Geology News

Fayetteville Shale: Environmental Concerns

Geology.com — Sun, 06 Jul 2008 20:42:43 +0000

The Fayetteville Shale is an organic-rich shale that is being tapped to produce natural gas in northern Arkansas. This article on the Daily Citizen website explains some of the concerns that the Sierra Club and State Agencies have with the rapid development of this resource.

Tropical Storm Bertha

Geology.com — Sun, 06 Jul 2008 19:40:00 +0000

Tropical Storm Bertha is gaining strength and moving towards warmer waters. It is expected to become Hurricane Bertha early next week - NOAA has a 60% probability that it will build to hurricane force by Wednesday.

Marcellus Shale Impact on Pennsylvania Economy

Geology.com — Sun, 06 Jul 2008 19:25:49 +0000

An article on the Penn State Live website explores the potential impact of the Marcellus Shale gas drilling on the Pennsylvania economy. The authors project about 8000 new jobs per year and about $1 billion per year in disposable personal income. Much of that money will come from landowner royalties. More information on the [...]

Yellowcake Uranium From Iraq

Geology.com — Sun, 06 Jul 2008 12:34:39 +0000

About 550 tons of yellowcake, a uranium concentrate, was removed from Iraq as part of a plan to disassemble Saddam Hussein’s nuclear program. The Iraqi government sold the yellowcake to Cameco Corporation, a Canadian uranium producer who will convert it into a fuel for nuclear power plants.

USGS / NOAA Merger Proposed

Geology.com/news — Sun, 06 Jul 2008 06:35:10 +0000

It has been proposed that the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) merge to form one organization. Supporters of the merge believe that if the agencies were to combine resources, an even greater contribution to science could be achieved.

Impact of Leasing Gas Drilling Rights

Geology.com — Sun, 06 Jul 2008 06:19:09 +0000

An article in the Wall Street Journal explores the impact of landowners cashing in on offers to lease their land for natural gas production. These include: income that can be used to pay off debts or fix up farms, along with possibilities of water depletion or contamination and other environmental concerns.

Technology for Tracking Hurricanes

Geology.com — Sun, 06 Jul 2008 06:05:30 +0000

A GEOTIMES article explains some of the new methods used to track hurricanes and collect information about them. The aircraft known as “hurricane hunters” still play an important role. They drop parachuted instruments into the storm to collect data on barometric pressure, humidity, temperature and wind speed.

New Mexico Geothermal Power

Geology.com — Sun, 06 Jul 2008 04:55:51 +0000

Raser Technologies plans to build a 10 to 11 megawatt geothermal power plant in southwestern New Mexico. The plant will generate enough electricity to power about 5500 homes in the Phoenix, Arizona area.

Tropical Storm Bertha Sets Record

Geology.com/news — Sun, 06 Jul 2008 04:05:38 +0000

Tropical Storm Bertha has formed farther east in the Atlantic than any other storm this early in the season. It formed very close to Africa.

Four-Day Workweek In Utah

Geology.com — Sat, 05 Jul 2008 06:43:08 +0000

Many employees of Utah state agencies will be working four ten-hour days for the next year to test the savings and efficiency of a shorter workweek. Police, prison guards, educators and liquor store workers will not be included.

Karst Terrain in Guilin, China

Geology.com — Sat, 05 Jul 2008 06:27:43 +0000

This GEOTIMES article features the karst topography in the Guilin area of China. The author recommends combining a trip to the Olympic Games with some geological sightseeing.

Surprises on Mercury

Geology.com/news — Sat, 05 Jul 2008 05:05:09 +0000

NASA’s MESSENGER spacecraft flew by Mercury earlier this year, and took over 1,000 snapshots of the planet. Scientists studying the images have come to some interesting conclusions about the mysterious planet.

Cave Below Pyramid of the Sun

Geology.com — Sat, 05 Jul 2008 04:47:33 +0000

Archaeologists are investigating a cave system about twenty feet below the Pyramid of the Sun at the Teotihuacan archaeological site on the outskirts of Mexico City.

Goleta, California Fire Evacuations

Geology.com — Sat, 05 Jul 2008 04:25:47 +0000

Hot winds fanned a wildfire near Goleta, California (Santa Barbara County) into a threatening blaze. Officials in the city of Goleta issued evacuation orders for over 1700 homes.

Offshore Florida Oil & Gas Drilling

Geology.com — Sat, 05 Jul 2008 04:19:45 +0000

Over 8 million acres of newly-opened waters about 125 miles offshore of the Florida panhandle are now available for oil and gas drilling. This marks a reversal of sentiment on how Florida’s coastal waters should be managed.