- 2 days ago
A massive crack has reportedly been detected in California — and shockingly, monitoring systems didn’t catch it in time. New footage and ground reports suggest it’s expanding faster than expected, raising serious concerns among experts. Now, the big question is whether this is an isolated event… or the start of something much bigger beneath the surface.
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00:00Deep beneath California, scientists may have discovered something enormous and completely unexpected.
00:08A massive crack hidden deep inside the Earth's crust.
00:13A fracture that could stretch for hundreds of kilometers beneath parts of the western United States.
00:19And the strange part is that nobody saw it coming.
00:24California is one of the most heavily studied seismic regions on the entire planet.
00:30Thousands of instruments constantly monitor the ground.
00:34Satellites track movements smaller than the width of a fingernail.
00:38And scientists have spent decades mapping the famous faults that cut through the state.
00:44Yet, despite all this technology, something huge may have been hiding underground the entire time.
00:51Recent seismic studies suggest that deep beneath California, there may be a large fracture in the Earth's lithosphere.
01:00The rigid outer shell of our planet.
01:03A massive crack under California that scientists are only now beginning to understand.
01:09So what exactly did researchers find?
01:12How could something this big remain hidden for so long?
01:16And could it change what we know about earthquakes in North America?
01:20At first glance, California shouldn't have many geological secrets left.
01:25It sits along one of the most famous tectonic boundaries in the world.
01:30The Pacific Plate and the North American Plate grind past each other here every single day.
01:37That slow movement is responsible for thousands of earthquakes every year.
01:42Most of them are tiny, but sometimes the pressure builds up for decades, until the rocks suddenly slip.
01:51When that happens, enormous energy is released in seconds.
01:56That's what we feel as an earthquake.
01:59Scientists have spent more than a century studying this process across California.
02:03Major faults like the San Andreas Fault are mapped in incredible detail.
02:10Researchers know where stress is building and where earthquakes are likely to happen.
02:16But here's the surprising part.
02:18The Earth's crust isn't just one clean crack.
02:21It's more like shattered glass.
02:23A tangled network of faults, fractures, and ancient scars left behind by millions of years of tectonic movement.
02:32Some of those fractures reach deep underground, far below where geologists can directly observe them.
02:39And sometimes, they stay hidden.
02:43That's exactly what may have happened with this newly identified crack beneath California.
02:48Scientists didn't find it by drilling or digging.
02:52Instead, they used earthquakes themselves to reveal what's happening underground.
02:58Every time a small earthquake occurs, it sends waves traveling through the Earth.
03:04These waves move differently depending on the type of rock they pass through.
03:09Some layers slow them down.
03:12Others bend or scatter them.
03:14By studying how thousands of these waves move through the crust,
03:18scientists can build something like a CT scan of the planet.
03:23And when researchers analyzed years of seismic data across California,
03:28something unusual appeared deep beneath the surface.
03:32Patterns in the seismic waves suggested the presence of a long fracture structure buried deep in the lithosphere.
03:40In simple terms, it looked like a massive crack running through the deeper layers of the Earth's crust,
03:47potentially stretching for hundreds of kilometers beneath California.
03:51Even more surprising, the structure didn't match the location of any major known surface fault.
03:58That means it may exist far below the cracks geologists can see from above.
04:04In other words, part of the planet's outer shell may actually be tearing deep underground.
04:10And this is where things get interesting.
04:13Scientists believe this deep fracture could help explain some strange earthquake behavior across the region.
04:20Certain earthquakes in California don't always follow the patterns researchers expect.
04:26Some happen deeper than typical faults.
04:28Others appear in clusters that don't align with known fault lines.
04:33A hidden crack in the lithosphere could act like a pathway that guides stress through the crust,
04:39almost like a hidden seam inside the planet.
04:41But researchers are still trying to understand exactly how this structure behaves.
04:47It may not produce large earthquakes directly.
04:51Instead, it might influence how energy moves through the surrounding rock.
04:56And discoveries like this are a reminder that even well-studied places can still surprise scientists.
05:04California isn't the only region in North America where hidden cracks in the Earth
05:09have revealed unexpected seismic risks.
05:12One famous example lies thousands of kilometers away in the central United States.
05:18In the early 1800s, a series of powerful earthquakes struck near the Mississippi River
05:24in an area now known as the New Madrid Seismic Zone.
05:29These earthquakes were so strong that they reportedly caused parts of the Mississippi River
05:33to temporarily flow backward.
05:36Forests collapsed.
05:38The ground cracked open.
05:40And church bells rang hundreds of kilometers away.
05:43What made these earthquakes so mysterious
05:46is that they happened far from any major tectonic plate boundary.
05:51For years, scientists struggled to explain them.
