Posted on 11/25/2012 10:18:27 PM PST by cruise_missile
God burps out a big flare, and thousands of years of modern civilization could be wiped out.
“Man plans and God laughs.”
In an urban vs rural civil war, where cutting off electrical power was one tactic, rifle bullets would be cheaper and more plentiful than transformers.
Wouldn't buried lines be protected from any kind of solar flare? All the lines in my neighborhood are buried.
Has your neighborhood ever experienced power outages? My entire neighborhood has underground utility lines. Yet a downed tree, a downed power pole some miles away...still disrupts my community. Those other overhead lines still provide/service my area...thus my area is vunerable at times. Though I'm in an area that has some priorites...so while surrounding areas my be without power for days/weeks, we're blessed/fortunate to only experience a few hours of disruption,
No. Buried lines are protected from wind and snow damage, but the solar flare is placing a very strong magnetic field over the entire earth. The magnetic lines of flux induce electrical current. The current will be induced in all wiring that is not packaged inside a grounded Faraday cage. The longer the wire, the more power collected. There are very long runs between your home and the electrical generating facility.
To put it differently that’s how Uncle Sam HAS been staving off economic failure. Diluting the problem away, which hasn’t produced visible hyperinflation yet because most of that funny money is getting sat upon by rich entities rather than being loosed to flow around.
Given an existing failure, it’s then too late to band-aid it.
Metal conduit IS a faraday cage...
When the interest rates turn upward, it may blow like Krakatoa.
A very big burp of the right materials, yes. It could penetrate our “outer defenses” (haha) and give us a massive dose of radiation and electrical overloads.
There’s a reason they say “may you live in interesting times” is a curse.
You are forgetting that 3 feet of Earth/soil is enough to ground out such events. The above ground lines are would be the victims. So, buried lines would be protected.
God might just be ready for a little belly laugh at our hubris.
Only if it is completely sealed with no cabling leading inside. The correct choice for a Faraday cage depends on the frequency and power ranges you expect to handle. My office building is nearly a Faraday cage for AM radio. FM radio and cell phone signals sail right though.
I know some are made here. Last month I was in Virginia inspecting a little 15 MVA we bought and there were lots far, far bigger being made.
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