Rhode Island beach evacuated; witnesses report boom, woman knocked down

[Mike]

This is a strange story. Authorities are reporting that they did not find any evidence of a man made device that caused this. Here are two articles on the topic.

http://www.newsday.com/news/nation/rhode-island-beach-evacuated-witnesses-report-boom-woman-knocked-down-1.10632496

PROVIDENCE, R.I. - Officials are trying to determine what caused a blast that knocked a Rhode Island beachgoer to the ground, but left behind no obvious evidence of an explosive device.

Salty Brine beach in Narragansett was evacuated late Saturday morning after witnesses reported a possible explosion that knocked a woman into a rock wall.

State Department of Environmental Management spokeswoman Rayne Maguire tells the Providence Journal the woman was taken to a hospital. No other injuries were reported.

Department Associate Director Larry Mouradjian told the newspaper there was no evidence of a device that caused the loud boom.

A witness reported hearing the loud noise seeing the woman get knocked over a few feet from him.

Mouradjian says a report of a suspicious person was checked out but investigators' concerns were satisfied.

Video (news report) also at this link - that said "Some kind of natural phenomenon could explain yesterday's incident"

http://www.wcvb.com/news/beach-evacuated-witnesses-report-boom-woman-knocked-down/34112480

"We heard a loud explosion. We looked up and sand was flying up into the air like a volcanic eruption," said Stacey Beal, who witnessed the incident. "We saw a woman who was sitting in her chair get pushed about five feet up and land face first into the sand."

Some kind of out gassing?

edit added: missed that it is posted on Sott.

 

[JonnyRadar]

It sounds to me like a minor impact - as if a small meteorite made it's way to the ground and the boom arrived at the same time or shortly before the impact itself. I'm not sure how that plays out with the speed of sound vs. the speed of the object though. (?)

 

[NormaRegula]

It sounds to me like a minor impact - as if a small meteorite made it's way to the ground and the boom arrived at the same time or shortly before the impact itself. I'm not sure how that plays out with the speed of sound vs. the speed of the object though. (?)

I thought about a minor impact when I first read about it this morning. Good to know the woman is okay physically according to the most recent reports. That would sure scare the bejeezus out of me.

 

[angelburst29]

Reports of a gas odor or some sort of chemical smell, perhaps sulphur or butane?

_http://abcnews.go.com/US/explosion-report-prompts-evacuation-rhode-island-beach/story?id=32384143

Dave Dean, a local radio host who was on the beach at the time, said he first heard a low rumbling sound.

"I thought it was a small tremor or something," he said. "I didn't think anything of it. And I started hearing people start yelling 'Call 911' because a lady got hurt in the incident. I saw a lady on the ground, and after about 20 minutes they asked us to get off the beach."

"I walked over to try and take a look at what happened. There was what looked like a sink hole. ... If you had dug a hole and put some sand over it that's what it looked like," Dean said.

Another beachgoer, Stacey Beal, described a gas odor at the scene.

"We were just sitting at the beach. Heard a loud explosion sound, something like a gas explosion, and when we looked up, it was like a pile of sand blowing up out of the ground," Beal said.

"We saw a woman come out of her chair and we saw all the sand come up like a volcanic eruption, and she was thrown five feet up and came down on her front side," Beal said.

Beal said the victim was conscious when emergency responders took her off the beach.


http://www.providencejournal.com/article/20150711/NEWS/150719820

“I can tell you there was definitely a ground disturbance there,’’ he said, “some ground force.’’
He said there were also some reports that people on the beach smelled some sort of chemical smell, perhaps sulphur or butane. He said samples were taken but there was no explanation yet.

 

[Laura]

I'd say outgassing - kinda like that giant hole in Siberia only much smaller.

Recall the woman in Florida who described a sink-hole as exploding upward first? Well, this may be just a smallish manifestation. It may be followed by more, later, though.

Cs said when the earth's rotation slowed down, the earth would "open up". Well, I think they meant it more literally than we supposed back then and in ways we couldn't imagine. I noticed the other day that another second was added to the clock or something like that. And it seems like that has happened several times in the past few years. Anybody have any data on adding seconds to the nuclear clock?

 

[istina]

I found this :

_http://www.timeanddate.com/time/leapseconds.html

"Atomic Time Too Accurate:
The reason we have to add a second every now and then, is that Earth's rotation around its own axis, is gradually slowing down, although very slowly.
Atomic clocks, however, tick away at pretty much the same speed over millions of years. Compared to the Earth's rotation, atomic clocks are simply too consistent."

