Geology News
Virginia Current Events

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.

An article on the USA Today website explains how Superstorm Sandy should be a “wake-up call” that brings attention to the steady rise in sea level.

Exports of metallurgical coal from the United States to destinations in Europe and Asia remains strong. Ports at Norfolk, Baltimore and New Orleans handle the most coal.

The August 23, 2011 earthquake that occured near Louisa, Virginia triggered landslides over an area that was 20 times larger than expected.

Before Hurricane Sandy hit, NASA’s Earth Observatory captured an interesting satellite image of fall colors on the ridges of the Appalachian Mountains of Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Maryland and Virginia.

The USGS real-time streamflow monitoring system is reporting record high water levels for this date for many streams in eastern New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Delaware. Visit the USGS WaterWatch website for an updated map and access to their thousands of stream gages.

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.

NOAA is publishing regular updates on Hurricane Sandy. Their website has track maps and advisories that are updated frequently.

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.

“Reservoirs near the mouth of the Susquehanna River just above Chesapeake Bay are nearly at capacity in their ability to trap sediment. As a result, large storms are already delivering increasingly more suspended sediment and nutrients to the Bay, which may negatively impact restoration efforts.” Quoted from the USGS press release.

The 5.8-magnitude earthquake that occurred in Virginia on August 23, 2012 damaged the Washington Monument. Recently completed studies indicate that the earthquake did not cause additional settling.

“The Chesapeake Bay Program, [...] established a network to monitor changes in nutrients and sediment in the Chesapeake Bay watershed. Information from this network is used to help scientists and managers assess water-quality conditions and long-term trends as management practices are implemented.”

Interior and exterior repairs on the Washington Monument for damage caused by the August 23, 2011 earthquake in Virginia may keep the structure closed to visitors until 2014.

“Residents of Louisa, Goochland and Fluvanna counties may notice a low-flying airplane over the area the next 11 days as scientists from the U.S. Geological Survey map the underground faults responsible for the region’s Aug. 23, 2011 earthquake.

The earthquake, likely felt by more people than any other earthquake in U.S. history, caused extensive damage in central Virginia and was among the largest ever to occur along the eastern seaboard.” Quoted from the USGS press release.

“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.

An article on the Fredericksburg.com website explains the plight of homeowners who have a landslide scarp a few feet from their foundations and the efforts to determine who should pay for slope stabilization.

An article on the New York Times website explores the impact of sea level rise on the United States. Coastal flooding is expected to become much more common in the near future and millions of people could be displaced by rising waters. Florida, New York, Loisiana, California and the Chesapeake area are at particular risk.

“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.

“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.

Out of nearly 6000 homes damaged by the August 23 earthquake in Virginia, only a few percent will be covered by earthquake insurance. A bill in the Virginia legislature, if passed, will require insurance companies to notify all homeowners who have purchased a homeowners insurance policy that does not cover earthquakes.

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: “Monitoring Floods and Fires during the Summer of 2011 — The Value of the Landsat Satellite 40-Year Archive“

Someone must have blamed the Virginia earthquake of August 23 on hydraulic fracturing. An extensive article in the Daily Press explains why that is impossible.