's it!!!

Thanks. One season wonder

[jayfish]

47. The Pics...

are not from that garbage TV show. They are from the, apparently underappreciated, movie.

[MissB]

48. I watched that movie too

It had a sad ending. Very sad. So close.

[Blue_true]

66. Wow, I am glad that you did the edit. I was thinking King's "The Fog". nt

[MoonlitKnight]

9. Maybe we need an apocalypse tracker web site

[WhiteTara]

10. plume?

[defacto7]

15. Thanks. My hand isn't steady and I can't see my phone well.

[StarryNite]

16. Please keep us updated.

[defacto7]

19. Ok. All I have to do is look out my window. :)

[StarryNite]

33. Stay safe!

[fleur-de-lisa]

22. JFC. Trump the Anti-Christ has truly ushered in an apocalypse.

[Mike 03]

24. Link to SLC police scanner

Don't know if this will be of use, but you might hear something.

https://www.broadcastify.com/listen/feed/18656

It's been active all day but I've only listened sporadically.

Good luck with everything there. Be safe.

[mercuryblues]

25. trump's response

Go buy some fans. Many, many big fans. Very, very big fans. Aren't I the smartest guy in the world. Yuge brain I got.

[BamaRefugee]

31. Although many people say, MY FANS are the biggest in the world, YUGE, wonderful people.

[mercuryblues]

34. +1 LOL

[lpbk2713]

39. "Here. Maybe this roll of paper towels will help."

...

[Saboburns]

26. Gee, makes me wonder when the locust plague, fire and brimstone, and alien invasion will get here.

I'm hearing Mike Pence is talking about throwing virgins into volcanoes.

[KY_EnviroGuy]

28. Just saw this on the SL Tribune, Defacto:

There are power outages, gas leaks and a chemical spill at Kennecott. The chemical spill, and a plume it released into the air, is not threatening the public.

Best of luck and stay safe......

[defacto7]

38. Good to hear.

[mnhtnbb]

50. Right. Who believes that after all the lies following the WTC destruction?

[malaise]

29. From this morning's earthquake?

Stay safe

[defacto7]

53. Thank you. and yes. Maybe it was from the second one.

[OneBlueDotBama]

30. Live news conference Magna mayor

https://kutv.com/watch

[Yonnie3]

32. Press conference on facebook

https://www.facebook.com/unifiedfireauthority/videos/2353376361626776/

[Mike 03]

36. Here's an article from ABC4

Earthquake Update: National Guard Deployed to Monitor Kennecott Spill

https://www.abc4.com/news/top-stories/earthquake-update-national-guard-deployed-to-monitor-kennecott-spill/

MAGNA, UT (ABC4 News) – The 85th Civil Support team of the Utah National Guard has been deployed to help with a situation the earthquake caused at Rio Tinto’s Kennecott copper mining facility.

A chemical spill of some type has happened and a plume is going into the air. Officials say wind is carrying the plume north over the Great Salt Lake.

The 85th’s Immediate response team is going to help monitor the air.

The deployment is at the request of Utah Governor Gary Herbert.

There have been reported gas leaks, power outages, and the chemical spill at Kennecott. This story is evolving and ABC4 News will update as more information comes in.

[defacto7]

42. Thank you for the info.

[KY_EnviroGuy]

40. Quake updates here....

A magnitude 5.7 earthquake hits Utah. Here is the latest.
By The Salt Lake Tribune
Published: 6 hours ago, Updated: 3 minutes ago

Editor’s note: The Salt Lake Tribune is providing readers free access to stories about today’s earthquake in Utah.

Read it here: https://www.sltrib.com/news/2020/03/18/earthquake-hits-utahs/

(snips)

Latest updates:

• A strong aftershock was felt at 1:12 p.m., it registered a magnitude 4.6.

• There have been no reports of serious injuries. Intermountain Healthcare treated a few people for minor injuries.