"How Often Are Leap Seconds Added?
Before the first leap second was added in 1972, UTC was 10 seconds behind Atomic Time. So far, a total of 26 leap seconds have been added. This means that the Earth has slowed down an additional 26 seconds compared to atomic time since then.
However, this does NOT mean that the days are 25 seconds longer nowadays. The only difference is that the days a leap second was added had 86,401 seconds instead of the usual 86,400 seconds.
36 Seconds Difference
The previous leap second was added on June 30, 2015 at 23:59:60 UTC. The difference between UTC and International Atomic Time (UTC-TAI) is now 36 sec."

 

[Mikey]

Anybody have any data on adding seconds to the nuclear clock?

The time correction DUT1 (sometimes also written DUT) is the difference between Universal Time (UT1), which is defined by Earth's rotation, and Coordinated Universal Time (UTC), which is defined by a network of precision atomic clocks.

DUT1 = UT1 − UTC

UTC is maintained via leap seconds, such that DUT1 remains within the range −0.9 s < DUT1 < +0.9 s. The reason for this correction is partly that the rate of rotation of the Earth is not constant, due to tidal braking and the redistribution of mass within the Earth, including its oceans and atmosphere, and partly because the SI second (as now used for UTC) was already, when adopted, a little shorter than the current value of the second of mean solar time.[1]

Image attachment caption: Graph showing the difference in seconds between UT1 and UTC over time. A vertical transition indicates the use of a leap second. The red portion of the graph indicates predicted values. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DUT1#/media/File:Leapsecond.ut1-utc.svg

Last leap second was added this July 1st.

 

[Gary]

There are now reports of an electrical cable being found at the scene - although the local power company does not seem to know much about it!

A mysterious electrical cable has been dug up by investigators poring over the site of an unexplained explosion on a Rhode Island beach.

The power line running under Salty Brine beach in Narragansett was found on Monday not far from where a powerful blast came seemingly out of nowhere on Saturday morning, injuring an unsuspecting beachgoer.

...National Grid, a power company active in the area, said they don't know who the cable belongs to and whether it was active at the time of the blast

I still think the outgassing scenario appears the most likely explanation, although with reports of a sulfur like smell, that gas being hydrogen sulphide rather than methane.

Witnesses said they could smell some kind of fumes after the blast, suggesting sulfur and butane

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3160289/Investigators-electrical-cable-near-site-unexplained-Rhode-Island-beach-explosion-no-idea-happened.html


A good source of related incidents - fires and explosions, animal die-offs, unusual vehicular accidents, land subsidence etc is:

http://jumpingjackflashhypothesis.blogspot.co.uk/

The hypothesis mentioned does correlate with some of our own observations, and the quite extensive and regular incident reports are useful.

 

[Laura]

Hmmm... that reminds me of the village in Canada where everyone was found dead (I think I remember it right) and no apparent reason. Maybe it was an outgassing?

What about the Mary Celeste? An outgassing?

There's the Lake Nyos Disaster:

On August 21, 1986, possibly as the result of a landslide, Lake Nyos suddenly emitted a large cloud of CO2, which suffocated 1,700 people and 3,500 livestock in nearby towns and villages. Though not completely unprecedented, it was the first known large-scale asphyxiation caused by a natural event. ....

One survivor, Joseph Nkwain from Subum, described himself when he awoke after the gases had struck:

"I could not speak. I became unconscious. I could not open my mouth because then I smelled something terrible . . . I heard my daughter snoring in a terrible way, very abnormal . . . When crossing to my daughter's bed . . . I collapsed and fell. I was there till nine o'clock in the (Friday) morning . . . until a friend of mine came and knocked at my door . . . I was surprised to see that my trousers were red, had some stains like honey. I saw some . . . starchy mess on my body. My arms had some wounds . . . I didn't really know how I got these wounds . . .I opened the door . . . I wanted to speak, my breath would not come out . . . My daughter was already dead . . . I went into my daughter's bed, thinking that she was still sleeping. I slept till it was 4:30 p.m. in the afternoon . . . on Friday. (Then) I managed to go over to my neighbors' houses. They were all dead . . . I decided to leave . . . . (because) most of my family was in Wum . . . I got my motorcycle . . . A friend whose father had died left with me (for) Wum . . . As I rode . . . through Nyos I didn't see any sign of any living thing . . . (When I got to Wum), I was unable to walk, even to talk . . . my body was completely weak." ...