05:55Eventually, researchers discovered that the region sits on top of an ancient failed rift.
06:02A massive crack in the Earth's crust that began forming hundreds of millions of years ago
06:08when North America almost split apart.
06:11The rift never fully opened.
06:13But the weakness in the crust remained.
06:16And today, that ancient fracture can still generate earthquakes.
06:21Another dramatic example lies along the Pacific Northwest.
06:25For centuries, scientists didn't realize that the Cascadia subduction zone
06:30was capable of producing gigantic earthquakes.
06:34Then researchers began studying coastal sediments,
06:38drowned forests, and tsunami records in Japan.
06:41The evidence revealed that in the year 1700,
06:45a massive magnitude 9 earthquake struck the region.
06:48It generated a tsunami that traveled across the entire Pacific Ocean.
06:54And for hundreds of years,
06:56nobody in North America even realized it had happened.
07:00Discoveries like these have changed how scientists think about earthquakes.
07:04Because the Earth's crust isn't simple.
07:07It's full of hidden fractures,
07:09buried faults,
07:10and ancient tectonic scars
07:12that can remain invisible for centuries.
07:15Until new technology finally reveals them.
07:20The possible massive crack beneath California
07:23may be another example of this hidden complexity.
07:27It doesn't necessarily mean a huge earthquake is coming.
07:31But it does show that the deep structure of the planet beneath California
07:35may be far more complicated than scientists once believed.
07:39Every new seismic study helps researchers build better models
07:44of how stress moves through the crust.
07:46Those models are crucial for improving earthquake hazard maps
07:50and early warning systems.
07:53In a region where tens of millions of people live near active faults,
07:57even small improvements in understanding the Earth
08:00can make a big difference.
08:02But perhaps the most fascinating part of this discovery
08:05is what it tells us about our planet.
08:08Even in places scientists have studied for generations.
08:12Even with satellites,
08:14seismic networks,
08:15and powerful computers,
08:18the Earth can still hide enormous structures deep underground.
08:21And the deeper researchers look beneath California,
08:25the more they realize something surprising.
08:28The ground beneath one of America's largest and most populated states
08:33may be far more fractured
08:35and far less predictable
08:37than anyone once believed.
08:41Something is about to reshape the entire future of the West Coast.
08:45The coastline,
08:46the infrastructure,
08:47the whole map.
08:48Scientists fear there is not one,
08:50but two big earthquakes coming.
08:52One caused by another.
08:54This wasn't even on the radar for most people.
08:56But new research is changing everything.
09:00For decades,
09:01everyone treated the San Andreas Fault
09:03and the Cascadia Subduction Zone
09:05like two separate monsters
09:06that just happened to live in the same neighborhood.
09:09They were powerful, yes,
09:11but independent.
09:12But now,
09:13scientists believe these two giant faults
09:15are mechanically linked
09:16and one can literally pull the other
09:19into rupturing shortly afterward.
09:21Cascadia moves,
09:23San Andreas moves.
09:24San Andreas tears,
09:26Cascadia tears.
09:27And the potential consequences of that
09:29are honestly haunting.
09:32Scientists found evidence
09:33that it happened at least 10 times
09:35in the last 3,100 years.
09:37Earthquake.
09:38Pause.
09:38Earthquake.
09:39It comes from marine sediment cores
09:41which are like time capsules
09:43pulled up from the ocean floor.
09:45Researchers analyzed layer after layer
09:47of seabed sediment
09:48and found doublets,
09:50paired debris layers
09:51created by two massive quakes
09:53happening so close together
09:54that the ocean barely had time
09:56to settle between them.
09:58That discovery takes us
09:59to the Mendocino Triple Junction,
10:01the geological troublemaker of the west coast.
10:05It's the place where three tectonic plates crash
10:07and grind into each other
10:09like badly aligned gears.
10:11It's also the zone
10:12where the San Andreas meets Cascadia,
10:14which makes it the perfect place
10:16for these double quakes to form.
10:18The stress changes caused by a rupture in one fault
10:21travel straight through this junction
10:23and destabilize the other.
10:25It's benign when it happens to a bookshelf.
10:27When you move one book,
10:29three others shift.
10:30But when you think about it like a coastline
10:32with millions of people,
10:33entire cities,
10:34major infrastructure,
10:36it instantly feels terrifying.
10:39To many people who live on the west coast,
10:42the San Andreas kind of feels like
10:44a California's problem
10:45and Cascadia like an Oregon
10:47and Washington's problem.
10:49But when you understand that these two faults
10:51can essentially fire at each other,
10:53it stops being a local issue
10:55and becomes a continental one.
