Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, April 15, 1995 TAG: 9504170041
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-5 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: RICHMOND LENGTH: Medium
The tremor had a magnitude of 3.6, said Martin Chapman, a geological sciences research associate at Virginia Tech.
Although no damage was reported from the tremor, it was the type of thin\g Motorola will be looking at because making semiconductors is a delicate process, said Jeff Gorin, a spokesman for Motorola's semiconductor products sector in Phoenix.
``We would not want excessive vibrating,'' Gorin said.
Semiconductors, the fingernail-size chips that power everything from computers to cars, require a controlled, stable environment for proper manufacturing. Motorola will test the Goochland site for vibrations, soil quality, and contaminants in the air and ground water during the next four months, while it has an option to buy the land at West Creek Park.
``So far, we have not done detailed testing,'' Gorin said. ``We feel it would be suitable for a plant.''
Other tests will include ensuring that the soil is stable, Gorin said.
``We need to make sure the soil can support a major structure without sinking or shifting,'' he added. ``We will also check the current state of the environment to make sure there are no existing contaminants, and if there are, we will make sure it is something we could live with.''
The information Motorola gathers will determine whether the company proceeds with plans for the plant and what kind of plant would be built.
``Some negation of vibration can be built into the structure of the plant for protection,'' Gorin said.
``We would not want to have the plant next to a continuing source of vibration,'' Gorin said.
by CNB