Geology News
Louisiana Current Events

After starting a rapid activity decline in 2010, the Haynesville Shale which spans between northeast Texas and northern Louisiana is starting to heat up.

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.

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, teachers, students and others who are interested in the Earth.

National Geographic has an interesting article about how many small communities on the seaward edge of the Mississippi River delta are being lost to subsidence and sea level rise.

The community of Leeville (shown in Google map below) is featured in the article. If you toggle between “Map” and “Sat” you will see how the map greatly overstates the amount of dry land – at least on the day that the satellite image was acquired.

View Larger Map

An article on TheGuardian looks at the debate over The Louisiana Science Education Act.

Salt Domes are mounds or columns of salt that have risen above their parent rock unit because of the salt’s low specific gravity.

They serve as oil and natural gas reservoirs; sources of sulfur; sources of salt; underground storage sites for oil, natural gas and helium; and, disposal sites for hazardous waste.

The folks at MyTopo.com are now printing supersized topo maps; large enough make a huge 8′ x 5′ (or 5′ x 8′) 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.

We are affiliates of MyTopo.com and receive a commission on sales.

USGS has released a report about groundwater quality and geochemistry for the Fayetteville Shale gas production area.

A goal of the report was to compare analyses conducted prior to natural gas development with those conducted after drilling and production.

Although only a few hundred feet of the Magnolia Platform is visible above water level its total height from the bed of the seafloor to the top of the platform is 4,698 feet (1,432 meters). Some people consider it the world’s tallest structure.

“The Upper Cretaceous Austin Chalk forms a low-permeability, onshore Gulf of Mexico reservoir that produces oil and gas from major fractures oriented parallel to the underlying Lower Cretaceous shelf edge. Horizontal drilling links these fracture systems to create an interconnected network that drains the reservoir.” Quoted from USGS Scientific Investigations Report 2012–5159.

Today the U.S. Geological Survey announced that Landsat 5 will be decommissioned over the coming months, bringing to a close the longest-operating Earth observing satellite mission in history. [...] Now in its 29th year of orbiting the planet, Landsat 5 has long outlived its original three-year design life.

Sasol, a South African company, announced plans to build a natural gas to liquid fuels plant in Louisiana that has a capacity of 96,000 barrels per day.

Exports of metallurgical coal from the United States to destinations in Europe and Asia remains strong. Ports at Norfolk, Baltimore and New Orleans handle the most coal.

Since January 2010, most of the increase in the dry shale gas production in the United States has been generated by the Marcellus Shale and the Haynesville Formation.

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.

A United States appeals court has determined that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is not liable for flooding damage that occurred when Hurricane Katrina struck New Orleans in 2005.

The Center for Disease Control reports record levels of West Nile virus in humans. Over 70 percent of the cases have been reported from six states (Texas, South Dakota, Mississippi, Oklahoma, Louisiana, and Michigan) and almost 45 percent of all cases have been reported from Texas. The common symptoms are fever and neck stiffness

USGS has a new mapping technique known as “terrestrial lidar” to map urban flooding during events like Hurricane Isaac. “In a four-to-five minute scan, the instrument collects millions of topographic data points in a full 360-degree view to quickly produce highly accurate topographic information and can map areas up to two-thirds of a mile away.” Quote from the USGS press release.

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

“Strong winds and storm surge from Hurricane Isaac’s landfall forced the Mississippi River to flow backwards for nearly 24 hours on Tuesday, August 28.” Quoted from the USGS press release.

You can see the negative velocities on the hydrograph below from the Mississippi River at Belle Chasse stream gage.

This CNN video gives a quick aerial tour of some of the more important flood protection structures that protect New Orleans from the impact of hurricanes.

“Every summer for the past several decades, a large dead zone has threatened the economic and ecological health of the Gulf of Mexico, the nation’s largest and most productive fishery.” Quoted from the USGS press release.

Mountain Press Publishing has released a new book by Albert B. Dickas titled: 101 American Geo-Sites You’ve Gotta See.

It provides a two-page presentation on each site that features photos, text and a map. It is a good way to get a quick glimpse of these 101 fantastic sites. It sells for $23.99.

See a table of contents.

PBS Newshour has an article with video titled: “Why is Louisiana Sinking?” that includes an interview with Torbjörn Törnqvist, a coastal geoscientist at Tulane University.

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.