10:58A Cascadia megaquake alone
11:00can hit magnitude 9.0 plus,
11:04rip open 600 to 700 miles of seafloor
11:07and send a tsunami
11:08roaring toward the Pacific coast.
11:10And it could just be the first quake.
11:13And then, maybe minutes later,
11:15the San Andreas snaps in Northern California.
11:18The shaking could ripple down the state
11:20like a zipper tearing open a jacket.
11:22And if it goes the other direction,
11:24it could be just as bad.
11:26If the San Andreas ruptures first,
11:29the intense stress redistribution
11:30can destabilize the Cascadia subduction zone.
11:34You could get the California quake first
11:36with buildings rocking,
11:38highways breaking,
11:39and power stations failing.
11:40And then, soon after,
11:42the ocean pulls back in Oregon or Washington.
11:45And the 20-minute countdown to a tsunami begins.
11:48A follow-up disaster.
11:50It's the kind of chain reaction you don't want
11:52even in a video game,
11:54let alone real life.
11:56This discovery also tells us something eerie
11:59about the earthquake in 1700.
12:02The one that sent a tsunami across the Pacific
12:04so huge that it struck Japan with no warning.
12:08Japanese fishermen called that wave the orphan tsunami
12:11because it arrived without any felt shaking.
12:14Only centuries later,
12:16scientists figured out that it came
12:17from the Pacific Northwest.
12:19But until recently,
12:20no one knew that the San Andreas
12:22might have felt that event too,
12:24and it possibly slipped
12:25or destabilized because of it.
12:28So, the whole West Coast
12:30may have moved together.
12:33And we've come to the scariest part.
12:36All this isn't about if.
12:39It's strictly about when.
12:41The faults have a rhythm,
12:43a pace,
12:44and a geological heartbeat.
12:45We've seen how they behave
12:47across thousands of years.
12:49We know what they did.
12:50And now we know
12:51they sometimes do it in sequence.
12:54The real fear isn't the first quake.
12:56California already expects a big one.
12:59The real fear is the second quake.
13:01The one that comes before
13:03you've checked on your family,
13:04before emergency responders regroup,
13:07before the power comes back,
13:08and before the dust settles.
13:11Even if you don't live on the West Coast,
13:14this matters for you too.
13:15The ports in California,
13:17Oregon,
13:18and Washington
13:19handle a massive chunk
13:20of America's imports.
13:22Knock them offline,
13:23and it's not just the coastline
13:25that feels it.
13:25The ripple hits the entire country,
13:27and potentially the world.
13:30Grocery prices spike,
13:31supply chains freeze,
13:33gas availability dips,
13:35shipping timelines go nuts.
13:37The world is much more connected
13:39than any of us thought,
13:40and a geological double punch
13:42on the Pacific coast
13:43wouldn't stay a local disaster.
13:45It would spread,
13:46thread by thread,
13:48into everyone's life.
13:49So, those in power
13:51must prepare not for one giant rupture,
13:53but for two.
13:55Emergency plans,
13:56evacuation routes,
13:58response times,
13:58and power grid designs,
14:00all of it needs updating.
14:02Because nature has now shown us
14:04what even a single major rupture
14:06can do to a modern economy.
14:08It happened in Japan,
14:09in 1995,
14:10on January 17th
14:12at 5.46 in the morning.
14:15The quake hit right by the northern tip
14:17of Awaji Island,
14:19only 12 miles from Kobe,
14:21a huge, busy city
14:22with about 1.4 million people back then,
14:25and another 2.6 million
14:27in Osaka nearby.
14:29The rupture ripped along the Nojima Fault
14:31for about 25 miles.
14:33That doesn't sound like much
14:35until you realize
14:36entire buildings
14:37can't survive
14:38that kind of sideways shove.
14:40More than 5,000 people
14:42lost their lives.
14:4443,000 were injured.
14:46Nearly 400,000 buildings
14:48were irreparably damaged.
14:50This disaster
14:51hit one of Japan's
14:52largest industrial zones,
14:53and when you mess with a place like that,
14:56the shock doesn't stop
14:57at the shoreline.
14:58The damage was
14:59$200 billion U.S. in losses
15:02from smashed buildings
15:03and infrastructure
15:04and many businesses
15:05shutting down.
15:07Kobe's port
15:07just collapsed.
15:09Only 30%
15:10of the Osaka-Kobe railway lines worked.
15:12Part of National Route 28
15:14literally vanished
15:15into the ground.
15:16Schools,
15:17hospitals,
15:18and municipal buildings,
15:1985% of them
15:20took damage
15:21or were unusable.
15:23Fires broke out
15:24across Kobe,
15:25almost 300 separate incidents,
15:27burning the equivalent
15:28of 70 U.S. city blocks
15:30and taking another
15:31600 to 700 lives.
