Since 1972 the “Roadside Geology” series has provided introductory information on the geology of states and small regions of the United States. The books provide a combination of maps, travel logs, photos and commentary for the geology that can be seen along highways or visited at parks and public viewing areas. They are popular with geologists and others who are interested in the Earth.
The leading states for natural gas production during 2011 were: Texas, Louisiana, Wyoming, Oklahoma, and Colorado. Together they produced 65% of US natural gas.
For the past four years the Haynesville Shale has generated economic growth in parts of Louisiana. Declines in natural gas prices have drillers moving their rigs to more profitable targets.
“The Mississippi River Delta is one of the largest and most productive coastal ecosystems in North America. From energy, to fisheries, to navigation, the richness of this ecosystem has sustained the U.S. economy for 300 years. [...] This document presents that evidence, based on a thorough examination of the primary questions people have raised about the future of the Mississippi River Delta.” Quoted from the report.
“The Earth’s crust beneath the Mississippi Delta sinks at a much slower rate than what had been assumed. [...] However, these subsidence rates are small compared to the rate of present-day sea-level rise.” Quoted from the National Science Foundation press release.
An article on the CNN Money website gives an update on construction of the first liquefied natural gas export facility to be built in the lower 48 states.
An article on the New York Times website explores the impact of sea level rise on the United States. Coastal flooding is expected to become much more common in the near future and millions of people could be displaced by rising waters. Florida, New York, Loisiana, California and the Chesapeake area are at particular risk.
Four years ago the Haynesville Shale began generating lots of jobs and income for northern Louisiana. Now many companies are redirecting their activities from dry gas to areas where natural gas liquids and oil can be produced from shale – walking away from the boom areas that previously experienced rapid growth.
EnCana Natural Gas has opened a public vehicle fueling station in Louisiana that offers gasoline, diesel fuel, compressed natural gas and liquefied natural gas. It is the first public LNG station in the United States.
An article in The Advocate explores who Encana Corporation and other natural gas drillers are responding to natural gas falling nearly $10 per thousand cubic feet since 2008.
In the Mississippi River Delta Plain, there are large expanses of floating marsh. This unique ecosystem is dominated by a variety of grasses and forbs, which can create a buoyant mat that floats on a layer of water. How these marshes form and some of their unique features are described.
USGS has recently published: “Shallow Coal Exploration Drill-Hole Data—Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Texas”. Data is available by state in MS Excel files.
An article on the NOLA.com website reports on the economic benefits that natural gas from the Haynesville Shale as brought to Louisiana. The Shreveport Times website reports on two new reality shows that focus on lifestyle changes brought to the area by natural gas money.
The-Vug.com has an impressive listing of mineral clubs organized by state. You might be surprised at how many clubs are listed and there is probably one that meets within a short drive of your home.
Lots of factors contribute to the natural gas prices paid by residential customers. Long term contracts and distant supply sources can hold residential prices high even though natural gas is locally in abundance. Residential customers in Arkansas, Louisiana, Pennsylvania and Texas are paying above average rates for their natural gas.
Some of the first horizontal wells in the Tuscaloosa Marine Shale of central Louisiana are yielding oil. Some researchers believe that the formation contains billions of barrels of oil.
The folks at MyTopo.com are now printing supersized topo maps – large enough make a huge 5′ x 8′ (or 8′ x 5′) map that will look fantastic on the wall of your office, conference room, lobby, cabin or den. These maps are custom-centered on any location that you pick using their online map-making tool. Lots of smaller sizes are also available.
We are affiliates of MyTopo.com and receive a commission on sales.
Raven Maps are beautiful examples of shaded-relief wall maps that display the elevation of a state in vibrant colors. These large maps look great in a classroom, den or office. Use one to mark the locations of your work or company.
The Energy Information Administration has an interactive map that displays energy infrastructure features in the Gulf of Mexico region. It includes power plants, transmission lines, LNG terminals, natural gas hubs, pipelines, oil ports, refineries, active platforms and more.
