Geology News

Shale Gas Write-Downs?

Geology.com — Wed, 16 May 2012 13:16:20 +0000

Falling natural gas prices have reduced the value of acreage acquired with the intention of producing natural gas. Some companies could decide to write-down the value of those assets in their accounting statements.

Vietnam Oil and Natural Gas Report

Geology.com — Tue, 15 May 2012 16:44:14 +0000

“Vietnam is an important oil supplier to regional and domestic markets and may emerge as a significant natural gas supplier in the next decade. Vietnam’s oil production has declined overall since 2004, after several years of steady increases and became a net oil importer in 2011.” Quoted from the Energy Information Administration country analysis brief.

Uranium Drilling was Up in 2011

Geology.com — Tue, 15 May 2012 16:40:58 +0000

United States uranium exploration drilling was 5,441 holes covering 3.3 million feet in 2011. Development drilling was 5,156 holes and 3.0 million feet. Combined, total uranium drilling was 10,597 holes covering 6.3 million feet, 47 percent more holes than in 2010.

Worthless Marcellus Leases in New York

Geology.com — Tue, 15 May 2012 16:15:18 +0000

After a long moratorium on Marcellus Shale drilling in New York, a variety of proposed regulations and local bans on drilling could render millions of leased acres as worthless.

17% of Nigerian Oil is Stolen?

Geology.com — Tue, 15 May 2012 16:06:32 +0000

An article on the Reuters.com website repoerts that 17% of the crude oil production in Nigeria is being lost to theft.

Ohio Shale Oil and Natural Gas

Geology.com — Tue, 15 May 2012 14:53:30 +0000

Jack Gerard of the American Petroleum Institute comments on opportunities for oil and natural gas production from shales in Ohio.

Ukraine Shale Gas

Geology.com — Tue, 15 May 2012 13:48:41 +0000

Royal Dutch Shell and Chevron may receive rights to develop shale gas fields in Ukraine. The country currently imports most of its natural gas from Russia.

Teacher’s Guide: Exploring the Moon

Geology.com — Tue, 15 May 2012 12:11:07 +0000

NASA has published a .pdf document titled: “Exploring the Moon: a Teacher’s Guide with activities for Earth and Space Sciences”. It has lots of introductory content and several activities that can be done with students.

OPEC Oil Exports

Geology.com — Mon, 14 May 2012 16:34:00 +0000

Members of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries could earn an estimated $1,154 billion of net oil export revenues in 2012 and $1,117 billion in 2013. Last year, OPEC earned $1,026 billion in net oil export revenues, a 33 percent increase from 2010. Quoted from the Energy Information Administration Fact Sheet.

Gold Exploration in Haiti

Geology.com — Mon, 14 May 2012 16:23:48 +0000

A gold deposit spanning the border between Haiti and the Dominican Republic could be one of the world’s largest, containing 23 million ounces.

The Pompeii of Indonesia?

Geology.com — Mon, 14 May 2012 14:59:36 +0000

Excavations near the base of Tambora volcano reveal furnished buildings with dead occupants buried under a thick layer of volcanic ash.

Earthquake Cycles

Geology.com — Mon, 14 May 2012 14:58:46 +0000

“Our study describes a methodology to assimilate geologic, seismologic, and geodetic data surrounding a seismic fault to form a physical model of the cycle of earthquakes that has predictive power,” says Sylvain Barbot, a postdoctoral scholar in geology at Caltech. Quoted from the Caltech press release.

Is Vesta a Planet?

Geology.com — Mon, 14 May 2012 14:49:13 +0000

“Dawn’s residence at Vesta of nearly a year has made the asteroid’s planet-like qualities obvious and shown us our connection to that bright orb in our night sky. [...] Scientists now see Vesta as a layered, planetary building block with an iron core – the only one known to survive the earliest days of the solar system.” Quoted from the NASA press release.

Australia: 390 Trillion Cubic Feet of Natural Gas

Geology.com — Mon, 14 May 2012 13:49:28 +0000

A study done by Geoscience Australia estimates Australia’s natural gas resource at about 390 trillion cubic feet. The country’s offshore resources is being aggressively developed by projects that are expected to produce LNG that will be exported to Asia.

Rapid Eruption at Monowai Seamount

Geology.com — Mon, 14 May 2012 12:09:15 +0000

A submarine volcanic eruption at Monowai Seamount added 8.75 million cubic meters of rock in just five days. The volcano is located in the Pacific Ocean northeast of New Zealand at the southern end of the Tonga Ridge near Kermadec volcanoes.

Eruptive history from the Global Volcanism Program.

Stalagmites and Climate Change

Geology.com — Mon, 14 May 2012 11:26:27 +0000

“Stalagmites are the ice cores of the tropics,” says Jess Adkins, professor [...] at the California Institute of Technology. He and Kim Cobb of the Georgia Institute of Technology led a team that collected samples from stalagmites in caves in northern Borneo and measured their levels of oxygen isotopes to reconstruct a history of the tropical West Pacific’s climate over four glacial cycles during the late Pleistocene era.

Uses of Diamond

Geology.com — Fri, 11 May 2012 05:44:37 +0000

Diamond has many unique properties that make it the best possible material for a wide variety of uses beyond those of a gemstone.

The image at right is a green diamond crystal suitable for industrial use.

Natural Methane and Nitrous Oxide Emissions

Geology.com — Fri, 11 May 2012 05:35:44 +0000

The United States Environmental Protection Agency has published: “Methane and Nitrous Oxide Emissions From Natural Sources.”

Although humans have substantially added to the amount of CH₄ and N₂O going into the atmosphere, significant amounts are emitted from natural sources

Carbon Dioxide Storage: Bighorn Basin

Geology.com — Fri, 11 May 2012 05:25:15 +0000

USGS is working on a national assessment of potential geologic storage resources for carbon dioxide. Their publication: Geologic Framework for the National Assessment of Carbon Dioxide Storage Resources─Bighorn Basin, Wyoming and Montana is part of that effort.

Speeds of Sand Dunes on Mars

Geology.com — Fri, 11 May 2012 05:05:42 +0000

“Last year, images from NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter captured sand dunes and ripples moving across the surface of Mars — observations that challenged previously held beliefs that there was not a lot of movement on the red planet’s surface. Now, technology developed by a team at the California Institute of Technology has allowed scientists to measure these activities for the very first time.” Quoted from the Caltech press release.