15:34Almost 100,000 people
15:36permanently left the region,
15:382.5% of the whole population
15:40gone in less than a year.
15:42And here's a detail
15:43that stuck with me.
15:44So many bridges failed
15:46that engineers
15:47suddenly had to confront
15:48how poorly older designs
15:50handled lateral shaking.
15:51Houses with heavy tiled roofs
15:54built to fight typhoons
15:55crumbled
15:56because all that weight
15:57sat too high.
15:58But the newer homes
15:59made after the 1981
16:01building code revision
16:02stood.
16:03And that's when Japan realized
16:05that modern seismic standards
16:06were crucial to follow.
16:08Japan threw
16:09$58 billion U.S.
16:11into restoring the region.
16:13Power came back
16:14in days.
16:15Roads and rail
16:15returned in 5 to 8 months.
16:17The main expressway
16:18took 21 months.
16:20The port was fully rebuilt
16:21in just over 2 years.
16:23And by then,
16:24all debris was cleared.
16:26Within 15 months,
16:28manufacturing jumped back
16:29to 98% of its old level.
16:31Stores reopened.
16:33By 1999,
16:35Kobe's economy
16:36reached roughly
16:3675 to 90%
16:38of pre-quake levels.
16:40Japan overhauled
16:41its disaster management
16:42system entirely.
16:43They set up
16:44the Central Disaster
16:45Management Council
16:46and rewrote building codes.
16:48They upgraded everything
16:50from emergency drills
16:51to fire-resistant city layouts.
16:53and they launched
16:54the Earthquake Early Warning System
16:55that now gives Japan
16:57those precious few seconds
16:58before shaking hits.
17:00The same system
17:01that's saved countless lives
17:02since 2007.
17:05But despite all this improvement,
17:07the Kansai region
17:08still sits on
17:09dangerous ground.
17:10The Roku Awajishima
17:12Fault System,
17:13the same one
17:14that snapped in 1995,
17:15still runs under them.
17:17The 2018 Northern Osaka Quake
17:19and the 2024 Noto Peninsula Quake
17:21reminded everyone
17:23that this threat
17:23didn't disappear.
17:25It just waits its turn.
17:27A future large event
17:28on that system
17:29could hit even harder
17:30simply because
17:31the region has grown
17:32more complex,
17:33more interconnected,
17:34and more economically loaded.
17:37So Kobe wasn't even
17:38a triggered
17:39double-fault rupture,
17:40but it still broke
17:41a major industrial hub,
17:43reshaped a national economy,
17:45and permanently changed
17:47global shipping routes.
17:48That's why when scientists
17:49started talking
17:50about two joint faults
17:52firing off back-to-back
17:53in Cascadia and San Andreas,
17:55you don't even have
17:57to imagine the consequences.
17:59We already got a preview
18:00in 1995.
18:03Oh boy,
18:04there's something huge
18:05lurking under the ocean,
18:06and no one really knows
18:07what it is.
18:08For weeks,
18:09weird waves have been
18:10showing up out of nowhere,
18:12and people are starting
18:13to whisper about
18:14giant spherical objects.
18:16They're sitting deep down
18:17below on the ocean floor.
18:18No one's ever seen
18:20anything like this before.
18:22Now, let's say
18:24you're living by the sea.
18:25One day,
18:26you start spotting
18:26unusual waves
18:28rolling in for no reason at all.
18:30The weather isn't stormy,
18:31there's no wind,
18:32just strange rhythmic
18:33swells of water.
18:35Naturally,
18:36you get curious,
18:37and a little nervous.
18:38Then the word gets out,
18:40there are several
18:41massive spheres
18:42on the seafloor,
18:43each weighing about
18:44400 tons.
18:46That's not something
18:47you see every day.
18:48Speculations begin
18:49running wild.
18:50Are those massive eggs
18:52of a new deep-sea species?
18:54Is it some kind
18:55of equipment?
18:56Is someone conducting
18:57a top-secret
18:58science experiment?
18:59Or has another civilization
19:01visited us
19:02and installed
19:03some cosmic technology?
19:06After weeks of guessing,
19:07you find out the truth.
19:09It comes from
19:10the Fraunhofer Institute
19:11in Germany.
19:12Those giant spheres
19:14are part of a revolutionary
19:15renewable energy
19:16storage system.
19:17And those odd surface waves
19:19are just a side effect
19:21of its operation.
19:22So,
19:22it's not a threat,
19:24after all.
19:24It's a step
19:25toward a better future.
19:27Giant concrete spheres,
19:29sitting almost
19:302,000 feet underwater,
19:31are part of something
19:32called the StenSea project.
19:34That's short for
19:35Stored Energy in the Sea.
