Japan is the world’s largest buyer of liquefied natural gas (LNG). Although buyers there would like to close some long-term contracts, uncertainties about government policy have them reluctant to commit.
“Scientists are expecting a very large “dead zone” in the Gulf of Mexico and a smaller than average hypoxic level in the Chesapeake Bay this year, based on several NOAA-supported forecast models.” Quoted from the USGS Newsroom.
The Geological Society of America has published a draft position statement titled: “Managing U.S. Coastal Hazards“.
A quote: “Storms, tsunamis, and rising sea levels threaten U.S. coastal communities and their economies. Much of the nation’s existing coastal infrastructure must be adapted to expected future conditions or relocated, and new coastal development and post-storm reconstruction should be planned, sited, and maintained with coastal geologic hazards clearly in mind.”
A mining operation in Connecticut is building a hibernaculum with the hope that they can use it to attract a colony of bats which currently occupies an abandon mine.
Gaua Island is the above-sea-level portion of a volcano that rises 10,000 feet above the floor of the Pacific Ocean. It has been producing steam plumes for the past few months.
An article on the GSA Speaking of Geoscience Blog reports that the size of the reference section in published papers has been growing at a very rapid rate since the 1950s.
Energy companies are currently challenged to find enough skilled workers to fill open positions. Maersk has developed a digital game – “Quest for Oil” – to stimulate interest in energy careers.
“Researchers using NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter have found that temperatures in the Martian atmosphere regularly rise and fall not just once each day, but twice.” Quoted from the NASA press release.
“Standard atomic weights for chemical elements have commonly been considered as constants of nature, along with the speed of light and the attraction of gravity. Hold on to your Newtonian hat and prepare for the possibility of elementary nuances.” Quoted from the USGS press release.
Space.com has an interesting article about a tiny galaxy (only about 1000 stars) that is the smallest ever found. Most galaxies are orders of magnitude larger.
The most recent issue of Pennsylvania Geology has an article titled: “The Role of Geology and Terrain in the Defeat of Stuart East of Gettysburg, July 3, 1863″.
Mineral hardness picks are pencil-like tools that have points made from materials that match the hardness of minerals in the Mohs Hardness Scale. With them you can easily test the hardness of mineral grains in a rock and test the hardness of small-size specimens. In our opinion they are easier to use than pieces of minerals and allow you to obtain more accurate results.
“USGS hydrologic researchers have found that the movement of nitrate through groundwater to streams can take decades to occur. This long lag time means that changes in the use of nitrogen-based fertilizer — whether the change is initiation, adjustment, or cessation — may take decades to be fully observed in streams.” Quoted from the USGS press release.
Earth Science Week 2013 Toolkits are available for advance orders now! The kit contains everything you need to prepare for Earth Science Week (October 13-19, 2013), which celebrates the theme “Mapping Our World.” Quoted from the AGI announcement.
USGS has published: “Landscape Consequences of Natural Gas Extraction in Fayette and Lycoming Counties, Pennsylvania, 2004–2010″ as an open file report.
The University of Tennessee is seeking bids from companies interested in leasing the natural gas rights on 8,600 acres it owns in Morgan and Scott counties.
NASA’s Earth Observatory has interesting satellite images of lava flows on Tolbachik, a volcano on the Kamchatka Peninsula. The images use visible light and shortwave infrared and near-infrared to enhance the visibility of volcanic features.
The Fish and Wildlife Service has an article about how they moved a small population of endangered Columbian white-tailed deer from Julia Butler Hansen Refuge for the Columbian White-Tailed Deer to Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge (both sites in Washington).
They needed a helicopter to get some of the deer out.
Archaeologists have discovered nearly 5,000 paintings in a small group of caves in northeastern Mexico. The paintings are pre-Hispanic, more accurate dates are being determined.
Over hundreds of thousands of years the Arctic permafrost has accumulated an enormous store of organic carbon. As it thaws from climate change the plant debris will decay and carbon dioxide and methane will be release into the atmosphere. Permafrost contains at least 4x more carbon than fossil fuel burning has produced since 1850.
“The “Great Pacific Garbage Patch”—a purported island of trash twice the size of Texas floating in the Pacific Ocean—receives a lot of media attention. [...] However, based on research we know that the name “garbage patch” is misleading and that there is no island of trash forming in the middle of the ocean.” Quoted from the NOAA Office of Response and Restoration article.
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Homeowners Insurance usually does not cover damage caused by floods, landslides, earthquakes and other geohazards.
Frac Sand is a high-purity silica sand used in hydraulic fracturing to enhance the flow of oil and gas from tight rock units.
Diamonds from Coal? Diamonds form under a variety of conditions that rarely involve coal as a source of carbon.
Fluorescent Minerals glow with spectacular colors when illuminated in the dark with an ultraviolet lamp.
Helium is a byproduct of the natural gas industry. Its most important use is in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) machines.
Canada Diamond Mines: Canada is the third largest producer of gem-quality diamonds in the world.
Utica Shale: New wells in eastern Ohio prove that the Utica Shale will be a major source of natural gas and natural gas liquids.
Spectacular Fossils of the Green River Formation. Some of the world's best-preserved fossil fish from an intermountain lake.
Opals: Gem quality opal is one of the most spectacular gemstones. A single stone can flash with every color of the spectrum.
