The word on playa dust and links for the newbie -

[Bob]

You'd think the Earth Guardians would know whathafuck clay is out there.

Anyhow, what's blowing around above the lakebed isn't necessarily the same as what's in the lakebed.

[gyre]

I always take as much water as I can and pour it in the bottom of the lake.


Isn't there a history society for the area that sets up at burning man?
Maybe they have more geologic info?

[^Rhino!]

The Earth Guardians?

No, they're pushing the 'reduce, reuse, recycle, LNT' mantra.

You mean the BRC Division of Geology.

We've only been in existence for a year.

WTF, it's a do-ocracy, right?

I had 50 t-shirts printed up and gave 'em away.

THIS year, I'm printing more shirts. Same motto. The logo has been redesigned professionally by someone who does logo design for a living.

BRC Division of Geology
"We Rock Your Fuckin' World"

And since I paid for the t-shirts, I'm Chief Geologist.

Last year's main permit activity was informing the Pancake Playhouse at 9:00 plaza that due to new BLM guidelines they could only pound their tent stakes in 3" total.

I couldn't stop laughing about that one.

[Teo del Fuego]

I use vinegar on my hands after working with concrete, but never on the playa. All I've used on the playa is water for washing, quickly followed by Neutrogena hand cream, which is good for about two weeks in my experience, before I get cracks on my hands, face, asshole, etc.

I bet you put a LOT of Neutrogena on your asshole

[Snow]

Damn I missed out on the stake regulation fun and the t-shirt!?!?!

[Bob]

It's true, the stake guideline is in place so don't adversely impact one of the more prevalent minerals -- leverite.

[Snow]

yes we must protect our precious leverite deposits.

[^Rhino!]

Last year's citations were delivered as warnings only.

This year, I understand that DPW will be involved in Code Enforcement.

But that's just the rumor I hear.

[Sail Man]

...Diphosphorus pentoxide goes in apatite, a common igneous accessory mineral and detrital in this case. Titanium dioxide is probably rutile or anatase, also common igneous accessories....

Whoo-doggie, Rhino! Them is purty words! You use your mouth purtier than a three-dollar French whore! I'm all wet over here.

Dougly...I'm not coming to meet 'n greet if you keep talking like that!

Well I sure the hell am! I'm not going to be getting all hot and bothered without a little relief after all the foreplay.

Rhino, good to see you here rocking our fucking eplaya world

[Fire_Moose]

I thought the 3' rule was so no one hits any buried gas lines...

[Bob]

Don't laugh, I have the distinction of having drilled into one of the Center Camp electrical grid lines 9 or 10 years ago. Having rainbow spaghetti come up in the auger when you're setting posts for a stupid shade structure in a vast desert is not a pleasant feeling.

[Bob]

...ie, call before you dig...

[Snow]

at least its not the dreaded tink hiss of a gas line. I've only been on a drill rig that hit a water line before, that was scary enough. USA marks were off...

[ibdave]

...ie, call before you dig...

Dial 811 before you dig...

[ygmir]

I ran a large trencher long ago for a company........cut a 500 pair phone cable once.......and, a 2" high pressure gas line......both, location errors on the utilities part......hitting the gas line, was, "exciting"......the hiss was loud, and, the smell strong.....I jumped and ran.......

on the cable, like you said, the multi colored spaghetti, was un nerving.......

[Snow]

I had to drill next to a major military fiber optic line that happened to run through my cleanup site in Fallon. I was sweating bullets the whole time. Luckly there was no incident.

[motskyroonmatick]

I had to drill next to a major military fiber optic line that happened to run through my cleanup site in Fallon. I was sweating bullets the whole time. Luckly there was no incident.

Did you pothole the fiber line or did you just go off of locates? We have houses blown up by fiber borers hitting natural gas lines at the rate of 2 to 3 a year round here.

Worked in excavating for 7 years. Seen a few hit but saved more improperly located utilities than I can remember. Thanks to a really good operator and my paying attention to the toe of the ditch.

[Snow]

For that project we did an airknife overbore of our borehole to 5'. But that is a pretty new development. Not too long ago we would just go off the location markings. After hitting a few utilities we began to take pictures of our boring location in relation to nearby markings. Then we began the overboring. Most of our projects were state funded and they would not pay for the overboring, but we did it anyway, especially with the military lines nearby.

[motskyroonmatick]

It the air knife a vacuum excavator/vactor truck? Those work great.

[^Rhino!]

"Don't laugh, I have the distinction of having drilled into one of the Center Camp electrical grid lines 9 or 10 years ago. Having rainbow spaghetti come up in the auger when you're setting posts for a stupid shade structure in a vast desert is not a pleasant feeling."

Bob, bob, bob.......I feel your pain........
(Pardon me for my patent Democratic turned Do-ocratic response)

I've excavated in the default world for nearly 18 yrs., and I've never understood utility strikes, never having had one (and I've done literally thousands of borings over the years.) Is BRC a member of one-call in the state of Nevada?

Or is it still safety third?
[/quote]

[gyre]

The map for the water mains at burning man has been long lost in antiquity.

[ygmir]

we were trenching through a town nearby once.
The boss decided, since we were working overnight (to avoid traffic on the main st.), that, we'd just cut the clay sewer lines, and, repair as we went by...........it worked fine, mostly, since, most businesses and the few homes were gone or asleep........

we sent the new guy down to repair the line from the theater.......just as the "midnight matinee" ended...........chuckling..........

[Ugly Dougly]

"Overboring" - I learned a new word.

[Snow]

just you wait Rhino! Most of the "utilities" we have hit are on-site and not part of locates, and usually poorly mapped in the first place, especially sprinkler systems.

[Mojojita]

"Overboring" - I learned a new word.

Yes! And even more thought provoking --- "Borehole". (I think I met her once....)

[Bob]

Your geology camp should bring a metal detector, might find some meteorites.

[Bob]

I bet you put a LOT of Neutrogena on your asshole

I am Boreholio. I need smectite for my bunghole.

[Snow]

Instead of a dust collection system DPW has decided instead to pave the playa instead. Next year there will be a giant dome erected to keep the wind out.

[^Rhino!]

[quote="Bob"]Your geology camp should bring a metal detector, might find some meteorites.[/quote]

Bob, try again. You've been listening to Ian Kluft again, have you? The whole story there is NOT pretty. The guy gets credit for trying, but he has found NOTHING that would indicate any kind of strike, let alone the kind of strike he's talking about. He's following the rule that geologists of true stripe try to avoid, i.e 'I wouldn't have seen it if I hadn't BELIEVED it. '

I did a post on this on the Burningman tribe some time back about the proposed meteorite impact in the Black Rock Desert. The guy has even been publicized in [i]Discover[/i] magazine, in the December 2008 issue right here:

http://discovermagazine.com/2008/dec/19 ... tart:int=1

The blurb they did on him made me laugh my ass off.

What's scary is that people are actually listening to it. This kind of pseudoscience is the worst sort of malarkey I have to deal with.

See what's been done so far in an attempt to prove it:

http://www.blackrocknevada.info/impact-crater/

Sorry, Bob, but it REALLY HACKS ME OFF!

[motskyroonmatick]

Perhaps I am mistaken here but I believe Bob is referring to normal small meteorites not parts of a larger strike.