19:38Basically,
19:38it's a smart way
19:39to store renewable energy,
19:41where the ocean
19:42does most of the work.
19:43Here's how it works.
19:44The spheres are hollow.
19:46When they're charged,
19:47they're empty inside.
19:48Then,
19:49when a valve is opened,
19:51seawater rushes in
19:52and that flow
19:53spins turbines
19:54that generate energy.
19:55So,
19:56these things are like
19:56massive underwater batteries.
19:58And probably the best thing
20:00is that they don't
20:01take up any land space
20:02and don't mess
20:03with the local ecosystem,
20:05a minimal impact
20:06on marine life.
20:08Amazingly,
20:08these 400-ton spheres
20:10aren't the first
20:11energy spheres
20:12we've seen
20:12in renewable energy,
20:14either.
20:14There's already
20:15a wind energy sphere
20:16that promises energy
20:17from all directions,
20:19and some people are sure
20:20that it might even
20:21beat solar panels.
20:23Alright,
20:24picture a wind turbine,
20:25but not the usual
20:26tall,
20:27three-bladed kind.
20:28The O-wind turbine
20:29is spherical.
20:31It looks like a big ball.
20:32It doesn't care
20:33which way the wind blows.
20:35It just grabs it.
20:36The huge ball
20:37has a network
20:38of vents and channels
20:39that funnel the wind
20:40straight to the blades
20:41inside.
20:42So,
20:43no matter which way
20:44a gust comes from,
20:45the turbine can still spin
20:47and generate electricity.
20:49Because it can capture wind
20:50from all sides,
20:52it's way more efficient
20:53than traditional turbines
20:54in places where the wind
20:55is kinda erratic
20:57or keeps changing direction.
20:59In the right conditions,
21:00this kind of turbine
21:01might be more efficient
21:03than solar panels,
21:04which are the most effective
21:05when the sun is shining.
21:07At the same time,
21:08the O-wind turbine
21:09can generate electricity
21:10any time there's no wind,
21:12no matter the time of day.
21:14That makes it a much more
21:15reliable source
21:16of renewable energy,
21:18especially in places
21:19where the weather
21:19loves to change its mind.
21:21Another big plus
21:23is the size.
21:24Solar panels need a lot of space
21:26to produce significant energy,
21:27and it can be tricky in cities.
21:30The O-wind turbine
21:31is compact
21:32and can fit on roofs,
21:33balconies,
21:34or other spots
21:35where space is tight.
21:36Now, not every O-wind turbine
21:38produces the same amount of power.
21:40It really depends
21:41on where you put it.
21:43Wind speed,
21:44its direction,
21:44and consistency
21:46all play a role
21:47in how much energy it generates.
21:49That's why it's so important
21:50to find the right place
21:52for the turbine.
21:53The company behind the technology,
21:55O-Innovations,
21:56even provides special tools
21:58to analyze your location
22:00and figure out
22:01the best spot for installation.
22:03Getting back
22:04to our giant
22:05otherworldly spheres.
22:06Each of them
22:07is supposed to last
22:0850 to 60 years,
22:10and the turbines
22:10and generators inside
22:12are swapped out
22:13roughly every 20 years.
22:15Altogether,
22:16these spheres
22:16could store
22:17about 817,000 gigawatts.
22:20That's enough energy
22:21to power over 200,000 homes.
22:24These underwater giants
22:25are quietly sitting there,
22:27holding massive amounts
22:28of clean energy,
22:29ready to release it
22:30when we need it.
22:31Right now,
22:32the project off the coast
22:34of California
22:34is still just a plan,
22:36but it's already
22:37drawing attention.
22:38There's an idea
22:39to build even larger spheres,
22:41up to almost 100 feet wide.
22:43That's like a small building
22:45underwater.
22:46And it doesn't have to stop
22:47in the US.
22:48We could easily replicate
22:49the system in other
22:50deep coastal areas,
22:52like Norway,
22:53Portugal,
22:53Japan,
22:54and others.
22:55Basically,
22:56anywhere you've got deep water,
22:58these spheres could be
22:59storing clean energy.
23:01Now,
23:02besides the amazing
23:03underwater spheres,
23:04the future of renewable energy
23:06might include wind trees,
23:08kinetic tiles,
23:09jellyfish,
23:10static charges,
23:11and tons of more creative things.
23:14For example,
23:15wind trees are basically
23:16mini wind turbines
23:17that look like actual trees.
23:19They're made up
23:20of a metal tree structure,
23:22and the leaves
23:22are tiny turbines.
23:24Some of them
23:25even have up to 4 batteries
23:26to store the energy
23:27they produce.
23:28Under the right conditions,
23:30one of those
23:30could generate enough power
23:32for a 4-person household.
