The Driller
  • Sign In
  • Create Account
  • Sign Out
  • My Account
  • NEWS
  • CLASSIFIEDS
  • EQUIPMENT
  • SAFETY
  • VIDEOS
  • EDUCATION
  • SOURCEBOOK
  • EVENTS
  • SUBMIT
  • ABOUT
  • SIGN UP
cart
facebook twitter linkedin youtube
  • NEWS
  • Water
  • Geothermal
  • Construction
  • Environmental
  • Mining
  • All Industry News
  • EQUIPMENT
  • Rigs & Heavy Equipment
  • Consumables
  • Pumps
  • Featured Products
  • VIDEOS
  • Newscast
  • Drill Talks
  • Ask Brock
  • Emerging Drillers
  • EDUCATION
  • Drilling Business Insights
  • Reference Desk
  • Sponsored Insights
  • EVENTS
  • Conferences & Demo Days
  • Newscast LIVE
  • SUBMIT
  • Drillers @Work
  • ABOUT
  • Contact
  • Advertise
The Driller
search
cart
facebook twitter linkedin youtube
  • Sign In
  • Create Account
  • Sign Out
  • My Account
The Driller
  • NEWS
    • Water
    • Geothermal
    • Construction
    • Environmental
    • Mining
    • All Industry News
  • CLASSIFIEDS
  • EQUIPMENT
    • Rigs & Heavy Equipment
    • Consumables
    • Pumps
    • Featured Products
  • SAFETY
  • VIDEOS
    • Newscast
    • Drill Talks
    • Ask Brock
    • Emerging Drillers
  • EDUCATION
    • Drilling Business Insights
    • Reference Desk
    • Sponsored Insights
  • SOURCEBOOK
  • EVENTS
    • Conferences & Demo Days
    • Newscast LIVE
  • SUBMIT
    • Drillers @Work
  • ABOUT
    • Contact
    • Advertise
  • SIGN UP

Drilling for News from California to the South China Sea

By Jeremy Verdusco
ND Editor's Blog Default
March 13, 2014

Drilling and drilling issues affect everyone. I have a stream of news sites I check regularly, so wanted to share some of the recent interesting news my digital drill bits have carried to the surface.

File the first item under “ain’t that cool?”: A team of scientists made an interesting find that they say means oceans of water hide far under the Earth’s surface. They turned up a tiny bit of a mineral called ringwoodite in a volcanic rock found in a riverbed in Brazil. Now, ringwoodite found on Earth usually comes from meteorites. This find was different. The rock was spit from a volcano. Scientists theorize that part of the Earth’s mantle—the “transition” zone—contains lots of the stuff. This hasn’t previously been confirmed.

It got interesting when they got it to a lab and really studied it. The sample’s 1.5 percent water. What does that mean? These researchers from the University of Alberta say it means vast pockets of water sit in a layer between about 250 and 410 miles below the Earth’s surface. Oceans, they say.

Can you imagine the trip-out time for that well?

The next item is born of tragedy—as least a presumed tragedy since at the time of this writing we don’t really know yet. But, like a lot of people, I’ve closely followed the disappearance of Malaysian Airlines Flight 370. In an interesting twist on the search, an oil platform worker says he witnessed the jet in flames. His oil platform is in the South China Sea, a couple hundred miles east of the coast of Vietnam. He said he witnessed a fire in the sky maybe 30 or 40 miles from his location. What he saw only lasted 10 or 15 seconds.

“I believe I saw the Malaysian Airlines plane come down,” he told his supervisors in an email.

Did this rig hand see the fiery last moments of Flight 370? It looks like it, but search crews have yet to find a wreckage to confirm his observation. The search has cast a wide net and conflicting data has complicated things. But it would be interesting if a drill rig worker helped solve the mystery.

Three-thousand or so miles to the west, I found this news item out of India. “Stop drilling, there’s no groundwater left,” says the kind of eye-grabbing headline. It goes one to talk about areas of greater Bangalore where groundwater is “overexploited.” Rainfall, it says, has grown erratic in both amount and frequency, and when it does come it fails to percolate down to recharge groundwater.

“Experts say all activity that causes depletion of groundwater must be stopped,” the story says. “There should be no further drilling of borewells. The water table should be recharged by storing rainwater and letting it back into the ground.”

Scary stuff. I don’t know how rainfall in that part of India compares to parts of California, Texas or other arid parts of the United States, but it’s a cautionary tale. Groundwater is a resource, like any other, and it calls for responsible management. I encourage groundwater drillers to take an active role in the discussion of laws and policies related to this vital resource. You know more about how to get and use groundwater than any politician sitting in an office in Sacramento or Austin. Help leaders understand these issues before we hear “experts” in the U.S. start widely calling for groundwater drilling bans. That’s not good for business.

Speaking of California, I found this bit of perspective in the Fresno Bee. The authors discuss conservation efforts in the state, which have to be part of the solution as drought drags on.

