Wednesday, August 31, 2005
Mobile, Alabama Satellite Image
We have posted a detailed satellite image of Mobile, Alabama showing the entire city, Mobile Bay and surrounding areas. This image was created prior to Hurricane Katrina flooding. The image below is a lower resolution sample. 
Image by geology.com using NASA Landsat 2000 GeoCover data.See our full size Mobile Satellite Image. Labels: Satellite-Images
Tuesday, August 30, 2005
New Orleans Satellite Image
We have posted a detailed satellite image of New Orleans showing the entire city, Lake Pontchartrain, Mississippi River and surrounding areas. This image was created prior to Hurricane Katrina flooding. The image below is a lower resolution sample. 
Image by geology.com using NASA Landsat 2000 GeoCover data.See our full size New Orleans Satellite Image and Interactive Satellite ImageLabels: Satellite-Images
Monday, August 29, 2005
Hurricane Katrina Satellite Images
Earth Observatory has posted numerous satellite images and graphics that illustrate the development of Hurricane Katrina and its impact on New Orleans, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and the entire Gulf Coast area. 
Image by NASAVisit the Earth Observatory website for more Hurricane Katrina Satellite Images. Labels: Hurricane-Katrina, Satellite-Images
Sunday, August 28, 2005
Guide to Soil Problems and Problem Soils
Understanding Soil Risks and Hazards, a USDA publication, can be downloaded for free from the USDA website. This publication has detailed information, maps and photos related to acid sulfate soils, chemical heave and expansive salts, compaction, contamination by metals, corrosion, drought, dust, earth collapse of soil pits and trench excavations, erosion by water and wind, erosion and sedimentation on construction sites, erosion of streambanks, expanding soils and shrink-swell potential, falling rocks, floods, frost action, gypsum in excess, hydro-compactible soils, karst landscapes, landslides, liquefaction of soils by earthquakes, permafrost-affected soils, postfire runoff, radon potential, saline seeps, subsidence of organic soils, and water-saturated soils. 
Image by USDADownload the Soil Problems Guide. Labels: Subsidence
Saturday, August 27, 2005
Hurricane Katrina Track Map
Hurricane Katrina, which will certainly be one of the strongest Atlantic hurricanes of all time, is approaching New Orleans and forcing an evacuation of the city. Strong winds and a storm surge threaten the city and offshore oil and gas production platforms have long ago been shut down and abandoned. The National Hurricane Information Center has posted a Hurricane Katrina Track Map which they will be updating continuously. The hurricane track map below shows the approximate coastal area under hurricane warning (red), hurricane watch (pink), tropical storm warning (blue) and tropical storm watch (yellow). The orange circle indicates the position of the hurricane center at the time that the map was made. The black line shows the NHC forecast of Hurricane Katrina's track. 
Image by NHICVisit NHIC to see the most current Hurricane Katrina Track Map. Labels: Hurricane-Katrina, Maps
Friday, August 26, 2005
Tsunameter - Tsunami Detection & Warning System
Tsunameters are devices installed in the ocean to detect and measure the waves of a tsunami. Visit NOAA's Tsunami Homepage to learn about tsunameters, explore tsunami databases, see tsunami animations and learn all about these large and destructive waves. 
Image by NOAAVisit the NOAA Tsunami Website.... Tsunami Resources at Geology.com: What Causes a Tsunami?, Tsunami MapsLabels: Tsunamis
Thursday, August 25, 2005
Soil Maps and Soil Surveys Available Online
The United States Department of Agriculture has added interactive soil maps to their website. Now you can visit their site and view low altitude aerial photos and explore soil types with graphic overlays. These soil maps are very similar to those found in the county soil surveys published by USDA. The website has many other resources, including soil descriptions, soil databases, soil geochemistry, soil properties and much more. 
Image by USGSLearn more at the USDA Soil Map Website. Labels: Maps
Tuesday, August 23, 2005
Las Vegas Geologic Map
A new geologic and geophysical map has been published by USGS for the Las Vegas area. Las Vegas is one of the fastest growing areas in the United States and the surrounding area has numerous geological challenges which include water supply, water contamination, land subsidence, seismic hazards and flooding. The report addresses these challenges along with information about the rocks, landscape and geologic history of the area. The geophysical portion of the report includes isostatic gravity, aeromagnetic, and gravity inversion maps, geophysical cross sections and detailed descriptions. 
