Since 1972 the “Roadside Geology” series has provided introductory information on the geology of states and small regions of the United States. The books provide a combination of maps, travel logs, photos and commentary for the geology that can be seen along highways or visited at parks and public viewing areas. They are popular with geologists and others who are interested in the Earth.
North Dakota’s oil production has been rising rapidly for the past few years. Last month they produced 17.8 million barrels, surpassing Alaska to become the second-leading oil-producing state.
The Alaska Dispatch has a very nice article that describes some of Alaska’s biggest volcanic eruptions. Featured is Novarupta – the largest volcanic eruption of the 20th century and possibly the fifth most powerful in recorded history.
“The morning of June 6th arrived on the Alaska peninsula to find the area which is now Katmai National Monument being shaken by numerous strong, shallow earthquakes. The most powerful volcanic eruption of the 20th Century was about to begin – but very few people knew about it. ”
“The importance of hydropower as a source of electricity generation varies by geographic region. While hydropower accounted for 6% of total U.S. electricity generation in 2010, it provided over half of the electricity in the Pacific Northwest.” Quote from the Energy Information Administration article.
The United States Geological Survey determined that shales in the North Slope region of Alaska hold an enormous technically-recoverable shale oil and shale gas resource. These rock units could contain as much as 80 trillion cubic feet of technically recoverable natural gas and as much as 2 billion barrels of oil.
“Following apparent explosive activity and a resultant small ash cloud Saturday, February 18, AVO elevated the Aviation Color Code to YELLOW and the Volcano Alert Level to ADVISORY. Volcanic tremor had been detected on the local seismic network at Kanaga early that morning, followed by numerous small events for about an hour. ”
Kanaga Volcano issuing a steam plume. Also visible is what appears to be two dark stripes extending down the flank (ash and/or flowage deposits?) Image by Majorie Tillion, USGS
“It remains possible for intermittent, sudden explosions of blocks and ash to occur at any time, and ash clouds exceeding 20,000 feet above sea level may develop. Such explosions and their associated ash clouds may go undetected in satellite imagery for hours. If a large, explosive, ash-producing event occurs, seismic, infrasound, or volcanic lightning may be detected by local and regional monitoring networks. There is no real-time seismic monitoring network on Mount Cleveland.” Quoted from the AlaskaVolcano Observatory.
“The goal of this project is to define, plan, and conduct a field trial of a methane hydrate production methodology whereby carbon dioxide (CO2) molecules are exchanged in situ for the methane (CH4) molecules within a hydrate structure, releasing the methane for production.” Quote from the DOE press release.
The area above the Arctic Circle is underlain by sedimentary basins and continental shelves that hold enormous oil and natural gas resources. The United States Geological Survey estimates that the Arctic contains approximately 13 percent of the world’s undiscovered conventional oil resources and about 30 percent of its undiscovered conventional natural gas resources.
“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.
“Fountain Stream is one of the largest rivers draining Malaspina Glacier. The changes in this river over the past 120 years provides an example of how glacial retreat can starve rivers of sediment and lead to erosion downstream, and an example of the complex changes that can result from climate change.”
” The storm we watched eroded 10 feet of forest floor. Beneath the tree roots, we could see the remains of beaches formed only a few decades ago, when a surplus of sand was still flowing from the glacier.” Quoted from the case study.
After a storm, the signs of rapid coastal erosion are especially obvious. Here, spruce roots trail uselessly down to the beach, where the dirt has been washed away beneath them. Coastal Erosion Slideshow
The-Vug.com has an impressive listing of mineral clubs organized by state. You might be surprised at how many clubs are listed and there is probably one that meets within a short drive of your home.
“As the Arctic warms, greenhouse gases will be released from thawing permafrost faster and at significantly higher levels than previous estimates. This thawing will release approximately the same amount of carbon as deforestation. However, the effect of thawing permafrost on climate will be 2.5 times greater because emissions include methane.” Quoted from the University of Alaska Fairbanks press release.
Ground Truth Trecking has a new gallery featuring some surprising and spectacular photos of Alaska’s glacial ice. Check it out. Also some great photos from their trek to Malaspina Glacier, including oil seeps, supercooled springs, the most tectonically active mountain in North America, and forested ice-calving faces.
The folks at MyTopo.com are now printing supersized topo maps – large enough make a huge 5′ x 8′ (or 8′ x 5′) map that will look fantastic on the wall of your office, conference room, lobby, cabin or den. These maps are custom-centered on any location that you pick using their online map-making tool. Lots of smaller sizes are also available.
We are affiliates of MyTopo.com and receive a commission on sales.
In this video Hig and Erin of GroundTruthTrecking encounter a very large grizzly bear on the Alaska Peninsula. You can read another exciting story about a bear encounter on their GroundTruthTrecking website.
Raven Maps are beautiful examples of shaded-relief wall maps that display the elevation of a state in vibrant colors. These large maps look great in a classroom, den or office. Use one to mark the locations of your work or company.