Carbon dioxide, being about 1.5 times as dense as air, caused the cloud to "hug" the ground and descend down the valleys, where various villages were located. The mass was about 50 metres (160 ft) thick and it travelled downward at a rate of 20–50 kilometres per hour (12–31 mph). For roughly 23 kilometres (14 mi) the cloud remained condensed and dangerous, suffocating many of the people sleeping in Nyos, Kam, Cha, and Subum. About 4,000 inhabitants fled the area, and many of these developed respiratory problems, lesions, and paralysis as a result of the gases.

It is not known what triggered the catastrophic outgassing. Most geologists suspect a landslide, but some believe that a small volcanic eruption may have occurred on the bed of the lake. A third possibility is that cool rainwater falling on one side of the lake triggered the overturn. Others still believe there was a small earthquake, but as witnesses did not report feeling any tremors on the morning of the disaster, this hypothesis is unlikely. Whatever the cause, the event resulted in the rapid mixing of the supersaturated deep water with the upper layers of the lake, where the reduced pressure allowed the stored CO2 to effervesce out of solution.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_Nyos

So, a small rumbling in the ground as was reported in the case of the beach explosion could be indicative of a releasing of a gas from the bowels of the earth.

 

[luke wilson]

Hmmm... that reminds me of the village in Canada where everyone was found dead (I think I remember it right) and no apparent reason. Maybe it was an outgassing?

What about the Mary Celeste? An outgassing?

There's the Lake Nyos Disaster:

On August 21, 1986, possibly as the result of a landslide, Lake Nyos suddenly emitted a large cloud of CO2, which suffocated 1,700 people and 3,500 livestock in nearby towns and villages. Though not completely unprecedented, it was the first known large-scale asphyxiation caused by a natural event. ....

One survivor, Joseph Nkwain from Subum, described himself when he awoke after the gases had struck:

"I could not speak. I became unconscious. I could not open my mouth because then I smelled something terrible . . . I heard my daughter snoring in a terrible way, very abnormal . . . When crossing to my daughter's bed . . . I collapsed and fell. I was there till nine o'clock in the (Friday) morning . . . until a friend of mine came and knocked at my door . . . I was surprised to see that my trousers were red, had some stains like honey. I saw some . . . starchy mess on my body. My arms had some wounds . . . I didn't really know how I got these wounds . . .I opened the door . . . I wanted to speak, my breath would not come out . . . My daughter was already dead . . . I went into my daughter's bed, thinking that she was still sleeping. I slept till it was 4:30 p.m. in the afternoon . . . on Friday. (Then) I managed to go over to my neighbors' houses. They were all dead . . . I decided to leave . . . . (because) most of my family was in Wum . . . I got my motorcycle . . . A friend whose father had died left with me (for) Wum . . . As I rode . . . through Nyos I didn't see any sign of any living thing . . . (When I got to Wum), I was unable to walk, even to talk . . . my body was completely weak." ...

Carbon dioxide, being about 1.5 times as dense as air, caused the cloud to "hug" the ground and descend down the valleys, where various villages were located. The mass was about 50 metres (160 ft) thick and it travelled downward at a rate of 20–50 kilometres per hour (12–31 mph). For roughly 23 kilometres (14 mi) the cloud remained condensed and dangerous, suffocating many of the people sleeping in Nyos, Kam, Cha, and Subum. About 4,000 inhabitants fled the area, and many of these developed respiratory problems, lesions, and paralysis as a result of the gases.

It is not known what triggered the catastrophic outgassing. Most geologists suspect a landslide, but some believe that a small volcanic eruption may have occurred on the bed of the lake. A third possibility is that cool rainwater falling on one side of the lake triggered the overturn. Others still believe there was a small earthquake, but as witnesses did not report feeling any tremors on the morning of the disaster, this hypothesis is unlikely. Whatever the cause, the event resulted in the rapid mixing of the supersaturated deep water with the upper layers of the lake, where the reduced pressure allowed the stored CO2 to effervesce out of solution.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_Nyos

So, a small rumbling in the ground as was reported in the case of the beach explosion could be indicative of a releasing of a gas from the bowels of the earth.

I'm not familiar with the event in Canada. There was one in cameroon though where over 1000 people died through asphyxiation

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_nyos

I'm on my phone so cant deactivate link.

Edit: Just seen you posted about it! :)

 

[Gary]

The Lake Nyos Disaster is a tragic example of the potentially devastating effects of outgassing.