Image by USGSDownload the Las Vegas Geologic Map at the USGS website. Labels: Maps
Wednesday, August 17, 2005
Medical Geology - New England Ground Water
An interesting article in the International Hearld Tribune profiles research on ground water quality and its ties to human health. Read more about Medical Geology at the IHT.com website. Labels: Ground-Water
Tuesday, August 16, 2005
Volcanic Eruption Latitude Influences Global Climate Threat
A new NASA-funded study suggests that the latitude of a volcanic eruption plays an important role in determining the impact on global climate. They used general circulation computer climate models to determine that aerosols produced by volcanoes erupting in the far north or south remain in those latitudes where they were not heated as much. In turn, the lower stratosphere did not warm greatly, so there was little influence on the arctic oscillation. On the other hand, tropical latitude eruptions usually create aerosols that spread around the globe and block heat from the sun in the lower atmosphere, cooling temperatures in areas close to the tropics. The result is a reduction in north to south temperature difference which keeps frigid air north during the winter. 
Image by NASARead more about How Latitude of a Volcanic Eruption can Influence Global Climate at the NASA website. Labels: Volcanoes
Monday, August 15, 2005
Visitors up by over 25% at Mt. St. Helens National Volcanic Monument
Visitor counts are up by more than 25% this summer at Mt. St. Helens National Volcanic Monument. Part of this can be attributed to the 25th anniversary of the 1980 eruption and part can be attributed to the opportunity to experience the low rates of seismicity, low emissions of steam and volcanic gases, and minor production of gas and ash that can be seen from the Johnson Ridge Observatory. Over 250,000 visitors are expected to observe the volcano this year. 
Image by USGSRead more at the Mt. St. Helens homepage. Labels: Volcanoes
Friday, August 12, 2005
Historic Hurricane Track Maps
Atlantic hurricane and tropical storm tracks for 2004 are shown on the image below. Included are tracks for Alex, Bonnie, Charley, Danielle, Earl, Frances, Gaston, Hermine, Ivan, Jeanne, Karl, Lisa, Matthew, Nicole and Otto. Many of these hurricanes were associated with flooding and landslide problems in the southern and eastern United States and Caribbean islands. Below the image are links to maps for previous years and also a link to the National Hurricane Center where a complete archive of information can be accessed. 
Images from the National Hurricane Center
2004 Hurricane Track Map
2003 Hurricane Track Map
2002 Hurricane Track Map
2001 Hurricane Track Map
2000 Hurricane Track Map
1999 Hurricane Track Map
1998 Hurricane Track Map
1997 Hurricane Track Map
1996 Hurricane Track Map
1995 Hurricane Track Map
National Hurricane Center ArchiveLabels: Hurricanes, Maps
Tuesday, August 09, 2005
Medical Geology: A Key to Human and Animal Health
Dr. Chandra Dissanayake, professor of geology at the University of Peradeniya in Sri Lanka has written this month's essay on Science and Society at sciencemag.org. His essay, "Of Stones and Health: Medical Geology in Sri Lanka" gives a very good description of the field of medical geology and cites fluoride in drinking water, iodine deficiency, geophagy, water hardness and natural radiation as examples. Read Dr. Dissanayake's full essay on Medical Geology at sciencemag.org.
Friday, August 05, 2005
Record Hurricane Wave
The Naval Research Laboratory has described a 91-foot wave that is the largest ever recorded in the Gulf of Mexico. This record wave was measured during the Hurricane Ivan storm with instruments placed on the continental shelf, about 100 miles south of Gulfport on September 15, 2004. Bill Teague, a physical oceanographer at NRL says that it is highly unlikely that waves of this magnitude would ever make it to shore because they break and lose energy as the enter the shallow water of the coast. Read more about the Record Hurricane Wave at the Ocean Air Space Industry Site. Labels: Hurricanes
Thursday, August 04, 2005
More Earthquake Sound Files
The USGS has a great website that features the sounds of several earthquakes, explains how the sound files were created, and provides information about how the sounds can be interpreted. Sound files for several earthquakes are provided: 1992 Magnitude 7.3 Landers Earthquake, 1992 Petrolia (near Eureka) Earthquakes, 1994 Magnitude 5 Parkfield Earthquake, Magnitude 2 Parkfield Earthquake.
