Fragments thought to be part of the fireball that was seen in daylight by people from Las Vegas to San Francisco have been found near Lotus California.
A small asteroid about the size of a minivan is thought to be responsible for a sonic boom that was heard by millions of people in California and Nevada.
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.
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 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.
Yucca Mountain, once designated as the permanent storage site for US nuclear waste, is available for other uses. GAO has published: “Yucca Mountain: Information on Alternative Uses of the Site and Related Challenges“
An article on the Watertown Daily Times website reviews the internship experiences of three geology students who spent last summer working at gold mines in Alaska and Nevada.
Reno, Nevada has built a 100 megawatt geothermal plant that has the ability to supply the entire residential demand for the city. This video visits the plant and explains some advantages of using geothermal.
“A documentary film highlighting recent and past USGS research in the Lake Tahoe Basin. It features USGS science activities conducted by hydrologists, geologists, geographers, computer modelers, and biologists, among others. The story is told through the use of narration, expert interviews, graphics, animations, incredible video imagery and time-lapse video. USGS science detailed in the story includes water quality monitoring, streamgaging, Lake Tahoe bathymetry, aerial LiDAR, historic use of aerial photography, and the Tahoe Land Use Simulation Model.” Quote from the USGS media release.
Lake Powell is a reservoir on the Colorado River that was produced by the flooding of Glen Canyon. It is used as a water supply source for many areas in Arizona, California and Nevada. After ten years of drought the lake has risen rapidly in response to unusual amounts of water flow into the lake during June and July
The House Energy and Water Development Appropriations Committee’s Budget for 2012 includes funds to continue the licensing process for the Yucca Mountain nuclear waste repository and includes strong language regarding the decision to cancel the project.
An article in the New York Times explains how record snowpacks that have persisted into late spring are a flooding threat throughout the western United States.
USGS has a new free publication that describes the basin fill aquifers of the southwestern United States titled: “Effects of natural and human factors on groundwater quality of basin-fill aquifers in the southwestern United States-conceptual models for selected contaminants.”
Climate change could reduce the discharge of important rivers in the western United States by as much as 20%. Areas in states such as Nevada, Arizona and Texas have rapid population growth and water supplies already stretched to their limit.
The GeothermalEnergy Association has released a report on the status of geothermal power production in the United States. Electric power is being produced from geothermal resources in nine states. Nevada is the leader in the number of projects and California is the leader in installed capacity.
The New York Times has an article titled “Federal Royalties for Gold and Copper?”. It explores the idea of the federal government collecting royalties on mineral extracted from federal lands. Since passage of the 1872 mining law, royalties have not been paid.
“The General Mining Law of 1872 declared all valuable mineral deposits in land belonging to the United States to be free and open to exploration and purchase. This law provides citizens of the United States the opportunity to explore for, discover and purchase certain valuable mineral deposits on the public lands.
The 1872 Mining Law also provided for the transfer of the land upon which a mining claim has been filed – as opposed to the minerals which were claimed – from federal to private ownership provided certain provisions were met. Transfers of land ownership – acquiring a patent to the land – are currently prohibited by a congressionally-imposed moratorium until Congress determines whether the law should be changed.” Quoted from the Bureau of Land Management website.
Barrick Gold’s Cortez mine in Nevada produced over one million ounces of gold last year. This video takes you underground and gives you a quick look at the process that removes finely disseminated gold from the ore.
In this CNN interview Aaron Regent, President and CEO of Barrick Gold, explains how much money and planning is required to explore and develop a new mining location – and how gold price expectations figure into their planning.
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