Re:The Boring Company FAQ
by Animats on Wednesday May 17, 2017 @12:29PM
(#14360041)
Soil testing by drilling small vertical test holes with well-drilling equipment is routine. This would be essential in Los Angeles, which is a mountain range covered by sedimentary basin fill. Here and there the mountain range peeks above ground, which is why you see some rock outcroppings in mostly flat LA. The mountain range is still there, underground.
It is well-mapped. LA used to have an oil industry, with oil wells all over the city. So the underground has been explored and studied by the oil industry. UCLA has been studying Los Angeles area geology since the 1920s.
Exploring horizontally has been done for a few projects that lack vertical access. Eurotunnel drilled the service tunnel first. Some mountain tunnel projects in Japan did horizontal test bores. You can't do this directly ahead of the main TBM without interfering with the main dig.
It is well-mapped. LA used to have an oil industry, with oil wells all over the city. So the underground has been explored and studied by the oil industry. UCLA has been studying Los Angeles area geology since the 1920s.
Exploring horizontally has been done for a few projects that lack vertical access. Eurotunnel drilled the service tunnel first. Some mountain tunnel projects in Japan did horizontal test bores. You can't do this directly ahead of the main TBM without interfering with the main dig.