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Here come the science geeks.....


vegetablebelay

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My guess is they are going to be looking for neutrinos in this thing. Shooting them from somewhere else in the country through the ground. They have one of these detectors in an old salt mine in Wisonson, called MINOS, (one of my old professors works there).

They need a lot of density in the rock to filter out other particles from cosmic radiation.

They will probably have a big main detection room with a giant pool of water to detect the passing neutrino.

I guessing the cavern they make will be rather large and deep. moon.gif The semi's may be hauling in loots of metal for the walls of the pool. Just a guess.

 

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I'd be surprised to learn they want to install a gravity wave detector underground, since the detector is basically an enormous interferometer with arms 1&1/2 miles long. Those would be some long tunnels!

My professor form my undergrad research worked on both neutrino detection and gravity wave research.

 

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catbirdseat said:

Besides neutrinos they may install a gravity wave detector, judging from the statement about the Alpine Lakes being desirable from the standpoint of no motorized vehicles. Vibrations are the enemy in this case.

What about Syjakowski and his trundling habit? grin.gif

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Bug said:

catbirdseat said:

Besides neutrinos they may install a gravity wave detector, judging from the statement about the Alpine Lakes being desirable from the standpoint of no motorized vehicles. Vibrations are the enemy in this case.

What about Syjakowski and his trundling habit? grin.gif

RRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRROOOOOOOCCCCCCK!!!!!!!!!!!!!! grin.gif

if they dig, i wonder where all that granite they extract from the underworld would go..... confused.gifbigdrink.gif

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The following is an excerpt from the NUSEL Background Brief. The part you as climbers are probably more interested in.

 

Underground laboratory construction: The proposed entrance to the tunnels is north of the bridge near Bridge Creek campground: a gravel/dirt road parallels (and is screened by trees from) Icicle Creek Road on the south side, running upstream. The proposed portal site is off this road, about 500 yards from the bridge, in U.S. Forest Service matrix lands, outside the riparian areas. We would need to improve this road. The bridge was built for logging and is sturdy, rated at 40 tons.

 

The physical impact of the finished portal would be very modest: it would resemble a standard tunnel opening in a rock wall. The tunnels would go deep into bedrock, 7400 feet below the peak of Cashmere Mountain. There would be no disturbance of the surface above.

 

There would be a small parking area near the portal, by a group camp that is occasionally used. Because the laboratory would strongly discourage private auto travel, we do not anticipate needing any parking. Steps to minimize entry to the underground laboratory will include the use of electric shuttles to transport scientists to the portals. Internal combustion engines will not be allowed in the facility. Most experiments will run remotely, by fiber connections to the surface campus.

 

The major impacts would be during construction. It is likely that one or more core samples will be taken to characterize the geology. This process is similar to drilling a well, and takes about two weeks. The surface entry for core sampling would be on National Forest lands outside the wilderness. Once coring is completed, there will be no visible impact.

The most intrusive impact will be the trucks hauling crushed rock. During the 2.5 years of tunnel construction, an average of 30 trucks per day will be needed for rock removal. Potential impacts include traffic, some noise, and dust. It appears possible to shorten the construction period, though the total number of trucks will remain the same.

However, truck impacts can be mitigated. Measures we are considering include:

 

-Carefully covering loads

 

-Driving at low speeds through areas with houses

 

-Scheduling the traffic so that quiet periods are preserved (including grouping trucks in threes and fours)

 

-Periodic cleaning of the road and any private property that is affected

 

-Restoring and improving the road before and after construction

 

Current traffic on Icicle Creek Road is approximately 400,000 vehicles (cars, RVs) per year. Laboratory construction would temporarily increase this load by about 3 percent.

 

-Power: Because of the underground laboratory’s cooling, ventilation, and communications needs, a 12kV transmission line and high-speed cable must be installed. We intend to bury these lines, as better reliability and aesthetics is worth the extra cost. The Chelan PUD has suggested bringing the power down Icicle Creek Road, from the Leavenworth transmission station. While the burying of the cable is an adverse impact, the potential for property owners to bring their lines underground at very little additional expense is a potential positive impact. Currently, the overhead lines near Icicle Island detract from views of the valley.

 

-Water: We are investigating potential sources of construction water. The needs are quite modest. Some water will be recovered from the tunnel during construction. That water might be used for construction purposes before it is monitored for temperature and cleanliness and discharged into Icicle Creek. Another potential source is Icicle Creek water withdrawn and stored during high flows.

We are also investigating potential sources of water for the operation of the underground laboratory. The daily water needs are small, approximately 1000-2000 gallons. Groundwater from the tunnel could be the industrial/potable source for the laboratory. Alternatively, a well could be used or water can be trucked in.

 

We expect to have a water-Cerenkov detector in the laboratory. Currently the largest such detector contains 50,000 tons of water. Typically such detectors run for several years before being drained and refilled for maintenance. Possible water sources for the detector are ground water or Icicle Creek water. It would be environmentally advantageous to fill the detector when instream flows are high and to empty it when instream flows are low. The water in such detectors is chilled and processed for extreme purity. We have the technology to guarantee that any discharge into the stream benefits stream flow and temperature.

 

We will maintain some stored water near the portal entrance in case of forest fire.

 

-Wildlife: Areas sensitive because of wildlife would not be suitable for our portals or construction. Coring would be done at optimal times, e.g., well after nesting has been completed.

http://mocha.phys.washington.edu/NUSEL/NUSEL_background21.5.pdf
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