• Current News
• Africa
• Alabama
• Alaska
• Antarctic
• Archaeology
• Arctic
• Arizona
• Arkansas
• Asia
• Astronomy
• Atlantic
• Australia
• Bakken Shale
• Barnett Shale
• California
• Canada
• Caribbean Sea
• Caves and Karst
• Central America
• Chile
• China
• Coal
• Coastal Geology
• Colorado
• Connecticut
• Contamination
• Copper
• Delaware
• Diamonds
• Dimension Stone
• Dinosaurs
• Dust Storm
• Earthquakes
• Energy
• Engineering Geology
• Environment
• Europe
• Fayetteville Shale
• Floods
• Florida
• Fossils
• Gemstones
• Geography
• Geologist Career
• Geology for Kids
• Geology.com
• Georgia
• Geothermal
• Glaciers
• Global Warming
• Gold
• Google
• GPS and GIS
• Great Websites
• Ground Water
• Gulf of Mexico
• Haiti
• Hawaii
• Haynesville Shale
• Historical Geology
• Hurricanes and Cyclones
• Idaho
• Illinois
• India
• Indiana
• Indonesia
• Interesting
• Iowa
• Japan
• Kansas
• Kentucky
• Lakes
• Landslides
• LNG
• Louisiana
• Maine
• Maps
• Marcellus Shale
• Mars
• Maryland
• Massachusetts
• Metals
• Meteorology
• Meteors and Meteorites
• Mexico
• Michigan
• Minerals
• Mining
• Minnesota
• Mississippi
• Missouri
• Montana
• NASA
• Natural Gas
• Natural Hazards
• Nebraska
• Nevada
• New Hampshire
• New Jersey
• New Mexico
• New York
• North Carolina
• North Dakota
• Oceanography
• Ohio
• Oil and Gas
• Oklahoma
• OPEC
• Oregon
• Pacific
• Pennsylvania
• Philippines
• Plants
• Plate Tectonics
• Politics and Geology
• Redoubt Volcano
• Rhode Island
• Rivers
• Russia
• Satellite Images
• Soil
• Solar Power
• South America
• South Carolina
• South Dakota
• Space
• Subsidence
• Teaching Science
• Tennessee
• Texas
• Tornadoes
• Tsunami
• United States
• Uranium
• USGS
• Utah
• Utica Shale
• Vehicles
• Vermont
• Virginia
• Volcanoes
• Washington
• Water
• West Virginia
• Wildfire
• Wildlife
• Wind Energy
• Wisconsin
• Wyoming

Geology News
Montana Current Events

The purpose of the TransCanada pipeline is to transport crude from Canadian oil sands to refineries on the United States Gulf Coast. Now producers of crude in Montana and North Dakota want to use the pipeline.

The books in the Roadside Geology series will help you learn about the geology of your favorite state. These books are great to take on a trip but they work even better if you use them in advance to plan your trip wisely.

Marks on a Tyrannosaurus rex skull indicate that the creature may have been fighting with its peers. The young dinosaur, “Jane”, was apparently bitten on the snout, causing the bones to heal asymmetrically.

An article at NewWest.net developed by University of Montana Journalism students includes a video about landslide hazards in Montana. Embedded within the article is a video in which geologists and an engineer discuss landslide hazards in Montana and other states.

Related: USGS Landslide Fact Sheet.

This is a gallery showing the natural beauty of Yellowstone National Park. Included are photos of the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone, a Fountain Paint mudpot in the Lower Geyser Basin, Grand Prismatic Spring, Rustic Falls, Old Faithful, the Morning Glory Pool, and more.

Learn More About Geysers.

USGS has released Open File Report 2009-1140: “Evaluation of Hazardous Faults in the Intermountain West Region”. “This region contains thousands of faults that have moved in Cenozoic time, hundreds of which have evidence of Quaternary movement, and thus are considered to be potential seismic sources.”

It appears that Cretaceous dinosaur species in both America and Australia used to dig burrows into the earth. While it is not entirely clear what the burrows were used for, two possibilities could be shelter or nesting.

The U.S. Global Change Research Program released a report that explains how climate change might impact Texas, Oklahoma, Nebraska, Kansas, Wyoming, Montana and the Dakotas. Changes in growing seasons, declining water resources, higher summer temperatures, human health issues, altered ecosystems and higher temperatures are a few of the featured problems.

The U.S. Global Change Research Program released a report that explains how climate change might impact Washington, Oregon, Idaho and Western Montana. Wildfires, stressed water supplies, sea-level rise and stress on fish species are a few of the featured problems.

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.

With the difficult economy only a few state geological surveys are being well supported by their state budget process. Many are suffering large cuts in state appropriations. One state survey has been told that their appropriation will be zeroed out next fiscal year.

Learn about the geology of your favorite state as seen along the highway. This series of books by Mountain Press are filled with maps, photos, park locations and detailed descriptions. Get one before your next trip.

The town of Libby, Montana will receive $6 million for asbestos cleanup and medical assistance. The town was the site of a W.R. Grace vermiculite operation where the vermiculite contained significant amounts of tremolite asbestos.

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.

A famous paleontologist who removed fossils worth at least $150,000 from private land is expected to plead guilty in a Billings, Montana court. The same paleontologist is also accused of taking fossils from federal land without authorization.

Trial began last week in Missoula, Montana on a case related to asbestos problems in Libby, Montana where W.R. Grace operated a mine between 1963 and 1990.

Researchers in Bozeman, Montana have been performing experiments on snow in an effort to predict avalanches. The crystalline structure of snow can form stronger or weaker layers under different conditions.

Paleontologists believe that fossilized eggs found in Montana belonged to a carnivorous dinosaur, most likely a caenganathid or relative of the velociraptor. Nests have never before been found for either of these dinosaurs, making this an important discovery.

Water and sediment were released from Milltown Dam, a Superfund site in Montana as part of an EPA approved project. Now, sediments found downstream contain more toxic materials than expected.

Just a few years ago the Bakken Formation was considered a marginal to submarginal resource because the oil and gas are locked in a rock formation with a low permeability. However, advances in drilling and recovery technology such as horizontal drilling and hydrofracturing have transformed the Bakken it into a viable resource.

It is estimated that there could be $1.5 trillion of coal beneath the ground in Montana. However, the state has not opened a new coal mine in decades. Some believe that the creation of new mines depends on the introduction of a carbon law.

The-Vug.com has a photo display of the Montana Moss Agate case by Brooks Britt from the Tucson Gem and Mineral Show. This is one of several mineral exhibit competition cases that they feature as articles on their website.

If you collect minerals they note mineral dealer website updates on their homepage.

Montana State University researchers have identified numerous types of pollution in the Ganges River of India. Their work has been reported to the Indian Supreme Court in support of renewed efforts to clean up the river.

Although the recent USGS report on Bakken Formation Oil did not give details for Saskatchewan, the rock unit and an oil production potential extends northwest from the active areas in Montana and North Dakota.

Using a geology-based assessment methodology, the U.S. Geological Survey estimated mean undiscovered volumes of 3.65 billion barrels of oil, 1.85 trillion cubic feet of associated/dissolved natural gas, and 148 million barrels of natural gas liquids in the Bakken Formation of the Williston Basin Province, Montana and North Dakota.