Natural gas companies can produce more gas from their Haynesville Shale wells than local and pipeline markets can consume. A liquefied natural gas export facility is planned for Sabine Pass, Louisiana that will condense natural gas to LNG and ship it to overseas markets.
The Marshall University Center for Business and Economic Research has prepared: Taxation of Natural Gas: A Comparative Analysis. This publication reviews the many methods of taxing natural gas 19 different states. You might be surprised at how many ways natural gas is being taxed.
Southwestern Energy has leased 460,000 net acres in the Upper Jurassic Brown Dense Shale, a potential unconventional horizontal oil play that straddles the border between southern Arkansas and northern Louisiana.
Archaeologists working with cleanup workers after the Deepwater Horizon oil spill discovered dozens of new archaeological sites. Public Radio International has a podcast interview with Chip McGimsey, Louisiana State Archaeologist.
Tropical Storm Lee has been dumping heavy rain on the Gulf Coast and while many areas are experiencing heavy floods, New Orleans, so far (Sunday evening), has not had severe problems. Some of the most up-to-date information is on the NOLA.com website (the site is very busy because so many people are using it and can be unresponsive).
Tropical Storm Lee is moving very slowly over southern Louisiana. That slow rate of movement will allow it to drop very large amounts of rain on New Orleans and surrounding areas.
“TROPICAL STORM LEE IS EXPECTED TO PRODUCE TOTAL RAIN ACCUMULATIONS OF 10 TO 15 INCHES OVER SOUTHERN LOUISIANA…SOUTHERN MISSISSIPPI…AND SOUTHERN ALABAMA THROUGH SUNDAY NIGHT…WITH POSSIBLE ISOLATED MAXIMUM AMOUNTS OF 20 INCHES. THESE RAINS ARE EXPECTED TO CAUSE EXTENSIVE FLOODING.” Quote from the National Hurricane Center.
A “crevasse splay” is a small delta-like accumulation of sediment that forms perpendicular to a river that is produced when the river overflows its banks. The Army Corps of Engineers is trying to make artificial crevasse splays to create new land along the lower Mississippi River.
In Louisiana, a pipeline carries treated waste water from a paper mill to a natural gas field in the Haynesville Shale. The water is being recycled for hydraulic fracturing instead of being discharged into the Red River.
“More of the United States was in exceptional drought in July 2011 than in any other month in the past 12 years, according to the National Climatic Data Center. The worst of the drought is spread across Texas, Oklahoma, New Mexico, and parts of Arizona, Colorado, Nebraska, and Louisiana. But 26 percent of the lower 48 states experienced severe to extreme drought in July. On the other hand, about 33 percent of the contiguous United States experienced exceptionally rainy weather in July. The wet weather occurred largely in the Northern Plains and Western states.” Quoted from the Earth Observatory image release.
“Nearly 12 percent of the contiguous United States fell into the “exceptional” classification during the month, peaking at 11.96 percent on July 12. That level of exceptional drought had never before been seen in the monitor’s 12-year history, said Brian Fuchs, UNL assistant geoscientist and climatologist at the NDMC.” Quoted from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln news release.
Drilling activity in the Haynesville Shale gas play has slowed during 2011, as companies focus on sustaining production. This is part of a status report on the Haynesville in a KATC.com article.
BHP Billiton, the world’s largest mining company headquartered in Australia, has agreed to purchase Petrohawk Energy for $12.1 billion. Petrohawk is an independent oil and natural gas company with a focus on exploration and production of shale plays within the United States. The company has significant activity in the Haynesville, Lower Bossier and Eagle Ford Shales of Texas and Louisiana.
The U.S. Geological Survey [...] has taken a number of actions to prepare for monitoring floods arising from hurricanes and other tropical storms. Activities include hardening of streamgages along the Gulf Coast; implementing rapidly deployable, mobile streamgages; installing an emergency satellite-communications and data-distribution system; and developing storm-surge monitoring capabilities. Quoted from the USGS Fact Sheet.
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