Posted on 08/10/2004 6:33:51 AM PDT by Sam Cree
ANCHORAGE, Alaska - Imagine an ice cube 800 feet long and 45 feet deep. That's what Alaska Railroad engineers say they are dealing with in the Beach Lake area north of Anchorage, according to a story in the Alaska Star.
Railroad workers have been realigning track from Wasilla to Anchorage since 2001, including straightening 70 curves and the construction of an overpass at Beach Lake Road in Birchwood. That is, until the ice appeared. Project engineer Mark Peterburs said when engineers began geo-technical work in the area of the crossing; they discovered an "ice lens."
The Canadian Geotechnical Journal describes an ice lens as beginning when "water molecules, powered by a difference between soil and surface temperatures, migrate toward the freezing front, a zone below the surface of the soil where the temperature is cold enough to freeze water. Over what is often relatively great distances these molecules flow to spend their thermal energy, eventually freezing in place in an ice lens." In other words, what has formed is a sheet of ice more than 800 feet long and 45 feet deep, according to initial estimates. No width estimate of the huge ice slab has been made. The sheet is about 20 feet underground.
Peterburs said the group didn't know what to think when they found the ice. "We were pretty amazed at how much ice was down there," he said. "We called in some experts." He said there are three options: melt the ice and build, keep it frozen and build, or don't build.
The three options are cool, however.
Pray for global warming.
Why not just use the old route?
There's the Kegger Option... That is, bury a bunch of kegs of beer deep in the ice and leave a note engraved on a stone for the lucky archeologist who will find them. Leave a diagram for a tap too... Just in case they don't have those in the future.
There is also the Sonic option - chop it into tiny pieces and use it in 44 oz diet cokes (extra lime please).
Blow it up and sell the melted chunks as "natural" water to people who'll pay $5 bucks a bottle for the stuff. Case closed.
add grain, hops & yeast and make beer.
Gotta love those engineers.
Peterburs said the group didn't know what to think when they found the ice. "We're pretty sure it's composed of a known substance, probably frozen water," he said. "but we won't know for sure until we run some tests."
We need to put all the Democrats in Congress under the ice lens. The purpose would be two-fold. First, their hot air might succeed in melting the ice. Second, ... well ... I just don't see a down-side to trapping Democrats underneath an ice slab.
Yeah, very good point. I was at figure drawing class the other morning and happened to have a gun case with me. Another student (they are all liberals, being art students), a middle aged lady, admonshed me not to shoot anyone. I came a breath from jokingly saying "Everyone's safe as long as they're not Democrats," but bit my tongue and just smiled instead.
I thought this was about Michael Moore for a minute. I thought it said "fat slob".
You have to admire people who can be surprised by finding ice in Alaska.
LOL....That's what I'm sitting here thinking.....it's ALASKA.....it's where there is LOTS of ice!!!! Hey, have a margarita party!!!
Hockey rink, with raised seating ... an arctic amphitheater, as it were.
That was "Huge ice slab perplexes Alaska engineers" - not "Huge @$$ slob perplexes Alaska engineers".....;-)
"Imagine an ice cube 800 feet long and 45 feet deep."
Color me anal, but that ain't a cube. In fact, it's not even an ice BLOCK, given that it only has a length and a depth. Sounds like an "ice plane" to me.
Ice slab ping.
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