Listen to more at the USGS Earthquake Sounds website. Labels: Earthquakes
Wednesday, August 03, 2005
How are Hurricanes Named?
The tropical storms from which hurricanes develop used to be named with a latitude / longitude designation that was difficult to remember, difficult to communicate easily and subject to numerous errors. However, in 1953 the National Hurricane Center began giving women's names to tropical storms originating in the Atlantic Ocean. Once this practice started hurricane names quickly became part of common language and public awareness of hurricanes increased dramatically. In 1979 a new naming method began with men's and women's names being alternated. Six different lists of names are now used and these lists are recycled every six years. However, there is one exception - if a storm is especially deadly or costly then that name is retired from the list and a new name is selected to replace it. Here is the list of Atlantic hurricane names that will be used for the next six years. | Names of Future Atlantic Tropical Storms | | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | | Arlene | Alberto | Andrea | Arthur | Ana | Alex | | Bret | Beryl | Barry | Bertha | Bill | Bonnie | | Cindy | Chris | Chantal | Cristobal | Claudette | Colin | | Dennis | Debby | Dean | Dolly | Danny | Danielle | | Emily | Ernesto | Erin | Edouard | Erika | Earl | | Franklin | Florence | Felix | Fay | Fred | Fiona | | Gert | Gordon | Gabrielle | Gustav | Grace | Gaston | | Harvey | Helene | Humberto | Hanna | Henri | Hermine | | Irene | Isaac | Ingrid | Ike | Ida | Igor | | Jose | Joyce | Jerry | Josephine | Joaquin | Julia | | Katrina | Kirk | Karen | Kyle | Kate | Karl | | Lee | Leslie | Lorenzo | Laura | Larry | Lisa | | Maria | Michael | Melissa | Marco | Mindy | Matthew | | Nate | Nadine | Noel | Nana | Nicholas | Nicole | | Ophelia | Oscar | Olga | Omar | Odette | Otto | | Philippe | Patty | Pablo | Paloma | Peter | Paula | | Rita | Rafael | Rebekah | Rene | Rose | Richard | | Stan | Sandy | Sebastien | Sally | Sam | Shary | | Tammy | Tony | Tanya | Teddy | Teresa | Tomas | | Vince | Valerie | Van | Vicky | Victor | Virginie | | Wilma | William | Wendy | Wilfred | Wanda | Walter |
Labels: Hurricanes
Tuesday, August 02, 2005
California and Nebraska are Largest Ground Water Users
USGS has published Circular 1279: "Estimated Withdrawals from Principal Aquifers in the United States, 2000" which provides details of ground-water withdrawals and use from principal aquifers in each state. According to the report over 90 percent of ground-water withdrawals - 76.5 billion gallons per day - are used for irrigation, public supply and self-supplied industrial uses. Irrigation accounts for nearly three-quarters of this amount. California and Nebraska consume more ground water than any other states (8,910 million gallons per day in California and 7,050 million gallons per day in Nebraska). 
Image by USGSOver half of the combined ground-water withdrawals for irrigation, public supply and self-supplied industrial water uses are coming from four principal aquifers: the High Plains aquifer (CO, KS, NE, NM, OK, SD, TX, WY), the Central Valley aquifer (CA), the Mississippi River Valley alluvial aquifer along the lower Mississippi River (AR, LA, MS, MO, TN), and the Basin and Range aquifers predominantly located in the desert Southwest (AZ, CA, ID, NV, NM, OR, UT). Aquifers that produce the most water for public supply are the glacial sand and gravel aquifers in a large region that extends from Maine to Montana and southward toward Kentucky; the California Coastal Basin aquifers; and the Floridan aquifer system of Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, and Alabama. The full report can be downloaded without charge at: http://pubs.water.usgs.gov/circ1279 Labels: Ground-Water
Monday, August 01, 2005
Middle East Dust Storms
Earth Observatory has posted numerous images recently that clearly demonstrate the transport abilities of the wind. The satellite image below shows a heavy plume of yellow dust from Libya that has been swept out over the Mediterranean Sea. The plume has already reached Sicily and will possibly move over Italy and beyond. Certainly many tons of dust are being transported in this image. Additional dust storm images from Iraq, Kazakhstan, Namibia and the Red Sea area can be seen at the Earth Observatory website. 
Image by NASAView the Dust Storm Images at Earth Observatory. Labels: Satellite-Images
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