Geology News
North Carolina Current Events

Utility companies, city governments, county governments, school districts, and trucking companies are building CNG fueling stations in North Carolina. In addition to serving their owners, the pumps are available to dispense CNG to the public.

“The legislation would provide a menu of sweeteners for energy companies to encourage developers to pick North Carolina for shale gas exploration over other states that have a history of energy exploration and known energy reserves.” Quote from the NewsObserver.com article.

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.

The most recent issue of BOEM Ocean Science has information about beach restoration projects in the Hurricane Sandy recovery effort.

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.

Dave Petley has several photos and a description of the large landslide that severely damaged US Route 441 (Newfound Gap Road) in North Carolina.

The United States Geological Survey has published: “Gold Deposits of the Carolina Slate Belt, Southeastern United States: Age and Origin of the Major Gold Producers”.

USGS has published “Geologic map of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park region, Tennessee and North Carolina“. You can view a pdf or purchase a printed map.

Storm Surge can be the most damaging and deadly aspect of a hurricane. Hurricane Sandy is expected to produce a storm surge that floods broad coastal areas near its landfall.

NOAA has posted a series of “U.S. Rainfall Potential Maps” that show the cumulative geographic distribution of potential rainfall amount across the eastern United States. Very large geographic areas could receive 12 inches of rain or more and experience significant flooding.

How Much Does Exxon Profit on a Gallon of Gasoline?

Pompeii in Ruins, Again

Messier 107 Star Cluster

The Overlooked Natural Gas Basins?

Wyoming Rare Earth Deposit

Landslides Waiting to Happen

In the eastern United States the natural gas rush has focused on the Appalachian Basin. However, there are over a dozen minor basins along the east coast that have received very little attention.

In this Charlotte Observer interview, Jack Gerard, CEO of the American Petroleum Institute discusses: oil and gas potential of North Carolina, future role of renewable energy, energy independence, “common sense” regulation and other topics.

“Rates of sea level rise are increasing three-to-four times faster along portions of the U.S. Atlantic Coast than globally, according to a new U.S. Geological Survey report published in Nature Climate Change.” Quoted from the USGS press release.

Related: Sea Level Rise Map

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.

“Since about 1990, sea-level rise in the 600-mile stretch of coastal zone from Cape Hatteras, N.C. to north of Boston, Mass. — coined a “hotspot” by scientists — has increased 2 – 3.7 millimeters per year; the global increase over the same period was 0.6 – 1.0 millimeter per year.” Quoted from the USGS press release.

Related: Sea Level Rise – New York, Washington DC

The United States Geological Survey has published Fact Sheet 2012–3075…

Assessment of Undiscovered Oil and Gas Resources of the East Coast Mesozoic Basins of the Piedmont, Blue Ridge Thrust Belt, Atlantic Coastal Plain, and New England Provinces, 2011.

The North Carolina House of Representatives has approved a bill that, if enacted, would allow hydraulic fracturing in North Carolina and task state agencies with developing regulations.

Tropical Storm Beryl is expected to produce dangerous rip currents as it moves along the Atlantic Coast of the United States.

NOAA Article: How do rip currents form?

Although Vermont is one of the last places that might be drilled for oil or natural gas, Governor Peter Shumlin signed a bill that will ban hydraulic fracturing.

At the same time a bill in the North Carolina legislature would legalize hydraulic fracturing.

ABC News has a video about recently found emeralds at the North American Emerald Mine near Hiddenite, North Carolina. This is a “pay-to-dig” mine where anyone can search for a fee.

The boundary between North Carolina and South Carolina was drawn on orders from the King of England before the United States was a country. Now they discover that the boundary is 150 feet off which creates enormous problems for schools, utilities, taxes, laws and property owners.

Most people don’t realize that some amazing emeralds have been found in North Carolina. The North Carolina Museum of Natural History just received a gift of four emeralds found in Alexander County in 2011 that are worth millions of dollars.

“The U.S. Geological Survey deployed a temporary monitoring network of water-level sensors at 212 locations along the Atlantic coast from South Carolina to Maine during August 2011 to record the timing, areal extent, and magnitude of inland hurricane storm tide and coastal flooding generated by Hurricane Irene. ” Quoted from the USGS publication release.

USGS has released a large number of coastal topography data sets for the eastern coast and Gulf of Mexico acquired using lidar technology.

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.