Geology News
Russia Current Events

NASA has cut a deal with Russia to shuttle astronauts to the International Space Station at the rate of $70,000,000 per seat.

Another Ski-Powder.com avalanche video. This one of a large avalanche triggered by an explosive charge. In the beginning of the video look for the tiny white helicopter on the very right side of the screen. The crew is planting the charge. Then when you see the shot go off start counting until you hear the sound. Now you know how far away the camera was from the source of the slide.

Russian state-controlled diamond producer, Alrosa, hopes to explore for new primary diamond deposits in Angola, Botswana and Zimbabwe.

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

A Russian satellite was damaged and knocked from its orbit by a piece of space junk produced by a Chinese missile test in 2007.

“A network of seismographic stations recorded spectacular signals from the blast waves of the meteor that landed near Chelyabinsk, Russia, as the waves crossed the United States.” Quoted from the National Science Foundation press release.

The India-Asia Collision (MIT News)

Earth Flyby Reality Check (NASA)

68,000-Year Record of Greenhouse Gases (NSF)

Meteoroid Explodes Over Russia – Hundreds Injured (CNN)

What is Killing the Coral? (NSF)

Underwater Logging (Takepart.com)

Ancient Eruptions and Global Warming (Climate Central)

“Nearly three months after Tolbachik began erupting, lava continues to flow from the Kamchatkan volcano. Over time, the lava flows change location and shift across the landscape. In this image, infrared data is superimposed on a natural-color image to highlight active flows.” Quoted from the Earth Observatory image release.

Hundreds of people were injured and buildings were damaged when a meteoroid exploded in the atmosphere above the Chelyabinsk region of Russia. Many of the injuries were from flying glass blown out of windows.

This event is unrelated to the flyby of Asteroid 2012 DA14, a much larger object that will pass about

Ernst & Young has released a report titled: The Future of Russian Oil Exploration.

It has interesting information on: reserve life of major companies, a forecast of declining oil production, drilling success rates, time between discovery and first oil, prospective oil areas map of the Arctic Ocean, foreign investment rates and more.

NASA’s Earth Observatory has a small collection of satellite images that document lava flows from a flank eruption on Tolbachik Volcano on Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula.

Exxon and Rosneft have entered into a partnership to assess the potential of commercial production from the Bazhenov and Achimov Shales. These are tight rock units in western Siberia that are thought to contain billions of barrels of oil.

Karymsky is the most active of Kamchatka’s eastern volcanoes, with almost constant (on a geologic time scale) volcanism occurring since at least the late 18th century, when the historical record for the region began.

The use of horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing has improved the productivity of Russian oil fields that had stopped growing or begun declining.

Radioactive Spring?

Drilling to Earth’s Mantle

Eruption at Shilveluch

Analysis of Martian Soil

Mars Geologic Map

The Size of the Next Yellowstone Eruption Second Week!

Drought-Induced Crop Lines

Shilveluch, one of the most active volcanoes on the Kamchatka Peninsula releases a plume of ash that drifts over the Kamchatskiy Zaliv at an altitude of over 3000 meters.

The Chinga meteorite fell near the border of what is now Siberia and Mongolia at least 10,000 years ago. Researchers have recently linked a 10.6 kilogram sculpture to the meteorite through geochemical testing and to a culture of the eleventh century located in the fall area through ethnological analysis. Interesting even if you think it is somewhat speculative.

“Russia was the second-largest producer of crude oil in 2011, second only to Saudi Arabia. During the year, production averaged more than 10 million bbl/d.” Quoted from the Energy Information Administration.

Popigai: The World’s Largest Diamond Deposit

2012 Arctic Sea Ice Minimum – Lowest Ever

Methane Hydrates: The World’s Largest Natural Gas Resource

The World’s Most Effective Road Sign?

Gold-Bearing Garnet Sands

Eruption Brewing at El Hierro?

NOAA Submarine Volcano Expedition

Metamorphic Rocks of the Bancroft Area

“Russia is a major producer and exporter of oil and natural gas and its economy largely depends on energy exports. Russia’s economic growth continues to be driven by energy exports given its high oil and gas production and the elevated prices for those commodities.” Quoted from the Energy Information Administration report.

The impact occurred where Archean graphite-garnet gneiss basement rock was overlain by about 1.5 kilometers of sedimentary cover. [...] Diamonds formed and survived in a thin zone of rock located about 12 to 13.6 kilometers out from the point of impact.

“Natural gas associated with oil production is often flared. According to the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Russia flared an estimated 1,244 Bcf of natural gas in 2010, the most of any country in the world.” Quoted from the Energy Information Administration country analysis brief for Russia.

In an article on impact breccia, Geoffrey Notkin reports on impact breccia anddiamonds found in the Popigai Crater.

Russia and Japan have an agreement to build a $13 billion natural gas liquefaction plant in Russia that will become a source of LNG for Japan.

“Intense warm climate intervals–warmer than scientists thought possible–have occurred in the Arctic over the past 2.8 million years. That result comes from the [...] longest sediment cores ever retrieved on land [...] obtained from beneath remote, ice-covered Lake El’gygytgyn in the northeastern Russian Arctic.” Quoted from the NSF press release.

“Several Kamchatkan volcanoes, including Shiveluch, Kizimen, and one or both of Klyuchevskaya and Bezymianny are showing signs of activity (thin gas and ash plumes) in a new satellite image published by NASA’s Earth Observatory.” Quoted from the NASA image release.

At least 150 people have been killed and thousands left homeless after flash floods and landslides occurred near Krymsk, Russia.

“Using a geology-based assessment methodology, the U.S. Geological Survey estimated volumes of undiscovered, technically recoverable, conventional petroleum resources for the southern Siberian craton provinces of Russia. The mean volumes were estimated at 3.0 billion barrels of crude oil, 63.3 trillion cubic feet of natural gas, and 1.2 billion barrels of natural gas liquids.” Quoted from the USGS press release.

“On June 18, 2012, a total of 198 wildfires burned across Russia and had charred an area that covered 8,330 hectares (32 square miles). Many were in central Russia, where firefighters have battled uncontrolled fires for months.” Quoted from the Earth Observatory image release.

Exxon Mobil has an agreement with Rosneft, the Russian state oil company, to investigate the oil potential of shales in Western Siberia.