23:34That's around
23:3418,000 kilowatts a year.
23:37The idea is pretty smart.
23:39These wind trees
23:39could bring renewable energy
23:41into private homes
23:42or urban areas
23:43where there isn't room
23:44for a big wind farm.
23:46Other designs
23:47even combine
23:48small solar panels
23:49with the turbines,
23:50so they can pull in energy
23:52from both the sun
23:53and the wind.
23:54Your dancing or walking
23:56could make electricity.
23:58And that's exactly
23:59what kinetic tiles do.
24:01They capture energy
24:02from movement
24:02and turn it into power.
24:04Each tile
24:05has a little generator inside.
24:07When someone dances,
24:08walks,
24:09or jumps on it,
24:10the tile produces energy,
24:11which is then stored
24:13in the supercapacitor.
24:14Numerous tiles
24:15can be linked together
24:16to power things like lights
24:18or small devices.
24:19And it's not just
24:21for dance floors.
24:22No!
24:22In the UK in 2022,
24:25a short stretch
24:26of kinetic pavement
24:27was installed
24:28to power nearby phone chargers.
24:30People who were walking by
24:31could literally see
24:33their steps
24:33turn into energy.
24:35Researchers think
24:36kinetic tiles
24:36could be used
24:37in schools and offices
24:38to power Wi-Fi,
24:40lights,
24:40or other electronics.
24:42Plus,
24:42some of these tiles
24:43are made from
24:44recycled materials,
24:45like plastic.
24:46This makes them
24:47even more eco-friendly.
24:50Now,
24:51I'll bet
24:51you've walked across
24:52a carpet in socks
24:53and zapped yourself
24:54on a doorknob
24:55at least once
24:56in your life.
24:57Well,
24:58that's static electricity
24:59at work.
25:00The amount of charge
25:01you generate
25:01depends on what
25:02you're wearing
25:03and even your size,
25:04so it's not
25:05exactly predictable.
25:07On average,
25:07a person can build up
25:09about 250 mini-joules
25:11of energy
25:11before discharging it.
25:13Honestly,
25:14that's not a lie.
25:15But you can still
25:16perform a little trick.
25:17Rub a balloon
25:18on your hair
25:19to charge it up
25:20and then press the base
25:21of a light bulb
25:22to the balloon.
25:23The bulb will light up.
25:25Is it a realistic way
25:26to power your house?
25:27Probably not.
25:29But maybe
25:30we'll work out a way
25:31to turn this tiny amount
25:32of energy
25:32into something serious
25:34in the future.
25:35After all,
25:36even jellyfish
25:37can help us
25:38produce clean energy.
25:40Bioluminescent jellyfish
25:41have a fluorescent protein
25:43that can be turned
25:44into a kind of solar cell
25:46that's more sustainable
25:47than regular
25:48photovoltaic cells.
25:49A team at
25:50Chalmers University
25:51in Sweden
25:52put a tiny droplet
25:53of the jellyfish protein
25:55on aluminum electrodes
25:56and hit it
25:57with UV light.
25:58The protein
25:59released electrons,
26:00creating electricity.
26:02In other words,
26:03they made
26:03a biological fuel cell
26:05that can generate power
26:06without needing
26:07any outside source.
26:09It's still
26:10in the early days,
26:11but it's a glimpse
26:12at how nature itself
26:13could help us
26:14power our devices
26:15someday.
26:17So yeah,
26:18maybe the future
26:19of clean energy
26:19isn't something you see.
26:21It's something
26:22quietly existing
26:23at the bottom
26:24of the ocean,
26:24storing power
26:25and keeping our planet
26:26greener,
26:27and we don't even notice.
26:44This massive lake
26:46in California
26:47is worth $540 billion
26:49as it holds enough lithium
26:51to power over
26:5230 trillion iPhones.
26:54That's way more
26:55than experts predicted,
26:56making it one of the
26:57biggest lithium reserves
26:58ever.
26:59This finding
27:00could revolutionize
27:01the U.S. economy,
27:02but a major challenge
27:03is still standing
27:04in the way.
27:05If it's not solved,
27:06all that money
27:07will stay buried
27:08forever.
27:11First things first,
27:12lithium.
27:14This metal
27:15is so valuable
27:15that people call it
27:16white gold,
27:17and it's unbelievably light.
27:19In fact,
27:20it's the lightest solid
27:21on Earth
27:22at room temperature.
27:24It was discovered
27:25by a Swedish chemist
27:27in 1817,
27:28and honestly,
27:29since then,
27:30we didn't really care
27:31much about lithium.
27:32This poor metal
27:33was ignored for centuries
27:34because it didn't seem
27:35to have any practical use
27:37in everyday life.
