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New Eruption Dates for Ubehebe Crater
February 3, 2012 | Wired Science

Recent research on Ubehebe Crater of California’s Death Valley reveals that it last erupted about 800 years ago instead of the previously-believed date of several thousand years ago. Erik Klementti comments on this new date.


Continued Eruption at Puyehue-Cordón Caulle
February 3, 2012 | NASA Earth Observatory

“Eight months of ceaseless activity have covered the landscape around Chile’s Puyehue Cordón Caulle Volcanic Complex in ash. The light-colored ash appears most clearly on the rocky, alpine slopes surrounding the active vent and Puyehue’s 2,236 meter (7,336 foot)-tall caldera.” Quote from the Earth Observatory image release.


Uranium Shortage?
February 2, 2012 | Arizona Geology

Uranium consumption currently exceeds production by over 70 million pounds per year and the source that currently supplies overconsumption will deplete in the next few years.


First GRAIL Video of Moon’s Far Side
February 2, 2012 | NASA

NASA’s GRAIL mission has beamed back its first video of the far side of the moon. The imagery was taken on Jan. 19 by the MoonKAM aboard the mission’s “Ebb” spacecraft.


Oil Shale: The Next Fossil Energy Boom?
February 2, 2012 | TheHill.com

The current fossil energy boom in the United States is natural gas from shale. The next one could be oil shales.


2011: A Year of Climate Extremes
February 2, 2012 | NOAA

“According to NOAA scientists, 2011 was a record-breaking year for climate extremes, as much of the United States faced historic levels of heat, precipitation, flooding and severe weather, while La Niña events at both ends of the year impacted weather patterns at home and around the world.” Quoted from the NOAA press release.


Satellites Rescued 207 People in 2011
February 2, 2012 | NOAA

“In 2011, NOAA satellites were critical in the rescues of 207 people from life-threatening situations [...]. The satellites picked up distress signals from emergency beacons carried by downed pilots, shipwrecked boaters and stranded hikers, and relayed the information about their location to first responders on the ground.” Quoted from the NOAA press release.


Tumbi Quarry Landslide – PNG
February 1, 2012 | The Landslide Blog

The Landslide Blog has a post with graphics about the Tumbi Quarry landslide that killed dozens of people in Papua New Guinea.


Fracking = Profanity?
February 1, 2012 | FuelFix.com

Some people don’t like the word “fracking” and want the term hydraulic fracturing to always be used in its place.


National Tsunami Awareness Week: March 20-26
February 1, 2012 | NOAA

“The TsunamiReady Program, developed by the National Weather Service, is designed to help cities, towns, counties, universities and other large sites in coastal areas reduce the potential for disastrous tsunami-related consequences.” NOAA has educational materials available for people of all ages.


Consumer Natural Gas Prices
February 1, 2012 | Energy Information Administration

The Energy Information Administration’s Natural Gas Monthly features a short-term history graph of natural gas prices for four consumer categories (residential, industrial, commercial, electric power). It clearly shows long term trends and how residential prices spike in the summer when consumers are being billed at low-volume rates.


Links Between Asians and the Earliest Native Americans
February 1, 2012 | University of Pennsylvania

“A tiny mountainous region in southern Siberia may have been the genetic source of the earliest Native Americans, according to new research by a University of Pennsylvania-led team of anthropologists.” Quoted from the NSF press release.


Geology Field Camp Listings
February 1, 2012 | Geology.com

Some summer field camps are already filled for the 2012 season. If you have not registered for field camp yet check out our list of over 100 camps.


Satellite Image of Kilauea Caldera
February 1, 2012 | NASA Earth Observatory

“Shown here are two natural-color views: a close-up of the Kilauea Caldera and the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory, and a wide-area view showing Mauna Ulu and Pu’u ’O’o. Within the Kilauea Caldera lies Halema’uma’u Crater. A small plume of water vapor emerges from this crater and blows toward the southwest.” Quoted from the NASA image release.


Oil and Natural Gas Data for Pennsylvania
February 1, 2012 | Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection

The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection has created interactive reports that allow citizens create reports that summarize oil and gas production information, permits issued, drilling commence date, county data, operator specific data, as well as inspections, violations and enforcement actions.


Eminent Domain and Pennsylvania Pipelines
January 31, 2012 | ABC News

An article on the ABC News website reports on how eminent domain is being used in Pennsylvania by a natural gas pipeline company to acquire missing pieces of a pipeline right-of-way.


Volcanic Hazards in California
January 31, 2012 | USGS

“More than 500 volcanic vents have been identified in the State of California. At least 76 of these vents have erupted, some repeatedly, during the last 10,000 yr. Past volcanic activity has ranged in scale and type from small rhyolitic and basaltic eruptions through large catastrophic rhyolitic eruptions.” Quoted from the USGS report.


US Mineral Production in 2011: $74B – Up 12%
January 31, 2012 | USGS

“The value of mineral production in the United States increased by 12 percent in 2011 from that of 2010, suggesting that the nonfuel minerals industries, particularly metals, continued to recover from the economic recession that began in December 2007 and lasted well into 2009. The value of raw, nonfuel minerals mined in the United States was $74 billion in 2011, up from $66 billion in 2010.” Quoted from the USGS press release.


Decision-Support Systems for Natural-Hazards and Land Management
January 31, 2012 | USGS

“Decision-support systems can be used to help synthesize, visualize, and analyze the natural-science and socioeconomic information needed for making risk-reduction and land-use choices.”


Coastal Topography Data
January 31, 2012 | USGS

USGS has released a large number of coastal topography data sets for the eastern coast and Gulf of Mexico acquired using lidar technology.


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