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Israel-Palestine
Israel Sets off Huge Blast to Test Earthquake Measuring Devices
2004-06-15
Israel set off an enormous explosion Tuesday in the Negev desert near the border with Jordan to test its seismographic measuring equipment. The explosion, designed to measure about 2.9 on the Richter scale, was set off to help the Israeli Geophysics Institute calibrate its equipment and better estimate the precise location of future quakes, said Rami Hofstepter, manager of the institute. Israel Radio said the blast involved 28 tons of explosives.
"Just calibrating the, er, equipment, nothing to worry about, move along."
Jordan did not participate in the test, but Israel informed Jordan and other countries in the region to avoid alarm in the violence-torn Mideast.
Don't want them to get worried it was a weapons test, or anything. They wouldn't lie about that, now would they?
Posted by:Steve

#15  The only question is this: Why did the Isreali test target San Diego and not Berkeley?
Posted by: Charles   2004-06-15 8:36:51 PM  

#14  Now they're saying west of Tijuana - tunneling perhaps? bad location
Posted by: Frank G   2004-06-15 7:32:25 PM  

#13  a 4.5 located near Palmdale Negev
Posted by: Frank G   2004-06-15 7:26:52 PM  

#12  San Diego just had an earthquake, sez Frank G., so the test was successful, heh heh.
Posted by: Alaska Paul   2004-06-15 7:23:59 PM  

#11  Excellent!
Posted by: Shipman   2004-06-15 7:21:06 PM  

#10  "The explosion, designed to measure about 2.9 on the Richter scale. The question is how much did it measure?"

Curiously, nothing is showing up near Israel on the USGS earthquake monitoring site.
Posted by: Guy Jim   2004-06-15 6:30:52 PM  

#9  In an unrelated story Exxon announced immediate plans for drilling in the Gulf of Aqaba.
Posted by: Shipman   2004-06-15 6:07:04 PM  

#8  The explosion, designed to measure about 2.9 on the Richter scale

The question is how much did it measure?
Posted by: Shipman   2004-06-15 6:04:51 PM  

#7  Hmmm. If I were some sort of conspiracy loon, I'd say the Israelis were conducting a seismic tomography experiment to locate the Iranian underground nuke facilities.
Posted by: SteveS   2004-06-15 3:41:20 PM  

#6  "Come to Allah"
Posted by: Frank G   2004-06-15 3:26:44 PM  

#5  Alaska Paul - Hey, now there's a good possibility. Israel never tested any of their nuclear weapons (although I remember reading someplace that they may have done so in South Africa back in the day) so calibrating their sensors for the region is something that's probably never been done.

If somehow they could spot Iran getting ready to test one, then they could nuke the test site (ooops, looks like they had an accident) and take out various scientists and shiny mullahs in for a view all at once.
Posted by: Laurence of the Rats   2004-06-15 3:23:19 PM  

#4  "BOOM! Here comes the BOOM! Ready or not . . ."
Posted by: Mike   2004-06-15 2:56:40 PM  

#3  56,000 lb of explosives. Nice little shot. Maybe to calibrate for u/g nuke tests in the neighborhood, heh heh.
Posted by: Alaska Paul   2004-06-15 2:52:09 PM  

#2  next test? Above the Gaza tunnels
Posted by: Frank G   2004-06-15 2:33:42 PM  

#1  We absolutely are not testing micronukes or Zionist Death Rays.

Cuz we don't got none, ya see? Nope...
Posted by: Laurence of the Rats   2004-06-15 2:11:49 PM  

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