Geology News

Sonoran Desert Mineral Evaluation

Geology.com — Thu, 23 May 2013 12:02:53 +0000

The Arizona Geological Survey published a mineral resource evaluation for the proposed Arizona Sonoran Desert Heritage Area in western Maricopa County.

A partial map of the area is shown at right.

Ground Water Depletion in the USA

Geology.com — Thu, 23 May 2013 11:43:23 +0000

The United States Geological Survey has published a study on the depletion rates of ground water in the United States between 1900 and 2008. The rate of depletion is accelerating.

Training Honeybees to Find Land Mines?

Geology.com — Thu, 23 May 2013 11:25:41 +0000

An article in the Houston Chronicle explains how Croatian researchers are training honey bees to find land mines by associating the odor of their food source with the odor of explosives.

Utica Shale Gas for Export as LNG

Geology.com — Wed, 22 May 2013 05:57:43 +0000

Tennessee Gas Pipeline plans to build a pipeline from the Utica Shale play in Ohio to an LNG export facility in Louisiana.

Close Encounter with a Big Asteroid on May 31

Geology.com — Wed, 22 May 2013 05:44:34 +0000

Earth’s May 31 “close call” with a 1.7 mile-wide asteroid has radio astronomers excited. Fortunately it is going to miss Earth by over 3 million miles.

“Whenever an asteroid approaches this closely, it provides an important scientific opportunity to study it in detail to understand its size, shape, rotation, surface features, and what they can tell us about its origin. We will also use new radar measurements of the asteroid’s distance and velocity to improve our calculation of its orbit and compute its motion farther into the future than we could otherwise.”

Spring 2012 Earliest on Record

Geology.com — Wed, 22 May 2013 05:02:29 +0000

“March 2012 set records for warm temperatures that promoted early leafing and flowering across large areas of the United States.” Quoted from the USGS press release.

Who Takes a Hit When Natural Gas Prices Rise?

Geology.com — Tue, 21 May 2013 23:20:49 +0000

When natural gas prices rise heating a home with gas becomes more expensive. Many other activities become more expensive. One concern about exporting natural gas is that lots of people (and industries) will see their expenses go up. An article on the Christian Science Monitor website explores who will see higher prices.

Slow Landslide Tearing Houses Apart

Geology.com — Tue, 21 May 2013 12:01:49 +0000

AccuWeather.com has an article about a subdivision in Lakeport, California where a landslide moving at a rate of inches per day is tearing homes apart.

Crazy Ants Invade the USA

Geology.com — Tue, 21 May 2013 11:55:01 +0000

“Invasive “crazy ants” are displacing fire ants in areas across the southeastern United States. [...] It’s the latest in a history of ant invasions from the southern hemisphere and may prove to have dramatic effects on the ecosystem of the region.” Quoted from The University of Texas at Austin press release.

Time Lapse Video on an Ice Breaker

Geology.com — Tue, 21 May 2013 11:50:43 +0000

This video compresses a two month view from the bow of an ice breaker travelling through the Ross Sea of Antarctica into less then five minutes. Watch for the wildlife surprise at the end.

Colorless Diamond Price Record

Geology.com — Tue, 21 May 2013 11:34:07 +0000

ABC News Australia has an article about the 101 carat colorless diamond that set a new price record by selling for $23.8 million.

Damaging Ice on the Yukon River

Geology.com — Mon, 20 May 2013 23:25:07 +0000

Large slabs of ice pushed onto land along the Yukon River have pushed buildings from foundations and a fear of flooding has forced evacuations.

Traffic Jams and Trash on Everest

Geology.com — Mon, 20 May 2013 23:20:16 +0000

An article on NationalGeographic.com explains how the popularity of “climbing Everest” has resulted in inexperienced climbers creating traffic jams on the mountain and littering the landscape. Ways to reverse this are explored.

Ancient African Coins and the History of Australia

Geology.com — Mon, 20 May 2013 23:13:23 +0000

Five copper coins about 1000 years old found on a beach by an Australian soldier during WWII may be strong evidence that ships from distant lands reached Australia hundreds of years earlier than what is written in history books.

The Orphan Tsunami of 1700

Geology.com — Mon, 20 May 2013 05:57:32 +0000

Smithsonian.com has an article about Japan’s Orphan Tsunami (“orphan” because it was then unlinked to any earthquake) and how it was connected to an earthquake on the Cascadia Subduction Zone.

How Big Was the Bingham Canyon Landslide?

Geology.com — Mon, 20 May 2013 05:44:10 +0000

An article in the Salt Lake City Tribune compares the landslide at the Bingham Canyon copper mine to other large landslides that have occurred during recorded history.

Related: World’s Largest Landslide

Precambrian Water?

Geology.com — Mon, 20 May 2013 05:28:42 +0000

Researchers have recovered water from a depth of 2.4 km in the Canadian shield with an age of 1.5 billion years.

Large Impact on the Moon

Geology.com — Sun, 19 May 2013 13:06:17 +0000

“For the past 8 years, NASA astronomers have been monitoring the Moon for signs of explosions caused by meteoroids hitting the lunar surface. [...] They’ve just seen the biggest explosion in the history of the program.”

Arkansas Shale Gas and Water Quality

Geology.com — Sun, 19 May 2013 12:40:23 +0000

“A new study by scientists at Duke University and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) finds no evidence of groundwater contamination from shale gas production in Arkansas.” Quoted from the Duke University press release.

Melting Glaciers and Sea Level Rise

Geology.com — Sun, 19 May 2013 12:22:45 +0000

“While 99 percent of Earth’s land ice is locked up in the Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets, the remaining ice in the world’s glaciers contributed just as much to sea rise as the two ice sheets combined from 2003 to 2009.” Quoted from the University of Colorado Boulder press release.