Geology News
Vermont Current Events

Geology.com and RockTumbler.com are both GeoShops.com websites.

Lots of people enjoy going to fee mining sites where you can prospect inactive surface mines, mine tailings, soil, sediments or outcrops and keep any rocks, gems, minerals or fossils that you find. Examples include: Herkimer Diamond Mines where you can search for doubly-terminated quartz crystals, and Crater of Diamonds where you might be lucky enough to find a real diamond.

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, teachers, students and others who are interested in the Earth.

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.

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.

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.

“To keep pace with the growing demand for the latest map coverage of the United States, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has been building a national map series named the US Topo. Nearly 690 revised digital maps covering Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Vermont have been added to approximately 51,000 maps currently covering the lower 48 states and are available for free download from the website.” Quoted from the USGS press release.

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.

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.

“The Bedrock Geologic Map of Vermont is the result of a cooperative agreement between the U.S. Geological Survey and the State of Vermont. The new map comes 50 years after the most recent map of the State by Charles G. Doll and others in 1961 and a full 150 years since the publication of the first geologic map of Vermont by Edward Hitchcock and others in 1861. At a scale of 1:100,000, the map shows an uncommon level of detail for State geologic maps. Mapped rock units are primarily based on lithology, or rock type, to facilitate derivative studies in multiple disciplines.” Quoted from the USGS press release.

You might have heard about soapstone being used in cooking pots, wood stoves, fireplace surrounds, bed warmers and smoking pipes because of its ability to absorb heat and release it slowly. Now, here’s one for the cold.

TEROFORMA “Whisky Stones” from Galen Summer on Vimeo.

“The importance of hydropower as a source of electricity generation varies by geographic region. While hydropower accounted for 6% of total U.S. electricity generation in 2010, it provided over half of the electricity in the Pacific Northwest.” Quote from the Energy Information Administration article.

Natural gas in the Northeast trades at premium prices compared to the rest of the United States due to pipeline constraints during periods of high demand in the winter. Liquefied natural gas has met over 25% of New England’s average daily natural gas demand since November 2010.