Carbon dioxide, being about 1.5 times as dense as air, caused the cloud to "hug" the ground and descend down the valleys, where various villages were located

As gases like CO2, and hydrogen sulphide are 'heavier than air' they would naturally flow and pool in low-lying areas (where there are many populous cities by the way!), possibly causing illness or death, as well as psychological and neurological problems as reported here:

http://www.sott.net/article/292105-Researchers-investigate-link-between-hydrogen-sulfide-poisoning-and-psychological-and-neurological-problems-in-humans

Carbon monoxide poisoning from a closed uranium mine was cited as the culprit in the recent mysterious sleep-inducing disease that has plagued the residents of two villages in Kazakhstan.

http://www.sott.net/article/298895-Kazakhstan-sleeping-sickness-mystery-solved-Uranium-mine-is-the-culprit

Incidentally, the origins of the Legend of Sleepy Hollow, seem to have origins in Northern European storytelling, so I wonder whether large scale outgassing in past times (and their effects) were responsible for the 'supernatural' aspects and disappearances mentioned in the story.

From the listless repose of the place, and the peculiar character of its inhabitants, who are descendants from the original Dutch settlers, this sequestered glen has long been known by name of Sleepy Hollow ... A drowsy, dreamy influence seems to hang over the land, and to pervade the very atmosphere.

— Washington Irving, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Legend_of_Sleepy_Hollow

Whether fires and explosions, or poisoning, I am sure we will see more effects of increased outgassing soon, as Earth continues to 'open up'!

 

[angelburst29]

An updated report: the University of Rhode Island Graduate School of Oceanography "spin" on the beach explosion.

Scientists uncover true cause of mysterious explosion on Rhode Island beach
_http://mashable.com/2015/07/24/rhode-island-beach-explosion/

The cause of the previously mysterious beach explosion — which sent a woman flying 10 feet out of her beach chair — has been determined.

The freakish incident happened on June 11 at Salty Brine Beach in Rhode Island. Contrary to previous speculation that it was a methane explosion caused by decaying seaweed, scientists from The University of Rhode Island Graduate School of Oceanography have determined that it was caused by an abandoned copper cable previously used by the United States Coast Guard. The corrosion of the copper cable caused a build-up of hydrogen gas to combust, according to a press release.

Honestly, it sounds just as mysterious as it did when we didn't know the cause.

The woman, Kathleen Danise, suffered a concussion and fractured ribs after the sudden explosion flung her into the rocks.

Following the incident, Rhode Island State Police and State Fire Marshals began an investigation and immediately ruled out a malicious attack.

News release: _https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CKswGNGWwAA3TYJ.jpg

 

[Gary]

Yes, it looks like the cause of the blast is being blamed on corroded copper cable producing the hydrogen gas which exploded. It may be a possible explanation and although copper is normally quite corrosion-resistant, there are conditions which could facilitate this.

There is also the outstanding history of copper tubing as a highly corrosion-resistant material in most underground environments. There are conditions, however, that can cause copper to corrode when it is exposed to certain soils. These include:

* abnormally aggressive soils,
* localized and long-line-type concentration cells created by differences in soil composition,
* the action of stray direct currents (DC) flowing in the ground,
* faulty design and workmanship,
* certain conditions created by alternating currents (AC),
* thermogaivanic effects, and
* galvanic action involving dissimilar materials.

http://www.copper.org/resources/properties/protection/underground.html

The alleged discovery of this copper cable seems a very convenient coincidence to me though, or perhaps it was a contributory factor. Anyway, given the high levels of hydrogen found by scientists, it looks like outgassing probably ignited by cigarette caused this blast.

Spivack said test results from sand samples URI scientists collected a week ago showed pockets of extremely high hydrogen levels.

“Up to five percent of the air pressure was hydrogen,” he said. “That’s in the flammable range. And that’s—compared to natural levels that we would observe—that’s about 10,000 times higher than we would expect".

Spivack said the hydrogen gas was produced deep in the sand, near the site of the blast. It became a combustible gas mixture when it bubbled up to the surface and mixed with air. He said methane levels were undetectable, which ruled out the hypothesis that decomposing seaweed may have produced methane gas.

State officials have not identified the source of ignition, because a hydrogen gas mixture alone would not cause an explosion. DEM Director Janet Coit said the woman who was injured during the blast had been smoking at the beach, but Coit cannot confirm her smoking as the source of ignition.

http://ripr.org/post/case-closed-hydrogen-gas-combustion-caused-salty-brine-beach-blast

With so many wildfires at present, many of which are probably caused by similar outgassing and ignited by increased electrical discharges, such as lightning, I think incidents like this will become a lot more common.

From the recent Cs session:

(Perceval) What about the beach boom?

(L) Oh yes! What happened when this woman got boomed up on the beach?

A: Gas close to the ground confined within plasma.

Q: (L) So like a bubble. And then BOOM! Probably lit a cigarette, or there was a spark, or god knows what.

http://cassiopaea.org/forum/index.php/topic,39067.0.html