Naked Science Forum

Non Life Sciences => Geology, Palaeontology & Archaeology => Topic started by: claydough on 23/11/2016 04:02:16

Title: What is this strange image at an oil refinery visible on Google Earth?
Post by: claydough on 23/11/2016 04:02:16
Not sure where to post this although I think I am looking at the some kind of humongous violent Crystalline result?

take a gander please at the following Google earth link in 3D! ( as much as I ctrl click orbit the view and refresh I always get what looks like a crystalline city! )


* 2016-11-22.jpg (303.61 kB . 1472x650 - viewed 4791 times)
* 2016-11-22 (1).jpg (314.42 kB . 1415x640 - viewed 4529 times)

My imagination running wild since the plot in question located on an oil refinery.
In the tableau in my head there was some kind of chemical process gone haywire or perhaps a chemical fire where an emergency retardant was also a catalyst that resulted in the giant emerald forest?

I tried google street view from the closest street but the view is either absent or blocked.

Crash landing of a meteorite piloted by an alien race that have a crystalline cellular structure. They have been seeding planets with crystal life in this kamikaze manner for a short time only?

Some kind of cooling pit for a refinery process? And This is a frozen result? ( If you zoom out there are similar sized and shaped pits of what looks like possibly liquid filling with pipes running in a network just under the surface? )

Thanks fer any straight d0pe!
Title: Re: What is this strange image at an oil refinery visible on Google Earth?
Post by: claydough on 23/11/2016 04:06:05
hmmm...
not sure what the blacklisted term was in the google link of the 3d earth view. Cant post links so I stripped the head but I guess that is not good enough?
So here are the coordinates instead in case someone would care to scratch their heads:



29°44'54.3"N 94°59'30.8"W

29.748419, -94.991882
Title: Re: What is this strange image at an oil refinery visible on Google Earth?
Post by: evan_au on 23/11/2016 05:06:31
It is labelled as an Exon-Mobil chemical plant, on the outskirts of Houston. It looks like there are many chemical storage tanks, some of them in poor repair. Each tank has a surrounding low dam that is designed to capture the contents of the tank in case the tank ruptures.

A fire in the tank could explain a blackened area inside the dam.

I understand that Google allows land-owners to "censor" certain areas that they consider "sensitive". Some low-resolution polygons could be used as "censorship". A series of towers looks a similar pattern to what you expect in a petrochemical plant, although not exactly what you would expect in a field of storage tanks.
Title: Re: What is this strange image at an oil refinery visible on Google Earth?
Post by: claydough on 23/11/2016 07:38:05
Another forum refereed me to bing's satellite and birds eye views where the pit shows flat green liquid.
So now I am guessing that there is something perhaps metallic that reflects back to google's capturing and calculation technologies in variances causing a haywire frequency result?
That would explain the bumps on some of the facets ( ripple on the liquid surface? )

( It would be a shame though... I was secretly hoping for The Green Lantern's take on his own "fortress of Solitude" )
Title: Re: What is this strange image at an oil refinery visible on Google Earth?
Post by: chris on 23/11/2016 14:17:41
You could not post the links because you have not got enough posting cred here yet; once you reach a threshold number of posts then additional features are unlocked. It is intended to deter spammers.
Title: Re: What is this strange image at an oil refinery visible on Google Earth?
Post by: Paul Repstock on 10/12/2016 23:46:30
Evan; Do you have any definite information on Google's "censoring" of images?
In the area where we live there are regions which display images that I know are atleast 15 years old?
With the huge numbers of satelites now in orbit, it surprises me that ordinary people cannot gain access to Real Time images at a reasonable cost. I do understand that the data needs to be run through enhancing processors. But, it can't be that expensive.