Ann Daniels, a mother of four and part-time explorer from Devon, England, has been making trips to the Arctic since 1997 – a time when there was enough ice cover to complete the journey on foot. Over the years, the receding ice has necessitated swimming more and more to cover the same distance. She shares her thoughts about swimming in Arctic waters, and dragging a hundred-kilogram sledge through the harsh wilderness. This article includes a photo gallery.
During the “Snowball Earth” phase of our planet’s development, Sturtian glaciers covered the tropics and reached the Equator. Rock samples from Yukon Territory, Canada yield evidence of this prehistoric glaciation.
The purpose of the TransCanada pipeline is to transport crude from Canadian oil sands to refineries on the United States Gulf Coast. Now producers of crude in Montana and North Dakota want to use the pipeline.
The White River tephra is an ashfall produced by an eruption of Mount Churchill Volcano that blanketed much of east-central Alaska and adjacent parts of Canada about 1000 years ago. DNA evidence from frozen caribou remains links a large migration to the eruption.
Early results in the Utica Shale Gas Play in Quebec, Canada has wells producing over 10 million cubic feet of gas per day. Some believe that the play could contain over 20 trillion cubic feet of natural gas.
Some media sources suggest that conflicts could arise as countries stake claims for Arctic Ocean resources. An article in the Montreal Gazette explains that cooperation under international law is the more likely result.
Some people believe that the TransCanada Pipeline is still needed – even after major shale gas plays have been discovered at many locations in the United States.
A proposed pipeline to carry natural gas from the North Slope, through Canada and on to markets in Alaska and the 48 states could cost up to $41 billion. A competing project would carry the gas to a proposed LNG facility at Valdez.
PodCast: David Mech, USGS researcher is using GPS technology to track Brutus, a wolf that lives and leads a pack of at least 11 other adult members in far northern Canada. What do they do during winter, when there is 24 hours of darkness? How far do they wander? You can follow Brutus on David’s blog.
British Columbia has opened their new underwater observatory: NEPTUNE Canada. This video sums up the huge project, which has been ten years in the making.
The Athabasca oil sands of Alberta are an enormous Canadian oil reserve. What effect do oil sand operations have on the surrounding area? A research team from the University of Alberta decided to find out.
“Oil and gas exploration leaves deforestation scars throughout the northern boreal forest region in Alberta, Canada near Swan Hills.” Quoted from the USGS image description.
Canada’s oil sands resource is one of the most valuable resources in that country. Many people want to develop it and many others do not. Lisa Raitt, Canadian Natural Resources Minister and her staff are lobbying in the United States to promote development.
In the ranking of the world’s proven oil reserves, Canada stands behind only Saudi Arabia. Canada possesses an estimated 178.6 billion barrels of crude oil accessible using current technology. Of this reserve, 174 billion barrels are in Alberta’s Athabasca oil sand fields.
The Mackenzie Valley Pipeline could be Canada’s largest construction project or it could be a casualty of an abundance of natural gas flowing from organic shales in many parts of the United States.
A resident of Grimsby, Ontario found a smashed windshield in her SUV and then heard reports that researchers were looking for meteorites from a fireball that passed over the town on September 25. A video of the fireball is below.
Boeing and Skyhook hope to use giant blimps to lift heavy cargo such as oil rigs and pipeline equipment into Canada’s far north. The method might not only be cheaper than overland transport but would also have a lower environmental impact.
The Oil and Gas Journal reports on a company in New Brunswick, Canada that has used propane instead of water to fracture a subsurface natural gas reservoir.
An article in the Calgary Herald explores Canadian natural gas trends. Conventional production has been falling rapidly in response to costs. And, while unconventional production is climbing, it might not climb fast enough to replace the rate of conventional decline.
Petroglyphs, sometimes known as “rock art,” are images cut into or scribed onto a stone surface by people. They are often produced as a form or art or communication. This photo gallery features petroglyphs from worldwide locations including: Arizona, British Columbia, California, Chile, Hawaii, India, Mexico, Namibia, Nevada, New Mexico, Norway, Ontario, Russia, Spain, Sweden, Utah, Virgin Islands, Washington.
“In late August 2009, ice clogged some but not all of the Northwest Passage, and snow had retreated from most of the islands in the Canadian Arctic Archipelago.” Quoted from the image release at Earth Observatory.
Here is a gallery of ten spectacular images of lakes at various worldwide locations. In addition to the impressive photos, each lake has at least one unusual attribute. You have probably not heard of most of these.
Today is the 100th anniversary of the discovery of the Burgess Shale fossils by Charles Walcott in British Columbia, Canada. One reason for their fame is that they are an excellent example of soft-bodied preservation of Middle Cambrian organisms.
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
Advertising
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?