27:38I mean,
27:39sure,
27:39it's light,
27:40it's white,
27:41it's shiny,
27:41but what could we
27:42actually do with it?
27:44At some point,
27:45though,
27:46another trait
27:46of this metal
27:47started to stand out.
27:48It's reactivity.
27:50Basically,
27:51it bonds really easily
27:52with other elements,
27:53but that also means
27:54something else.
27:55It can catch fire
27:56in seconds.
27:57For example,
27:59if you expose it to air,
28:00it goes through
28:01a wild oxidization reaction,
28:03and before you know it,
28:05boom,
28:05flames everywhere.
28:07This might sound like
28:08danger to you,
28:09but to scientists,
28:10it screamed
28:11Eureka!
28:13Because being super light
28:14and super reactive
28:15actually makes it
28:16the perfect material
28:17for batteries,
28:18and you get why
28:19that's a big deal
28:20nowadays,
28:21right?
28:22Batteries power
28:22almost everything
28:23around us,
28:24like smartphones,
28:25cars,
28:25and even small airplanes.
28:27Since everyone
28:28suddenly wants lithium,
28:29demand has skyrocketed
28:31and is not slowing down
28:32anytime soon.
28:34Back in 2021,
28:35for example,
28:36the world produced
28:37about 540,000 tons of it,
28:39but by 2030,
28:41predictions say
28:42demand could soar
28:43past 3 million tons.
28:45And here's the problem.
28:46Lithium is a finite resource.
28:49There are only about
28:50100 lithium mines
28:52in the world,
28:53mostly in Australia,
28:54Chile,
28:54and China.
28:55Sure,
28:56supply is expected to grow,
28:57but demand is climbing
28:59much faster.
29:00That means we could be
29:01facing a shortage soon.
29:04Lithium mines can keep up
29:05with today's demand,
29:06but they won't be able
29:07to do that for many more years.
29:10So that's why finding
29:11new lithium reserves today
29:12is basically like
29:14winning the lottery.
29:15In this case,
29:16the United States
29:16is one of the lucky winners.
29:19First,
29:19there's the Thacker Pass Mine.
29:21This spot in Nevada
29:22might hold the largest
29:24untapped lithium reserves
29:25on the planet.
29:26To put it in perspective,
29:28some estimates say
29:29it could supply
29:30up to one quarter
29:31of the world's lithium demand.
29:32We're talking as much
29:34as 40 million tons
29:35of this precious metal,
29:36and that might be worth
29:38over $500 billion.
29:40Right there,
29:42they'll be extracting
29:43lithium from clay.
29:44This might be challenging,
29:46since this process
29:47has never been done
29:48on such a huge scale before,
29:49but it's doable.
29:51A couple of years ago,
29:53the United States
29:53found another big win
29:55in the lithium game,
29:56the Salton Sea.
29:57This is a huge,
29:58shallow lake
29:59located in Southern California's
30:01Imperial County.
30:02At first,
30:04they announced
30:04that this spot
30:05could hold
30:05over 3.4 million tons
30:07of lithium underground.
30:08That would be enough
30:09to make more than
30:11375 million batteries
30:13for electric vehicles.
30:15That was already huge,
30:16but then,
30:17more recently,
30:18specialists realized
30:19they had made a mistake.
30:21Actually,
30:22a good mistake.
30:23The amount of lithium there
30:25is likely much,
30:26much higher.
30:27It could hold
30:2818 million tons of it.
30:29Now,
30:30the Salton Sea
30:31is being considered
30:32the fifth largest
30:33lithium deposit
30:34in the world.
30:35This could be
30:36a real game-changer.
30:37The United States
30:39is betting big
30:39on this mineral,
30:41hoping it'll help
30:41keep the country's economy
30:43strong for decades to come.
30:44So,
30:45finding this second
30:46big source of lithium
30:47was a huge relief.
30:49It means America
30:50is one step closer
30:51to relying less
30:52on other countries.
30:54And,
30:54by the way,
30:55most of its lithium
30:56right now
30:57comes from Chile.
30:58We refer to it
30:59as the Saudi Arabia
31:01of lithium.
31:02Of course,
31:03California is thrilled
31:04about this,
31:05seeing it as a potential
31:06economic windfall.
31:07The region is already
31:09being called
31:09the Saudi Arabia
31:10of lithium,
31:11or Lithium Valley,
31:13because of its potential
31:13to dominate
31:14the battery supply chain.
31:16And if it works out,
31:17it'll be a huge benefit
31:19for the state.
31:20Apparently,
31:21authorities plan
31:22to use 80%
31:23of the money
31:24from lithium extraction
31:25for local development
31:26and infrastructure.
31:28The idea
31:28is to upgrade roads,
31:30schools,
31:30and other public services.
