Geology News
Kentucky Current Events |
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Hazard in the New Madrid Seismic Zone
October 5, 2009 | United States Geological Survey Fact Sheet
There is broad agreement in the scientific community that a continuing concern exists for a major destructive earthquake in the New Madrid seismic zone. Many structures in Memphis, Tenn., St. Louis, Mo., and other communities in the central Mississippi River Valley region are vulnerable and at risk from severe ground shaking.
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EPA Delays Mountaintop Removal Mining Permits
October 1, 2009 | Reuters
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is holding 79 coal-mining permits that use the controversial mining method of “mountaintop removal”. EPA is considering their potential impact on water quality.
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Mine Subsidence Causes Damage in Many States
September 11, 2009 | Boston.com
The Benld Elementary School in Benld, Illinois has been damaged by mine subsidence. An article on the Boston.com website tells several stories about mine subsidence in Illinois, Kentucky, Pennsylvania states.
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Photos of Kentucky Flooding
August 4, 2009 | CNN
CNN has a few photos of the flooding in Kentucky. Storms there dumped up to six inches of rain in the Louisville area.
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Louisville Flooding
August 4, 2009 | Cincinnati.com
Heavy rains of up to six inches in one hour caused flash flooding in the Louisville area. Cars were stranded in the streets, schools were closed and the National Guard was sent out to rescue people trapped in flooded homes and vehicles.
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Climate Change in the Southeast
July 15, 2009 | U.S. Global Change Research Program
The U.S. Global Change Research Program released a report that explains how climate change might impact Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Arkansas, Tennessee, Kentucky, Virginia, North Carolina and South Carolina. Stronger hurricanes, drought, heat waves and crop losses are a few of the featured problems.
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Raven Maps: Spectacular State Wall Maps
July 2, 2009 | Raven Maps
Raven Maps are the most beautiful state wall maps that I have ever seen. They show the elevation and relief of a complete state through a skillful use of vibrant colors and topographic shading. Maps are available for individual states, the Conterminous United States, North America, Mexico and the world.
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Mineral & Lapidary Clubs
May 22, 2009 | The-Vug.com
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.
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June Mineral Shows
May 21, 2009 | The-Vug.com
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.
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Is the New Madrid Fault System Shutting Down?
March 20, 2009 | Purdue University
Researchers at Purdue University have been analyzing motion within the New Madrid Fault System and find that it is much less than expected for the frequency of major earthquakes produced.
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Central United States Ice Storm
February 4, 2009 | Earth Observatory
A satellite image of the heavy blanket of ice and snow in the central United States. Power and other services are still not restored to hundreds of thousands of people. Steve Beshear, Governor of Kentucky says the storm was “the biggest natural disaster that this state has ever experienced in modern history.”

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Kentucky Terrain Map
November 12, 2008 | Kentucky Geological Survey
The Kentucky Geological Survey has published Kentucky Terrain, a 43″ x 33″ illustrated map that features the topography and landforms of Kentucky and describes them with maps, photos, diagrams and text. You can download one from the Kentucky Geological Survey website or order a paper copy for only $10.
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Demand for Coal Could Lift Kentucky’s Economy
June 16, 2008 | WKYT
The high price of oil is causing some consumers to switch to coal for their energy needs. This is increasing the demand for Kentucky coal. The state has plenty of coal but there is now a shortage of qualified mine workers.
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Sierra Club Threatens To Sue Coal-Fired Power Plants
May 10, 2008 | Arizona Geology
The Sierra Club is not satisfied with the environmental protection measures of coal-fired power plants in seven states. The Club’s most recent effort targets plants in Arizona, Georgia, Kentucky, North Carolina, Texas, Missouri and Wyoming for failing to include adequate pollution controls for mercury and other toxics.
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Tornadoes in the Southern United States
February 8, 2008 | Earth Observatory
“A major wintertime tornado outbreak ripped through Arkansas, western Tennessee, northern Mississippi, northern Alabama, and western Kentucky on February 5, 2008.” Earth Observatory has a precipitation map for the storms and details on why they happened.
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Tornadoes Rip the Southcentral USA
February 7, 2008 | USA Today
Dozens of people have been killed by tornadoes that ripped across Tennessee, Arkansas, Kentucky, and Alabama late Tuesday.
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Kentucky Professor Researches Cave Extremeophiles
October 1, 2007 | THe Northerner
Cave extremeophiles (microbes that live in very difficult environments) have been the object of Hazel Barton’s research for a long time. Barton, a professor of microbiology at Northern Kentucky University has visited more than 1000 caves in the United States, Britain, Greenland, Mexico, Belize, Guatemala, Venezuela, Greece, and New Zealand to study these organisms.
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Illinois Basin: Assessment of Undiscovered Oil and Gas
September 10, 2007 | USGS
USGS has completed an assessment of the undiscovered oil and gas potential of the Illinois Basin which includes parts of Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Missouri, Ohio, and Tennessee. The assessment is based on the geologic elements of each total petroleum system defined in the basin and includes: hydrocarbon source rocks, reservoir rocks, and hydrocarbon traps.
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Kentucky Geologic Maps for Land-Use Planning
May 8, 2007 | KGS
The Kentucky Geological Survey has published generalized geologic maps for 92 counties and has 22 more in progress. These maps are being prepared with land-use planning in mind. One sentence from their website: “The maps provide information on how the underlying rock in an area affects excavation and foundations, on-site wastewater treatment systems, residential and industrial developments, highway and street development, and pond and reservoir construction.” The maps are available on their website as PDF documents.
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Stay Out of Abandoned Mines!
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Abandoned Mines Claim 30 Lives Per Year
May 1, 2007 | Geology.com
An average of 30 people per year die in abandoned mines. Causes of death include: drownings, falls, asphyxiation, ATV accidents and being shot by a security guard. Pennsylvania leads the nation in abandoned mine deaths for 2000 – 2006. Wisconsin, Ohio, Indiana, and Kentucky each had ten or more deaths in that time interval. Contact information is provided so that you can report dangerous abandoned mines in your area.
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