This .pdf from the National History Museum of Los Angeles County announces the unveiling of Fruitadens haagarorum. Found in the Morrison Formation of Colorado, it is the smallest dinosaur discovered in North America to date. Weighing slightly less than a kilogram (2 pounds), the creature was quick and nimble, and possibly had an omnivorous diet.
The Wyoming Geological Survey has a .pdf booklet titled: “Searching for Placer Diamonds” that you can download and read for free.
It was written by W. Dan Hausel and contains information about recognizing diamonds, prospecting for diamonds, references and a map of the Colorado-Wyoming Kimberlite Province.
Lots of people are extremely interested in uranium exploration and mining projects in Arizona and Colorado. Lee Alison links to a number of news articles here, and here, and here from his Arizona Geology Blog.
In some parts of the United States, drillers who would like to use carbon dioxide for enhancing oil recovery projects are having a hard time getting enough of the gas.
Warmer, drier climate is causing water supplies in the Colorado River basin to deplete at a very rapid rate. The warming climate is a greater threat than population growth and could cause depletion of reservoir storage by mid-century.
The United States Government is looking for a place to store thousands of tons of mercury. There are suitable locations in Washington, Colorado, Idaho, Missouri, South Carolina, Nevada, and Texas – but not surprisingly, most people don’t want a toxic substance in their area.
A multitude of small animal footprints have been discovered on a sandstone wall at Dinosaur National Monument. The tracks were probably left by a rodent-sized mammal during the early Jurassic period.
USGS has released Open File Report 2009-1140: “Evaluation of Hazardous Faults in the Intermountain West Region”. “This region contains thousands of faults that have moved in Cenozoic time, hundreds of which have evidence of Quaternary movement, and thus are considered to be potential seismic sources.”
USGS has published a new 1:100,000 scale “Geologic Map of the Estes Park 30’ x 60’ Quadrangle, North-Central Colorado” as USGS Scientific Investigations Map 3039.
The Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission is holding hearings to discuss natural gas drilling near Project Rulison, the location of a 1969 underground nuclear explosion.
The U.S. Global Change Research Program released a report that explains how climate change might impact Nevada, Arizona, Utah, Colorado, California and New Mexico. Wildfires, increased flooding, stressed water supplies, and high temperatures are a few of the featured problems.
Learn about the geology of your favorite state as seen along the highway. This series of books by Mountain Press are filled with maps, photos, park locations and detailed descriptions. Get one before your next trip.
This is another short article that features Vince Matthews, State Geologist of Colorado, and his presentations that focus on the world demand for resources and energy.
The-Vug.com has a comprehensive listing of mineral and lapidary clubs from across the United States. It could be the most complete and up-to-date listing on the web. Included are hundreds of clubs and organizations located in all 50 states.
The-Vug.com has a list of mineral shows being held across the United States in late May and June. Included are shows in Virginia, Nebraska, Montana, Ohio, California, Colorado, Alabama, Idaho, Kentucky, Minnesota, Missouri, Connecticut, Oregon, Indiana and other states.
Some of the most interesting dinosaur fossils on the continent have been found at The Lower Cretaceous quarry at Dinosaur National Monument. Dynamite was used to clear away a resistant rock layer so that paleontologists could have access to the fossils beneath.
A recently published paper presents evidence that at least one small group of large dinosaurs survived for up to 1/2 million years into the Paleocene. The evidence was found in parts of what is now New Mexico and Colorado.
An interesting article on the Popular Mechanics website considers who owns rainwater. The property owner might own it or it might be illegal for property owners to capture. The laws vary geographically.
Pumping water to liberate methane from coal seams has been associated with drawdown in active water supply wells. An article at Forbes.com explains a ruling by the Colorado Supreme Court related to this practice.
The United States Geological Survey estimated in 1989 that oil shales in the Piceance Basin of Colorado held about 1 trillion barrels of oil. Their new estimate has increased that amount to 1.5 trillion.
Is uranium found in the Colorado River natural or has it made its way into the river from mining activities? The answer might influence future uranium exploration and development in the Colorado River basin and other areas.
Patrick Mahaffy of Boulder, Colorado was having some landscaping done when a large collection of ancient stone tools was unearthed in his front yard. The Clovis-age tools are approximately 13,000 years old. This article includes a video showing some of these rare finds.
Mountain pine beetles are creating a hazard in the forests of Colorado. The insects destroy the trees and leave the area more prone to forest fires. The lodgepole pine is especially hard hit by the beetles.
This is an astronaut photo of Raven Ridge in northwestern Colorado. The ridge is a topographic feature where layered sedimentary rocks with ages that span the boundary between the Cretaceous and Tertiary Periods are exposed.
A meteor lit up the skies of Colorado early Saturday morning. Experienced observers said that it was about 100x as bright as the moon and one of the most spectacular that they have seen.
The Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission says that 7225 drilling permits were approved between January 1 and November 30. With one month of the year still ahead they have already set a new record for the most permits issued in a calendar year.
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Hobart King
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