The leading states for natural gas production during 2011 were: Texas, Louisiana, Wyoming, Oklahoma, and Colorado. Together they produced 65% of US natural gas.
The Oklahoma Geological Survey has published a “Position Statement on Triggered or Induced Seismicity” that was motivated by many people attributing recent earthquake activity to fluid injection.
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.
“Water-level declines began in parts of the High Plains aquifer soon after the beginning of substantial irrigation with groundwater in the aquifer area. This report presents water-level changes in the High Plains aquifer from the time before substantial groundwater irrigation development had occurred (about 1950 and termed “predevelopment” in this report) to 2009, from 2007-08, and from 2008-09. The report also presents change in water in storage in the aquifer, from predevelopment to 2009.” Quoted from the USGS report release.
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.
A recent swarm of earthquakes, one setting an Oklahoma record at 5.6 magnitude, damaged about 200 homes and businesses. The state’s request for federal earthquake assistance has been declined.
This blog post by USGS from November 9th provides some background on the swarm of earthquakes that has occurred in Oklahoma. More in a recent news article on the New York Times.
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.
This article on recent earthquakes in Oklahoma includes ideas of what might be causing them from geologists at Purdue University Northwestern University and the Oklahoma Geological Survey. There is no strong evidence that they are being caused by hydraulic fracturing in the Woodford Shale or other rock units.
In this video, Dr. Bryan Tapp, a structural geologist at the University of Tulsa explains what he believes caused Saturday’s M5.6 earthquake in Oklahoma – it wasn’t hydraulic fracturing.
A Magnitude 5.6 earthquake occurred in central Oklahoma yesterday (November 5 at 10:53 PM local time). Numerous buildings sustained minor damage but no deaths were reported. A portion of the USGS “did you feel it?” map is shown below.
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.
Several oil and gas companies are producing oil from horizontal wells drilled into the Mississippi Lime, a permeable limestone beneath the Kansas-Oklahoma state boundary.
Plans to remove water from Sardis Lake, Oklahoma for use in Oklahoma City, about 180 miles away has triggered a lawsuit from the Choctaw and Chickasaw Indian tribes, who claim that their rights to the water are prior and paramount to any claim by the state.
“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.
The High Plains Aquifer underlies some of the most important agricultural land in Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska, New Mexico, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas, and Wyoming. The Aquifer is in trouble because overpumping has dropped water levels in many areas over 100 vertical feet. This USGS report summarizes changes in the Aquifer from predevelopment to 2009.
Chesapeake Energy has a natural gas well in western Oklahoma that has a cumulative production of 60 billion cubic feet since December 2002. It still yields about 8 million cubic feet of gas per day.
The SCINEWS teacher resource site has a new lesson titled: “Tornado Outbreaks in the Southern and Eastern US”. It includes a printable event overview, student worksheet, links to videos and links to additional information.
The New York Times has a United States map with tornado tracks and fatality locations for the recent tornadoes that occured in the eastern and central United States. Also a time line of deadly tornadoes from 1950 to present.
Leaders at the U.S. Department of Education and Homeland Security are urging schools to participate in the Great Central U.S. Shakeout – an event targeting schools in states surrounding the New Madrid Fault Zone.
A few companies are building tornado-resistant homes that look like typical homes but have a structural steel frame. They cost just 5% more than a typical home.
The U.S. Geological Survey in 2010 completed an assessment of the undiscovered oil and gas potential of the Anadarko Basin Province of western Oklahoma, western Kansas, northern Texas, and southeastern Colorado.
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.
Welcome to Geology News!
Every day you can find links to several earth science news topics right here.
Bookmark this page and visit often. You can also receive our news for free by RSS feed or in a daily email message.
Advertising
Popular From Geology.com
Marcellus Shale: The most overlooked resource in the eastern United States!
Diamonds from Coal? Diamonds form under a variety of conditions that rarely involve coal as a source of carbon.
Mineral Rights / Oil & Gas: Who owns the minerals under your land? Have they been sold? Can someone mine without permission?
The Many Uses of Gold: Learn how the unique properties of gold make it extremely suited for a large number of industrial uses.
