The United States Geological Survey has published a study on the depletion rates of ground water in the United States between 1900 and 2008. The rate of depletion is accelerating.
GeoCorps America is a program offering paid, short-term geoscience positions in some of the most beautiful natural areas in the world.
Just a few of the Fall/Winter Positions….
Curator Intern – Dinosaur National Monument
GIS Technician – Delaware Water Gap
Hydrological Technician – Redwoods National Park
Physical Science Technician – Grand Canyon National Park
Guest Scientist – Yosemite National Park
The National Ground Water Association has published an information guide for people who have private water supply wells located near oil and natural gas drilling. They explain the types of water quality concerns that might be present and explain the options of water well testing.
“Eight percent of more than 5,000 wells tested across Pennsylvania contain groundwater with levels of arsenic at or above federal standards set for public drinking water, while an additional 12 percent – though not exceeding standards – show elevated levels of arsenic.” Quoted from the USGS Newsroom.
“Scientists have linked a rising number of quakes in normally calm parts of Arkansas, Texas, Ohio and Colorado to below-ground injection. In the last four years, the number of quakes in the middle of the United States jumped 11-fold from the three decades prior.” Quoted from the Columbia University press release.
USGS authors have authored a book chapter titled: “Arsenic in groundwater: a summary of sources and the biogeochemical and hydrogeologic factors affecting arsenic occurrence and mobility”.
The Australian Square Kilometre Array Pathfinder is a new radio telescope that will produce so much data that a supercomputer capable of one quadrillion floating point operations per second will be needed to support it. The project leaders have decided to cool the supercomputer with a closed-circuit geothermal cooling system that will operate on ground water.
The Oregon Department of Geology and Mineral Industries has published an interactive online map that allows you to explore the geothermal resources of Oregon. You can use it to get information about geothermal exploration wells, water wells with elevated temperatures, warm springs, hot springs and more – all plotted on nine dirrerent basemaps. You can also get the data on CD-ROM.
“Groundwater and surface-water systems are connected, and groundwater discharge is often a substantial component of the total flow of a stream. Groundwater pumping reduces the amount of groundwater that flows to streams and, in some cases, can draw streamflow into the underlying groundwater system.” The United States Geological Survey has published: Streamflow Depletion by Wells—Understanding and Managing the Effects of Groundwater Pumping on Streamflow. Quote from the USGS press release.
“A new study using data from a pair of gravity-measuring NASA satellites finds that large parts of the arid Middle East region lost freshwater reserves rapidly during the past decade.” Quoted from the NASA press release.
The McLaughlin Crater on Mars is about 57 miles in diameter and about 1.4 miles deep. Researchers believe that it may have once been filled with water supplied by springs.
This Ohio Department of Natural Resources document summarizes the potential sources of water for hydraulic fracturing in the Utica Shale and Marcellus Shale of eastern Ohio. Also included are basic regulations and the contact/regulatory authority for each water source.
This is a downhole camera view of a water well in the UK. For the first minute you will be in the casing, then in the portion of the well above the water table, as you approach the water table it will look like a glittering disk, below the water table you will see sediment particles in the water.
(To turn off the ad that appears over the video, move your mouse over the ad and click the “X” at upper right.)
“One of the primary concerns related to the development of groundwater resources is the effect of groundwater pumping on streamflow. Groundwater and surface-water systems are connected, and groundwater discharge is often a substantial component of the total flow of a stream.” Quoted from the USGS press release.
“The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the New Hampshire Geological Survey, measured the fluid temperature of groundwater in deep bedrock wells in the State of New Hampshire in order to characterize geothermal gradients in bedrock.” Quoted from the USGS press release.
An article titled “Three States of Water” on the UCAR website explores how snowmelt, hurricanes and drought create different interactions between humans and water in Colorado, Louisiana and Oklahoma.
USGS has published: Saturated thickness and water in storage in the High Plains aquifer, 2009, and water-level changes and changes in water in storage in the High Plains aquifer, 1980 to 1995, 1995 to 2000, 2000 to 2005, and 2005 to 2009.
“Extreme drought conditions during the summer of 2012 resulted in the formation of crop lines, a rare feature that mimics underlying crevices that make up the karst bedrock aquifer in the Driftless Area, northwestern Illinois. Georeferenced aerial photographs of the lines are being used to map the crevice geometry of the aquifer, reveal the nature of lineaments only seen in LiDAR imagery, and are being used in conjunction with road cut and quarry mapping, to characterize the aquifer in three dimensions.” Description and photo courtesy of Samuel V. Panno.
In Arizona…. “A new statewide study documenting salinity concentrations of 270 deep groundwater wells in Arizona found that fresh water can extend as deep as 5,000 feet in some areas but below 6,600 feet only brackish or saline groundwater was encountered.”
USGS has published “Simulation of groundwater and surface-water interaction and effects of pumping in a complex glacial-sediment aquifer, east central Massachusetts“.
The effects of groundwater pumping on surface-water features were evaluated by use of a numerical groundwater model developed for a complex glacial-sediment aquifer in northeastern Framingham, Massachusetts, and parts of surrounding towns.
An Associated Press article explains how soil changes induced by severe drought conditions in the central United States are causing damage to homes. This damage is rarely covered by homeowner’s insurance.
The Arizona Experience website has an interactive timeline of water events that have occurred in the state. The events clearly show how water has shaped many of Arizona’s laws.
Earth Science Week has released their Newsletter for August, 2012. It has lots of teaching ideas for K-12 teachers to use during Earth Science Week (October 14-20, 2012) or at any time.
* Ordering Earth Science Week Toolkits
* AGI’s New Center for Geoscience Education
* National Fossil Day Contest
* Papers on Climate by Pre-College Students
* Earth Science Week 2012 Contest
* Fourth Annual Women in Geosciences Day
* Learn How to Protect Your Groundwater
Welcome to Geology News!
Every day you can find links to several earth science news topics right here.
Bookmark this page and visit often. You can also receive our news for free by RSS feed or in a daily email message.
Advertising
Popular on Geology.com
Homeowners Insurance usually does not cover damage caused by floods, landslides, earthquakes and other geohazards.
Frac Sand is a high-purity silica sand used in hydraulic fracturing to enhance the flow of oil and gas from tight rock units.
Diamonds from Coal? Diamonds form under a variety of conditions that rarely involve coal as a source of carbon.
Fluorescent Minerals glow with spectacular colors when illuminated in the dark with an ultraviolet lamp.
Helium is a byproduct of the natural gas industry. Its most important use is in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) machines.
Canada Diamond Mines: Canada is the third largest producer of gem-quality diamonds in the world.
Utica Shale: New wells in eastern Ohio prove that the Utica Shale will be a major source of natural gas and natural gas liquids.
Spectacular Fossils of the Green River Formation. Some of the world's best-preserved fossil fish from an intermountain lake.
Opals: Gem quality opal is one of the most spectacular gemstones. A single stone can flash with every color of the spectrum.
