Geology News
Engineering Geology Current Events

CNN Money has two short videos about the new east span of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge which is expected to be completed in September, 2013.

The Los Angeles Times has an article that explains how an earthquake warning system is being tested in Southern California.

Researchers use shake tables to simulate the performance retrofitted and unretrofitted New York City masonry buildings, locally known as “brownstones”. The article includes an interesting video.

“Predicted population increases in this century can be expected to translate into more people dying from earthquakes. There will be more individual earthquakes with very large death tolls as well as more people dying during earthquakes than ever before, according to a newly published study led by U.S. Geological Survey engineering geologist Thomas L. Holzer.” Quoted from the USGS announcement.

The NBC News website features a few photos from the East Side Access project where workers are expanding the New York mass transit system by driving enormous tunnels through bedrock hundreds of feet beneath the busy streets of Manhattan.

An article on the ScienceMag.org website explains how drilling an array of holes around a building can disrupt the movement of seismic waves.

“According to a new technical report, the effects of climate change will continue to threaten the health and vitality of U.S. coastal communities’ social, economic and natural systems. The report, Coastal Impacts, Adaptation, and Vulnerabilities: a technical input to the 2013 National Climate Assessment, authored by leading scientists and experts, emphasizes the need for increased coordination and planning to ensure U.S. coastal communities are resilient against the effects of climate change.” Quoted from the USGS press release.

The most recent issue of BOEM Ocean Science has information about beach restoration projects in the Hurricane Sandy recovery effort.

“The HazVu map provides a way to view many different geohazards in the state of Oregon. You can enter the address for your home, school, business, or public buildings in your area to see what hazards might affect you. You can print the map you create.

Geohazards include 100-year flooding; Cascadia Subduction Zone earthquake shaking and tsunami; coastal erosion; volcano; landslide; active faults; earthquake soft soil; and more. Assets include state-owned/leased facilities and public buildings such as schools, police and fire stations, and hospitals, as well as links to seismic assessment reports for these public buildings.” Quoted from the HazVu website.

Salton Sea Earthquake Swarm

Isaac Causes the Mississippi River to Flow Backwards

Water Wells Going Dry in the Central United States

Hurricanes Since 1851

Aerial Views of New Orleans Flood Protection

The 5.8-magnitude earthquake that occurred in Virginia on August 23, 2012 damaged the Washington Monument. Recently completed studies indicate that the earthquake did not cause additional settling.

An article on Wired.com explores some of the challenges encountered when building a highway tunnel in the San Francisco Bay Area, less than one mile from the active Hayward Fault.

Hospital buildings might be built to withstand an earthquake but sometimes internal damage and infrastructure problems (electricity, telephone, water, sewage) can hamper their ability to provide full services at a time of intense need. Judith Mitrani-Reiser, Assistant Professor of Civil Engineering, documents her experience observing public hospitals in Chile in the aftermath of a M8.8 earthquake.

CNN has a photo gallery that shows the Puente Hills Landfill, the largest landfill in the United States, located near Los Angeles.

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USGS has developed a working “Shake Alert” system that will send early warnings that arrive from a few seconds to as much as 90 seconds before earthquake vibrations. Unfortunately, very few people/institutions are able to receive these potentially life-saving warnings. The reason: the project needs more funding.

Rapid erosion along Ocean Beach is threatening a large wastewater treatment plant. Should they defend the beach or move the plant?

Researchers at the University of Manchester have proposed a structure that would protect a building by making it “invisible” to seismic waves.

“Decision-support systems can be used to help synthesize, visualize, and analyze the natural-science and socioeconomic information needed for making risk-reduction and land-use choices.”

Sinkholes are a common geological hazard in many parts of Pennsylvania. The state geological survey has an educational publication and small website to inform the public about sinkholes.