The Earth Story

TBM

Modern-day tunnels in industrialized countries are typically drilled using tunnel-boring machines. TBMs are huge, integrated systems designed to chew away at the rock in front of them using large, rotating rock crushers and drill bits. The bulk of the TBM crawls along behind the drill bit. Thee machines are often assembled and dissassembled in place as they are too large to ship as a single piece. This particular TBM was built in the city of Seattle and at the time it was built, it was the largest in the world with a diameter of 17.5 meters. The current record holder, drilling in Italy, ha a diameter of over 20 meters. The drill is named “Bertha” after Bertha Knight Landes, Seattle’s only female mayor.

Bertha was built as part of a multi-billion dollar project to take an old highway that suffered damage in a 2001 earthquake and move it underground, allowing the city to reconnect with its waterfront. 

Bertha began operation in the summer of 2013, but while it was drilling, it hit an obstacle and was stuck in place for 2 years. The drilling project Bertha was built for was completed in 2017.

-JBB

Image credit: http://bit.ly/1vYlH0M

Read more: http://seattletimes.com/html/localnews/2024575494_berthatourxml.html http://bit.ly/1qMxA6w http://bit.ly/1wNhUTf http://bit.ly/1D2SaeY

Carved cave art One of the oldest artforms is being practiced by New Mexico artist Ra Paulette, who has been creating carved caves in the desert rocks for a quarter century, and then decorating them with his sculptor's tools. His tally is now 14 caves, some of which he tunnelled himself into soft sandstones, others expanded natural features. The artist then walks away to start another cave, leaving his creation open to discovery and wondering bewilderment by any who stumble upon them. I wonder if any of them thought they had found some prehistoric feature left by a hitherto unknown culture. Some are open to visitors, others hard of access, and one landowner has even put his one on sale for some fantastic sum. The documentary Cavedigger exploring Ra's work was nominated for an oscar. Loz Image credit: Ra Paulette http://www.racavedigger.com/ http://www.atlasobscura.com/places/ra-paulette-s-hand-carved-caves http://www.cbsnews.com/pictures/ra-paulettes-caves/

The Tunnel of Love A few kilometers outside the city of Klevan in the Ukraine sits what was once an unassuming railway. This rail line runs for just a couple of kilometers and was cut through this forest to allow trains to carry goods to and from a nearby factory. The trains still use these tracks three times a day. But with time, something lovely happened; the trees that still stood took up the space vacated by their departed brethren, creating a natural arch of leaves and wood that surrounds the railway. The tunnel has become popular with tourists and superstitions have spread regarding its ability to grant wishes for couples that cross it while holding hands…leading to its nickname as the tunnel of love. -JBB Image credit: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Green_Mile_Tunnel,_Rivne.jpg Tourist links: http://www.amusingplanet.com/2011/11/tunnel-of-love-in-kleven-ukraine.html http://www.boredpanda.com/train-love-tunnel-ukraine/

Collapsing Rome

Rome was neither built in a day, nor was it always built over the best places. Humans have been living in the city of Rome for thousands of years and have a habit of building over former structures, such as the tunnel you’re looking at.

When the city was expanding during imperial times, substantial portions built from volcanic rock mined just south of the city.

This volcanic rock is what we’d call “pyroclastic material”. It was erupted out of volcanoes as ash and formed into rock on the surface. This type of rock has a lot of space in it (called porosity), making it lightweight and easier to carve than other stones that could be used for building, but also strong when used as building stone.

The Romans quarried large amounts of this rock to build their cities, leaving a series of long tunnels on the southern side of the city.

Today, these tunnels sit beneath the city, beneath the streets and walkways. They’ve sat there for 2000 years in some cases, but the weight of modern civilization is becoming too much. In 2011 there were 44 collapses into tunnels like this; in 2013 there were 83.

Geoscientists are working on the problem. Using 3D-scanning lasers (now that just sounds awesome on its own), scientists led by a team from George Mason University in the U.S. are mapping out the tunnels and trying to locate areas that are prone to collapse, considering the rock types, thickness, and how erosion has weakened the rocks over time.

Geoscience…helping to keep the city of Rome standing.

-JBB

Image Credit: Sotterranei di Roma Details: http://www.livescience.com/41559-rome-quarry-collapse.html

Road trip, Konjic to Mostar, Boznia-Herzegovina

Check out the view of the granites in the background too.

This is a rather impressive road: Monaco.

Train window view of incredibly steep cliff, Switzerland