“Scientists struggling to understand how Earth’s climate will change in the next few decades have neglected a potential treasure trove of information — sediments deposited in the ocean by major Arctic rivers such as the Colville and Mackenzie Rivers.” Quoted from the University of Texas at Austin release.
There are very few point sources of mercury in the Arctic, however, researchers have found significant amounts of mercury being delivered by the Mackenzie River into the Arctic Ocean.
Leadership positions in the gem-quality diamond production race are constantly changing as new discoveries are made and old mines are worked out. This article charts diamond production geographically and over time.
The oil sands in Alberta, Canada are an important source of crude oil. However, more efficient and environmentally friendly methods of extraction are needed.
An article in the Regina Leader-Post tells the story of Charles Walcott and how he discovered the Burgess Shale fauna. This July marks the 100th anniversary of his discovery.
This year marks the 100th anniversary of the Burgess Shale fauna discovery, which many paleontologists call “the most important fossil discovery in history”.
Getting oil out of the Canadian oil sands is an expensive venture. New climate change agreements might make them so expensive to develop that they will not be a viable fuel source.
The New York Times has an article that reports on the Canadian oil sands. This resource makes Canada one of the most petroleum-rich nations in the world. The oil is expensive to extract and its carbon impact is higher than most comparable fuels.
In Nova Scotia, Canada, the Joggins Fossil Cliffs are a great place for a geologist or paleontologist to explore. The area has a nearly-intact fossilized rain forest that is hundreds of millions of years old – a very rare find.
A fossil site in Grand Prairie, Alberta, Canada is presumed to have been the nesting place of herbivorous dinosaurs. Other fossilized creatures were also found nearby, making the area of particular interest to paleontologists.
A fireball that fell to Earth on March 15, 2009 near Lake Simcoe, Ontario has triggered a meteorite hunt. This article includes instructions for identifying meteorites and provides contact information for meteorite scientists.
A group of SETI Institute scientists plan to drive the Northwest Passage in a Humvee Rover. This will be a trip of over 1000 miles, much of it on Arctic ice. This trip will include some driving on Devon Island, an area that has topography similar to the Moon.
An article on the Globe and Mail website illustrates how some carbon accounting methods might work. The carbon intensity of a fuel could be traced all the way from producer to end user. In California, imported oil-sand fuels could be at a disadvantage compared to locally drilled oil.
Suncor Energy was fined $1,000,000 Canadian for not having proper pollution controls at its oil sand processing facility near Fort McMurray, Alberta and for hiding that fact from inspectors.
President Barack Obama has invited leaders from Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, the European Union, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Korea, Mexico, Russia, South Africa and the United Kingdom to Washington for a forum on energy and climate.
A small skeleton found in Alberta, Canada in 1982 is now thought to be the smallest dinosaur ever discovered in North America. It is a predator about the size of a modern house cat.
The fossil of an ancient warm-weather turtle, Aurorachelys, was found in the Nunavut province of Canada. The turtle, nicknamed “Hugo”, may have migrated from Asia during the Cretaceous period - a time when the climate was much, much warmer.
For most of the United States and Canada, Daylight Saving Time begins at 2AM on Sunday, March 8. This page has information on when DST is observed in some other parts of the world. Don’t forget to set your clocks forward!
Welcome! Every day you can find links to several earth science news topics right here.
Bookmark this page and visit often. You can also receive them for free by RSS feed or in a daily email message.
Hobart King
Popular From Geology.com
The East Africa Rift System: Learn some basics about the East Africa Rift System from this article by James Wood and Alex Guth of Michigan Technological University.
What are Meteorites? Join meteorite hunter, Geoffrey Notkin, as he begins a series of monthly articles on the topic of meteorites.
Marcellus Shale: The most overlooked resource in the eastern United States!
Mineral Rights / Oil & Gas: Who owns the minerals under your land? Have they been sold? Can someone mine without your permission?
