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Geology News
Earth Science Current Events

Researchers at Oregon State University have made some unexpected discoveries about subsurface water movement in arid regions. The information may alter some long-accepted beliefs about the hydrologic cycle in some watershed systems.

In an article on the Journal of American Enterprise Institute website, Max Schultz, a senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute argues that new methods for producing natural gas (horizontal fracking) and new methods to distribute the gas (LNG) are going to transform the use of energy worldwide.

Near-Earth objects are now being identified through infrared light with the WISE (Wide-Field Infrared Survey Explorer) spacecraft. The first new asteroid spotted by WISE was 2010 AB78, which is nearly 100 million miles away from our planet – and on a different orbital plane.

Related article: Earth-Crossing Asteroids

The prices paid and received for natural gas can vary significantly by state. These differences are in response to supply, demand, delivery costs and regulatory environments. The prices shown below are residential rates from 2009 but you can download current and historical prices at the Energy Information Administration website.

Earth Observatory has an animation of Arctic sea ice maximums and minimums that shows changes in the ice extent between 1999 and 2009.

“To assist in the development of emerging gas shale plays in Alabama, the Geological Survey of Alabama is conducting a three-year study on the geology and development potential of gas shale in the Black Warrior basin and Appalachian thrust belt of Alabama. These areas contain a diversity of emerging gas shale plays in Cambrian through Mississippian strata.”

As man evolved, his brain size increased. However, not all primates have developed bigger brains through history; the gorilla, for instance, has grown more in body mass. Researchers at the Universities of Cambridge and Durham are studying brain and body development in primates to help unravel the enigma of the Homo floresiensis, or the “hobbit” fossil, which has a small brain in comparison to modern-day humans.

A gamma-ray camera used in hospitals can also function as a technetium (Tc) detector for soil. Tc is created during uranium processing, and is radioactive. When Tc is present in nuclear soil contamination, the cameras can follow the path of the element through the ground to facilitate cleanup.

The water used to irrigate the vineyards in Napa Valley is disappearing through the parched, cracked soil. A study by Eve Hinckley examines why this is happening.

Centralia, Pennsylvania is the site of an underground coal mine fire that has been burning since 1962, damaging most surface structures severely enough to warrant abandonment or condemnation. Now the State has ordered remaining residents out of their homes for demolition.

There is not an abundance of well-preserved dinosaur fossils in the Bisti/De-Na-Zin Wilderness of New Mexico. So, finding two almost-complete members of the T. Rex family there was a surprise. Bistahieversor sealeyi is a new species, and appears to be unique to the area.

Five crates of whiskey and two crates of brandy left behind by polar explorer Ernest Shackleton during his 1909 expedition to Antarctica have been found.

DOHaD, or the Developmental Origins of Health and Disease Hypothesis, states that the health of a person during early development can predict their longevity. Some prehistoric teeth found in Peru support this hypothesis. Skulls of people who died young were more likely to have striated tooth enamel, an indicator of troubled formation.

A recent computer model by NOAA-funded researchers indicates that the 1918-1919 El Niño was one of the strongest of the 20th Century. It has been linked to extreme weather events and the influenza pandemic of 1918 that killed over 25 million people. (NOAA technical report.)

A new issue of The-Vug.com quarterly magazine has an article titled: “Demantoid Garnet Find in Madagascar” by Tomasz Praszkier.

Wolves are beneficial to their environment, and could be added to some U.S. parks, says a report published in BioScience. The wolves thin deer and elk herds, which leads to flourishing plants; they are also good for attracting tourists.

The American Geological Institute has become a partner of the inaugural USA Science and Engineering Festival to be held in October in Washington D.C. The event will follow closely on the heels of Earth Science Week, taking place October 10-16, 2010

The deepest hole drilled on a single expedition in the history of scientific ocean drilling was completed off the coast of New Zealand at a depth of 1927 meters.

Kyle House of the Nevada Bureau of Mines and Geology has a number of photos and a hydrograph that document the Verde River Flood that occurred on January 21 and 22.

“Ash routinely clouds the Caribbean skies as Soufrière Hills volcano continued its activity. For the past several weeks the Joint Air Force & Army Weather Information Network has issued multiple ash advisories every day for the West Indies. The Montserrat Volcano Observatory attributes ash emissions to the growth of Soufrière Hills’s lava dome accompanied by pyroclastic flows, some of which are reaching the ocean.” Quoted from a satellite image release at NASA’s Earth Observatory.

The Department of Interior website has highlights from Secretary Salazar’s testimony before the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee on the deployment of solar technology on public lands and DOI’s role in building that energy future.

State Farm Insurance requested a 47% rate increase for providing insurance to homeowners in some of Florida’s coastal areas. The rate increase was denied so State Farm sent cancellation notices to about 125,000 policy holders.

Some people believe that the TransCanada Pipeline is still needed – even after major shale gas plays have been discovered at many locations in the United States.

A meteorite crashes through the roof of a doctors office in Lorton, Virginia and the doctors give the rock to the Smithsonian. Now the landlords say the rock belongs to them. Who really owns it?

Related: What are meteorites?

The Mainichi Daily News has a photograph showing ash and steam emerging from the ocean’s surface above the vent of Fukutokuoka no Ba Volcano which erupted yesterday near Iwo Jima.

Exxon Mobil has made some very large investments in natural gas recently and some ask if this is a major change in the direction of the company. An article on the Houston Chronicle website summarizes comments on this topic by David Rosenthal, Exxon Mobil’s VP of Investor Relations.

The-Vug.com has the largest listing of mineral shows on the web. Their list includes shows happening all over the United States and in other countries – with about sixty shows in their March listing already. There is probably a show within driving distance of you.

Department of Interior Secretary, Ken Salazar, says that the federal government will begin a process that might allow oil and gas companies to do seismic research off the US Atlantic coast to identify oil and natural gas accumulations.

The Environmental Protection Agency has plans to strengthen ground level ozone emission limits but those plans are being questioned by some members of the oil and gas industry.

The Department of Interior has a news item titled: “Changing the Way We Do Business”…..

“The Department of the Interior and Bureau of Land Management launched several reforms to the onshore oil and gas leasing process in an effort to improve protections for land, water, and wildlife and reduce potential conflicts that can lead to costly and time-consuming protests and litigation of leases. In addition, Secretary Salazar issued a Secretarial Order creating a new Energy Reform Team.” Quoted from the DOI website.

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