Geology News

First Deepwater Well Off Libya

Geology.com — Sat, 18 Jul 2009 06:15:53 +0000

Exxon Mobil began drilling the first deepwater exploration well in the Mediterranean Sea offshore Libya. It is located in the Sirte Basin, northeast of Misrata, Libya.

Soil Maps and Data Online

Geology.com — Sat, 18 Jul 2009 06:14:02 +0000

You can use the Web Soil Survey to access soil maps and data for 95 percent of the counties in the United States.

Petroleum Product Demand at Ten Year Low

Geology.com — Sat, 18 Jul 2009 05:35:24 +0000

An article at the Oil and Gas Journal website reports that the demand for petroleum products in the United States has fallen to a ten year low.

Micronesia Islands Seek Help

Geology.com — Sat, 18 Jul 2009 03:37:25 +0000

The President of the Federated States of Micronesia has appealed for international help because his islands are going to be submerged by rising sea levels. Micronesia is an area in the Pacific Ocean, northeast of Australia, with hundreds of small islands, many of which have high points that are just a few feet above [...]

Amazon and Manaus Rivers in Flood

Geology.com — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 19:49:07 +0000

Earth Observatory has satellite images that show spectacular flooding on the Amazon and Manaus Rivers in Brazil from June 2009 and June 2004. In the 2009 image the two rivers have merged and numerous buildings can be seen surrounded by flood waters.

Unconventional Gas Conference

Geology.com — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 19:00:58 +0000

The 11th annual Unconventional Gas Conference will be begin on Wednesday November 18th at the Telus Convention Center in Calgary, Alberta, Canada.

Carbon Capture and Storage in Other Countries

Geology.com — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 12:01:56 +0000

One way to reduce the amount of carbon dioxide released from a coal-fired power plant is the “carbon capture and storage” process. This process captures carbon dioxide from the plant’s emissions and pumps it into underground storage. There are projects in the United States, Australia, China and Europe to develop this technology.

World Record Shake Test

Geology.com — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 08:38:35 +0000

A seven-story building was subjected to a 7.5 magnitude earthquake in the largest shake table experiment ever conducted. The purpose of the research was to test a building design. Instruments inside of the structure measured the forces applied to individual building components.

Sinkhole Ecosystems Beneath the Great Lakes

Geology.com — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 06:45:59 +0000

Sinkholes formed by solution in the floor of the United States’ Great Lakes host unusual ecosystems different from other parts of the lake just a short distance away. The sinkholes are often locations where water that has been underground for millions of years discharges with extreme amounts of dissolved metals.

Curbing Oil Futures Speculation

Geology.com — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 06:31:07 +0000

Most of the oil transactions on the United States futures exchanges are between speculators rather than consumers of the oil. An article on the Reuters website explains why the Commodity Futures Trading Commission wants to reduce speculation in these markets.

White Sands Monument: Gypsum Dunes

Geology.com/news — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 06:05:30 +0000

White Sands National Monument, New Mexico, is famous for its many gypsum sand dunes. Earth Observatory has a satellite image of the dunes and comments on their geologic history and accumulation.

Greenland Ice Melt Might Threaten Coastlines

Geology.com — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 05:52:34 +0000

A study published in a recent issue of Geophysical Research Letters suggests that melting of the Greenland ice cap might cause sea levels along the coast of eastern Canada and the northeastern United States to rise more than sea levels in other areas because of changes in ocean currents.

Geologic Map of the Estes Park 30’ x 60’ Quadrangle

Geology.com — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 03:01:23 +0000

USGS has published a new 1:100,000 scale “Geologic Map of the Estes Park 30’ x 60’ Quadrangle, North-Central Colorado” as USGS Scientific Investigations Map 3039.

Giant Humboldt Squid Swarm Near San Diego

Geology.com — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 02:16:49 +0000

An Associated Press story reports that thousands of five-foot long, 100 pound Humboldt squid are spooking divers and washing up dead onto beaches near San Diego.

Toba Volcanic Eruption & Volcanic Winter

Geology.com — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 02:03:30 +0000

An article in the Journal of Geophysical Research suggests that the eruption of Indonesia’s Toba supervolcano about 74,000 years ago triggered a volcanic winter that reduced human population and caused ice sheet advance.

Climate Change in the Midwest

Geology.com — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 18:50:33 +0000

The U.S. Global Change Research Program released a report that explains how climate change might impact Ohio, Missouri, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota and Wisconsin. More heavy downpours, higher evaporation, higher temperatures, insect problems, invasive species problems and the impact on human health are a few of the featured problems.

BP to Explore for Oil in the Caspian Sea

Geology.com — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 16:31:48 +0000

British Petroleum has an agreement with SOCAR, the state oil company of Azerbaijan to explore for oil in the Shafag and Asiman structures of the Caspian Sea.

Humans’ Effect on Coastal Regions

Geology.com/news — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 08:02:15 +0000

A University of California, Santa Barbara press release discusses the results of a study performed to determine which coastal regions are most affected by humans’ inland activities. The mouth of the Mississippi River is the # 1 most affected area in the world.

Three Forks-Sanish Formation

Geology.com — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 07:05:49 +0000

Recent drilling in North Dakota’s Three Forks-Sanish Formation suggests that it might contain an enormous amount of oil. The two-mile-deep formation has some wells yielding over 100 barrels per day. USGS assessment of the Bakken Formation, Montana and North Dakota.

Drift River Terminal May Reopen

Geology.com — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 06:52:13 +0000

Early this year activities at the Drift River oil terminal on Cook Inlet were halted in response to the eruption of Redoubt Volcano. Now that Redoubt activity has declined, Chevron may restart production from the Granite Point and Trading Bay oil fields and send new production to the terminal.