31:32That could create
31:33a lot of new jobs
31:34for Imperial County,
31:35which is considered
31:36one of California's
31:37poorest regions.
31:39Big question,
31:40if the lithium
31:41is hiding under the lake,
31:43can they even get it out?
31:46Well,
31:47yes,
31:47at least in theory.
31:49There are two main ways
31:50companies usually extract lithium.
31:52The first is the old-school method,
31:55open-pit mining,
31:56where the rock is dug up,
31:57crushed,
31:58and processed.
32:00That's what they do
32:01at Thacker Pass,
32:02for example.
32:02They use massive hydraulic shovels
32:04to dig the metal
32:05out of the clay.
32:07Then,
32:07there are evaporation ponds.
32:10Here,
32:10they pump lithium-rich brine
32:12to the surface
32:13and let the water evaporate,
32:14leaving the metal behind.
32:16The problem with both methods
32:18is that they use
32:18tons of water
32:19and can cause
32:20a lot of contamination
32:21and waste.
32:23At the Salton Sea
32:24in California,
32:25things work
32:25a little differently.
32:27Instead of giant pits
32:28or evaporation ponds,
32:29companies are using
32:30the area's natural
32:31geothermal power
32:32to pull it out
32:33in a cleaner way.
32:34This method is called
32:36direct lithium extraction.
32:38And here's how it works.
32:40Near the lake,
32:41there are already
32:4211 geothermal power plants
32:44that pump up
32:45super-hot,
32:46mineral-rich brine
32:47from underground.
32:48Normally,
32:49that brine is just used
32:50to make steam,
32:51which spins turbines
32:52to generate electricity.
32:54But now,
32:55companies are figuring out
32:56how to pull the lithium
32:57out of that same brine
32:59before sending it
33:00back underground.
33:02Since they're already
33:03pumping the brine
33:04for energy,
33:05collecting the lithium
33:06doesn't need
33:06any extra digging
33:07or big ponds.
33:09So,
33:10it avoids most of
33:11the water waste
33:11and pollution
33:12you get with old methods.
33:14It's like getting
33:15clean energy
33:15and battery materials
33:17at the same time,
33:18but with way less impact
33:19on the environment.
33:21This method
33:22sounds brilliant
33:23and totally doable,
33:24but it also comes
33:25with challenges
33:26that won't be easy
33:27to overcome.
33:28Sure,
33:29people call it
33:30environmentally friendly,
33:31but that's only
33:32when you compare it
33:33to other ways
33:33of getting lithium.
33:35This method
33:35still raises concerns
33:37about water use.
33:38People in California
33:39are already dealing
33:41with shortages,
33:41and large-scale
33:42lithium extraction
33:43could put even more
33:44pressure on the region's
33:46limited water supply.
33:47The Salton Sea
33:48itself is shrinking fast.
33:50Water levels
33:51have dropped
33:51by more than 9 feet
33:52over the past 25 years.
33:54That creates
33:56a huge problem.
33:57Less water
33:58means more exposed
33:59lake bed,
33:59and the sediments there
34:01can contain
34:02harmful materials.
34:03As the lake shrinks,
34:05that exposed lake bed
34:06dries out
34:07and turns to dust,
34:08and that dust
34:09doesn't just sit there.
34:10The wind picks it up
34:11and blows it
34:12into the air.
34:13Now,
34:14the Salton Sea's
34:15shrinking shoreline
34:16is releasing toxic dust
34:17into the air,
34:18and that dust
34:19has been linked
34:20to increasing rates
34:20of respiratory problems
34:22among local residents.
34:24Authorities are already
34:25taking steps
34:26to reverse the situation
34:27by adding water
34:28to the dry parts
34:29of the Salton Sea.
34:31They're filling
34:31shallow ponds
34:32near the lake
34:33to make new wetlands.
34:34Their goal
34:35is to create
34:36a safe habitat
34:37for fish and birds,
34:38and to help keep
34:39that toxic dust
34:40under control.
34:42Some people worry
34:43that digging up
34:44all this white gold
34:45could make the Salton Sea
34:46shrink even faster
34:48and undo years
34:49of restoration work.
34:51For now,
34:52studies show
34:52geothermal plants
34:53only use about 4%
34:55of the region's
34:56water supply,
34:56but researchers
34:57still don't know
34:58if expanding
34:59these operations
35:00could end up
35:01making the water
35:01problem worse.
35:03So,
35:04what happens next?
35:05It's too soon to say,
35:06but one thing's for sure,
35:08we will need
35:09a lot more research
35:09to understand
35:10what this all means,
35:12not just for the Salton Sea,
35:14but for the future
35:14of the U.S. economy.
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