Geology News
Pacific Ocean Current Events

Researchers have discovered evidence of life 500 meters below the seafloor of the Juan de Fuca Ridge. “They found genetic evidence of Methanosarcinales, anaerobic archaea known to metabolize methane. Further experiments showed that microbes have affected the chemical signature of sulfur in the host basalt, suggesting they could harness energy from the breakdown of sulfates.” Quoted from the Deep Carbon Observatory press release.

“Dynamic modeling of sea-level rise, which takes storm wind and wave action into account, paints a much graver picture for some low-lying Pacific islands under climate-change scenarios than the passive computer modeling used in earlier research.” Quote from the USGS press release.

Methane hydrate is the world’s largest natural gas resource. Japanese engineers recently became the first to produce methane hydrate from a well in the floor of the Pacific Ocean. NPR asks if this could become another natural gas boom?

Related: What is Methane Hydrate?

A collection of some of the most interesting photos of volcanic eruptions that we have seen from USGS, NASA and NOAA.

Bacteria are thriving at a depth of 36,000 feet at the bottom of the Mariana Trench where the pressure is more than 1000 times the atmospheric pressure at sea level.

A Magnitude 8.0 earthquake occurred in the Santa Cruz Islands area at about 8:12 PM EST. Tsunami warnings were issued for numerous islands in the South Pacific and waves up to 3 feet in amplitude have been reported.

USAToday reports that dozens of homes were damaged in the Solomon Islands.

Giant Squid in the North Pacific

Every Field Geologist Should Know This…

Why Lava Has a Red Glow

Falling Water Levels in the Great Lakes

Eruption at Copahue

How Deep Does Magma Form?

M6.1 Earthquake on the Pacific-Antarctic Ridge

2012: Hottest and Second Most Extreme

Earthquakes stronger than M6.0 are unusual on a mid-ocean ridge.

USGS reports that a M6.1 earthquake occurred on the Pacific-Antarctic Ridge today at about 11:00 AM local time.

CNN has an interview with Richard Ellis, author of “Search for the Giant Squid”, who explains the significance of a new video of a giant squid, filmed alive, 3,000 feet below the surface of the North Pacific ocean.

The Dead of Pompei

The Island that Never Existed!

Have You Heard of Makemake?

Antarctic Snail Shells Dissolving

Life Beneath the Seafloor

New York Fracking Ban: A Force Majeure Event?

Sandy Island was plotted on many maps of the Pacific Ocean, however, a research vessel recently tried to visit the island and didn’t find it.

Island shown here on Google Maps, west of New Caledonia and east of the “Coral Sea” label.

View Larger Map

An article in The Sydney Morning Herald reports that tour operators are hoping for a volcanic eruption that will attract visitors to New Zealand.

USGS has published “Tohoku-Oki Earthquake Tsunami Runup and Inundation Data for Sites Around the Island of Hawai‘i“. It contains a number of maps, photos and descriptions of tsunami damage on the island.

A magnitude 7.4 earthquake occurred off the Pacific coast of Guatemala at about 10:35 local time. Get USGS information.

CBS News reports that 15 people have been killed.

Melting Glaciers Threaten Bolivia’s Water Supply

Maar-Diatreme Volcanoes

M4.0 Earthquake near Hollis Center, Maine

Something Worse than Lyme Disease?

Asteroids that Travel in Packs

Rupture Process of the April, 2012 Sumatra Earthquake

Pacific Gas and Electric wants to map offshore faults near San Luis Obispo using a “air cannon” seismic survey. The 250 decibel blasts have triggered concerns from environmental groups.

“The deep sea is still relatively unexplored, but pioneering Southampton researchers have discovered deep-sea vents teeming with new life and valuable metals such as gold, platinum and copper.” Quoted from the University of Southampton press release.

“On September 27, the U.S. Navy’s Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) reported that Jelawat was located about 410 nautical miles south-southwest of Kadena Air Base, Okinawa. The storm had maximum sustained winds of 135 knots and gusts up to 165 knots.” Quoted from NASA Earth Observatory.

“Two storms swirled simultaneously in the eastern Pacific Ocean in mid-September 2012 — close enough to each other to be captured in a single overpass.

At 11:45 a.m. Pacific Daylight Time on September 16, [...] NASA’s Terra satellite acquired this natural-color image of Kristy and Lane.” Quoted from the Earth Observatory website.

NOAA has a new website that covers an expedition to the NE Lau Basin to study submarine volcanoes and their ecosystems.

Will Fuji Erupt?

What Happens to Pumice Rafts?

The Next Natural Gas Game Changer

Map: Earthquakes and Faults in Southern California

Earthquakes Within the Antarctic Ice Sheet

Red Water in the Yangtze River?

A Japaneese ship has drilled a well to a depth of 6926 feet below the seafloor at a location off the Shimokita Peninsula of Japan.

Some marine volcanic eruptions produce a vast “raft” of floating pumice that drifts about the ocean’s surface. The Eruptions Blog has an article that explores the fate of these rafts and their impact upon the oceans.

Large Triceratops Discovered in Alberta

Mississippi River in Drought

Floating Pumice Trail in the Pacific

Lost Army of Cambyses II Discovered?

Tallest Sand Dunes in North America

One of the Best Teaching Tools on This Planet

This interesting article reviews some of the world’s important chokepoints for the transport of crude oil.

From the article: “Chokepoints are narrow channels along widely used global sea routes, some so narrow that restrictions are placed on the size of the vessel that can navigate through them. They are a critical part of global energy security due to the high volume of oil traded through their narrow straits.”

“A puff of ash above Batu Tara, a volcano on the tiny Indonesian island of Pulau Komba, is an example of the frequent, mild eruptions that have occurred there since mid 2006. “

“The Havre Seamount volcano erupted a tightly-packed raft of floating pumice on July 19 and 20, 2012. Over the next several weeks, wind and waves dispersed the pumice among the remote Kermadec Islands, northeast of New Zealand. These satellite images show the spread of the pumice.” Quoted from the Earth Observatory image release.

A pig on the island of Tofua in the Tonga archipelago triggered a “volcanic eruption” that was powerful enough to cause aviation concerns.

This event is listed in the volcanic advisories under “Wellington VAAC“). It should be listed until about August 18th local time.

2006 Pumice Raft in the Tongas

A massive pumice raft (250 x 30 nautical miles) has been found floating on the surface of the South Pacific Ocean about 85 nautical miles west of Raoul Island.

Warm summer temperatures have been melting the ice pack on the Northwest Passage (a sea route connecting the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans through the Canadian Archipelago).

NASA’s Earth Observatory has a satellite image pair showing the Passage on July 17 with heavy ice cover and the Passage on August 3 with significantly reduced ice cover.

Related: What is the Northwest Passage?