• Rumors of a big earthquake coming are untrue, a forecast of potential aftershocks is included below.

• The earthquake has caused damage to downtown buildings and even the Salt Lake Temple, where the Angel Moroni statue lost its trumpet.

• There are power outages, gas leaks and a chemical spill at Kennecott. The chemical spill, and a plume it released into the air, is not threatening the public.

• The Salt Lake City International Airport has reopened.

• West Valley City is reporting that 48 mobile homes were shifted off of their foundations, displacing residents. A Red Cross evacuation center has opened at Valley Junior High School, 4295 3200 West.

“All things considered, we’ve been very fortunate,” Utah Gov. Gary Herbert said.

The epicenter of the earthquake was northeast of Magna, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

Dozens of aftershocks followed, with the strongest being a magnitude 4.6. It’s likely there will be hundreds of aftershocks in the days to come, Keith Koper, director of the University of Utah Seismograph Stations and they could last for weeks.

KY............

[defacto7]

44. Thanks. I was checking damage up in a tower

when the 4.6 happened. That was one ride. Went straight home and heard this local warning about national guard and a chemical plume which was all a bit unnerving. Some day.

[KY_EnviroGuy]

49. Mother Nature's got indigestion, LOL.

Wow, no wonder you're shaken up. I see you've had a 5.7, 4.5 and a 4.6 today plus dozens of little ones.

You deserve a nice quiet evening.......

[defacto7]

51. I'd like a break for sure. I thought I'd go out to...

nope, supposed to stay in. Oh well.

[KY_EnviroGuy]

61. Several years ago when doing some service jobs in the trona belt in Wyoming...

(Rock Springs/Green River) I crossed paths with a fellow from SLC that knew the area well and took a weekend off and met up with him for a ride through Utah country. We went all the way to the top of the Kennecott mine by back roads and then dropped down the west side into Tooele (not sure) and back to town via I-80. Nice to have a local as a tour guide!

I had seen the mine from the air flying in, but seeing it up close was quite impressive.....

[defacto7]

62. It is definitely a huge hole. Last time I was there was before

the big collapse a couple years ago. I'm not sure how much it has changed since then but it can't be smaller.

[OhZone]

54. Maybe it's the Chemical Rapture!

[defacto7]

55. But the Mormons were left behind. Can't be!

I wanted to be left alone for once.

[greenjar_01]

64. Airborne Toxic Event

[defacto7]

70. Those are nice words. You spell better than I do.

As for the spill, it was hydrochloric acid and it's contained now. Atmospheric concentrations are low and headed toward the great salt lake.

[ProfessorGAC]

73. HCl Doesn't Form A Brown Cloud

Hydrochloric acid is 37%. The hydrogen bonding is very strong so the HCl gas liberates VERY slowly and is, therefore, nearly invisible.
While there was, obviously, a real spill, that brown cloud is not HCl.
We don't have the whole story yet.

[defacto7]

74. Did you hear of a brown cloud?

I dont see any activity over there this morning with my binoculars. Yesterday it looked lighter to my eye but that doesn't mean there wasn't something else or that there wasn’t more than one cloud.

Do you have any idea what other chemical would be used at a copper mine?

[ProfessorGAC]

78. The Pix

I read on SLC ABC4 that it was a refinery, not the mine.
Refineries use some nasty stuff, like hydrogen fluoride but that's invisible as a gas.
The brown makes me think of sulfur containing organics or maybe organochlorides.
They're using the HCl for something, and it's a 12,000 gallon tank, so a nontrivial amount.
I've never done any petrol chemistry work except for tertiary oil recovery surfactants. So, I'm not familiar with the processes in a refinery, other than distillation.
So I can't surmise what the HCl is used for and what reaction products would result.
Sorry

[DarthDem]

77. Good to hear that

Stay safe.

[defacto7]

75. No more quake activity here today.

Maybe we're done with this and can move on to other catastrophes.

[malaise]

79. All the best