Why are the Reagan Reserves stored in salt mines? Is there a scientific reason for this? Instead of using well built warehouses?

mushroommunk@lemmy.today · 4 months

There are some articles out there explaining it better but it basically boils down to salt being an incredibly good seal. It basically seals itself off if small cracks form. That means oil doesn’t leak away, and things don’t get into the oil. It makes it relatively stable and lower risk than a tank which could easily get a hole or something.

ItsLucky@pawb.social · 4 months

As a geologist I seco d this, salt is more like a plaster than a rock and super good at sealing itself. You only gotta be lucky that no bigger tectonic stresses build up to huge cracks, as these can’t be filled easily, but that is nothing that can’t be monitores amd watched for. Ofc it is not 100% safe, see germanys attempt to bury nuclear waste, but it is a damn good option.