“As we all struggle toward solutions, we must take care not to sacrifice any one interest for another,” the author’s write. That’s a sensible approach. Water drillers have a part to play helping to educate both well owners and policy makers. There also are roles farmers, who use large quantities of water for irrigation; oil and gas operations, which frack with millions of gallons of water; and regular citizens, who can be wasteful, too. All parties can work to put water issues higher on the agenda so that everyone is conserving, innovating and contributing to the management of this vital resource. Working smarter doesn’t have to hurt business.

What do you think? If you have thoughts or feedback on any of these stories, I’d like to hear it. Send an email to verduscoj@bnpmedia.com.

Stay safe out there, drillers.

Share This Story

Jeremy verdusco 200px

Jeremy Verdusco worked as Editorial Director for The Driller from late 2012 through early 2024. He’s worked in publishing since 1997, including stints as a reporter, copy editor, page designer and technical writer.

You must login or register in order to post a comment.

Report Abusive Comment

Recent Comments

Drilling licensing

What are the restriction on what can be...

Any drilling that's done with the environment in...

Hello!

Tool Pusher

Subscribe For Free!
  • eNewsletters
  • Online Registration
  • Subscription Customer Service
  • Manage My Preferences

More Videos

Sponsored Content

Sponsored Content is a special paid section where industry companies provide high quality, objective, non-commercial content around topics of interest to the The Driller audience. All Sponsored Content is supplied by the advertising company and any opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and not necessarily reflect the views of The Driller or its parent company, BNP Media. Interested in participating in our Sponsored Content section? Contact your local rep!

close
  • demo of a DM450 drilling rig during a customer factory visit
    Sponsored byGeoprobe

    Built for You: Smarter Drill Rigs, Stronger Support, Bigger Opportunities

Popular Stories

MainPhotoTwoBrothers.jpg

Two Brothers' Journey Through the Drilling Industry

demo of a DM450 drilling rig during a customer factory visit

Built for You: Smarter Drill Rigs, Stronger Support, Bigger Opportunities

AI and Drought Concerns

AI’s Growing Thirst for Water and Power

The Driller Classifieds

COMPRESSORS

EAST WEST MACHINERY & DRILLING IS BUYING AND SELLING AIR COMPRESSORS, AIR BOOSTERS, AIR ENDS & PARTS
Company: East West Machinery

DRILL RIGS

LOOKING FOR LATE MODEL TOPHEADS & DRILLTECH D25'S
Company: Spikes’s Rig Sales

DRILL RIG PARTS

MEETING DRILLERS NEEDS AROUND THE WORLD
Company: East West Machinery

ELEVATORS

SEMCO INC. PIPE ELEVATORS
Company: Semco Inc.

GROUTERS

GROUTING EQUIPMENT - GROUT PUMPS & GROUT HOSE REELS
Company: Geo-Loop Inc.

PUMP HOISTS

SEMCO INC. - BASIC PUMP HOISTS
Company: Semco Inc.

WELL PACKERS

LANSAS PRODUCTS - INFLATABLE WELL PACKERS
Company: Vanderlans Lansas Products

WELL SCREENS

WELL SCREENS & SLOTTED PIPE
Company: Alloy Screen Works

Products

Water Quality Engineering: Physical / Chemical Treatment Processes

Water Quality Engineering: Physical / Chemical Treatment Processes

By carefully explaining both the underlying theory and the underlying mathematics, this text enables readers to fully grasp the fundamentals of physical and chemical treatment processes for water and wastewater.

See More Products

Subscribe to The Driller Newscast

×

Dig deeper into the drilling and water supply industry!

Build your knowledge with The Driller, covering the people, equipment and technologies across drilling markets.

SIGN UP NOW
  • RESOURCES
    • Advertise
    • Contact Us
    • Directories
    • Store
    • Want More
    • Classifieds
  • SIGN UP TODAY
    • Create Account
    • eNewsletters
    • Customer Service
    • Manage Preferences
  • SERVICES
    • Marketing Services
    • Reprints
    • Market Research
    • List Rental
    • Survey/Respondent Access
  • STAY CONNECTED
    • LinkedIn
    • Facebook
    • YouTube
    • X (Twitter)
  • PRIVACY
    • PRIVACY POLICY
    • TERMS & CONDITIONS
    • DO NOT SELL MY PERSONAL INFORMATION
    • PRIVACY REQUEST
    • ACCESSIBILITY

Copyright ©2025. All Rights Reserved BNP Media.

Design, CMS, Hosting & Web Development :: ePublishing

The Driller
search
cart
facebook twitter linkedin youtube
  • Sign In
  • Create Account
  • Sign Out
  • My Account
The Driller
  • NEWS
    • Water
    • Geothermal
    • Construction
    • Environmental
    • Mining
    • All Industry News
  • CLASSIFIEDS
  • EQUIPMENT
    • Rigs & Heavy Equipment
    • Consumables
    • Pumps
    • Featured Products
  • SAFETY
  • VIDEOS
    • Newscast
    • Drill Talks
    • Ask Brock
    • Emerging Drillers
  • EDUCATION
    • Drilling Business Insights
    • Reference Desk
    • Sponsored Insights
  • SOURCEBOOK
  • EVENTS
    • Conferences & Demo Days
    • Newscast LIVE
  • SUBMIT
    • Drillers @Work
  • ABOUT
    • Contact
    • Advertise
  • SIGN UP