Part of an exploration map - Wyoming Geological Survey
The United States is the world’s leading consumer of diamonds, spending billions of dollars per year on the gem. Although domestic production is currently just a few hundred carats, there is a potential for production in several states.
A powerful storm moving across the Bering Sea has brought 80 mph winds to the western Alaska coastline and is expected to cause storm surges of over ten feet.
The Law of the Sea Treaty is an agreement that allocates the seafloor resources under the Arctic Ocean. A debate in the Wall Street Journal has arguments in favor and against.
The CEO of TransCanada Corporation says that the company is still focused upon delivering their natural gas overland to the United States rather than shipping it as LNG to Asia – but Asia is an option.
This is a story contains some of the history, geology and personal experiences behind the Bokan Mountain rare earth deposit. Located near Kendrick Bay, Alaska, Bokan Mountain could turn out to be one of the largest rare earth deposit in the United States.
Alaska has an abundance of natural gas and there is a proposal in the state legislature for building a pipeline to the southcentral Alaska port where the gas would be condensed and shipped to Asian markets as LNG.
The Marshall University Center for Business and Economic Research has prepared: Taxation of Natural Gas: A Comparative Analysis. This publication reviews the many methods of taxing natural gas 19 different states. You might be surprised at how many ways natural gas is being taxed.
Sea Grant Alaska has a collection of teaching and learning resources that can be used to create multiple lessons about seamounts for middle school students.
Activities include: learning how seamounts form, mapping seamounts and building a seamount model from a topographic map.
An article on the Watertown Daily Times website reviews the internship experiences of three geology students who spent last summer working at gold mines in Alaska and Nevada.
“Geographers first noticed the circular feature on the landscape, and a 1922 geologic expedition confirmed the origin of the depression. Several decades later, paleontologists made another find at Aniakchak: Dinosaurs once lived in the area, and they left behind some of their fossilized tracks.” Quoted from the Earth Observatory image release.
This interesting time lapse video of the Columbia Glacier in Alaska clearly shows how the glacier is a conveyor of ice and has retreated year after year.
“Recent observations of Cleveland volcano show that the current eruption, characterized by effusion of lava within the summit crater continues. The size of the lava dome is now about 165 m (540 ft) in diameter compared to 150 m (490 ft) in diameter on September 9,2011.” Quoted from a report from the Alaska Volcano Observatory.
“The current episode of dome growth resumed around September 3. A growing lava dome in the crater increases the possibility of an explosive eruption, but does not necessarily indicate that one will occur. Short-lived explosions could produce ash clouds that exceed 20,000 ft above sea level. These events can occur without warning and may go undetected in satellite imagery for hours. If lava dome growth continues, it could overflow the crater rim to produce a lava flow and/or collapse to produce pyroclastic flows.” Quoted from the AlaskaVolcano Observatory.
Personal interviews with Alaska Natives in the Yukon River Basin provide unique insights on climate change and its impacts, helping develop adaptation strategies for these local communities.
Some members of Congress recommend opening portions of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and the outer continental shelf for oil and natural gas drilling as a way to create jobs and cut the deficit.
“Observations of Cleveland Volcano from Tuesday September 6, 2011 show that the small lava dome in the summit crater has resumed growth and now fills the floor of the crater. In response, AVO is raising the Aviation Color Code to Orange and the Alert Level to Watch.” Quoted from the Alaska Volcano Observatory website.
“These changes, though different at each pole, could be significant in their effects on not only the local environment, but also globally. While the central part of the Arctic is composed of ice over water, northern Canada, Alaska, Siberia and Greenland all have landmasses within the Arctic Circle.” Quoted from the Penn State University news release.
USGS publishes a continuously-updated Google map that shows the location and alert level for volcanoes in the United States. At a glace you can see locations with elevated alert levels and zoom in on them with Google maps or Google satellite images.
Cleveland volcano is building a lava dome in its summit crater. In the past, Cleveland has spent months building lava domes in the summit crater. Without a seismic network on Chuginadak Island, researchers are unable to closely monitor earthquake activity beneath the volcano.
“AVO raised the Aviation Color Code to Orange and the Alert Level to Watch yesterday in response to observations of a new lava dome in the summit crater of Cleveland Volcano . New observations from August 2 show that the lava dome has grown from about 40 meters (131 feet) to about 50 meters (164 feet) in diameter since July 29. Weak thermal anomalies were detected in satellite images last night and this morning which is consistent with slow dome growth or a cooling dome.”
“This report is a new compilation of the location and extent of folds and faults in Cook Inlet Basin, Alaska. [...] Most anticlines in and around the basin have at least shows of oil or gas, and some structures are considered to be seismically active. [...] This area lies adjacent to the subducting and buoyant Yakutat microplate slab.”
Quick excavations were done to recover a fossil thalattosaur that was only exposed during low tide at certain times of the year. The University of Alaska Museum of the North is now preparing the marine reptile for study.
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