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.
Someone must have blamed the Virginiaearthquake of August 23 on hydraulic fracturing. An extensive article in the Daily Press explains why that is impossible.
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.
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 and others who are interested in the Earth.
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.
Nearly three months after a M5.9 earthquake occurred in Virginia, federal aid has been announced for damage repair in Spotsylvania County. We still think that this was a billion dollar earthquake.
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.
Washington DC and Louisa County, Virginia have finally been declared “disaster zones” as a result of the M 5.8 earthquake that occurred on August 23, 2011. We still think that this earthquake caused total damages of over $1 billion.
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.
Many people are upset because FEMA denied earthquake aid to about 1000 homeowners living in Louisa County, Virginia, the epicenter of the August 23 earthquake where an estimated $80 million in damage was done.
That’s one county.
It would be interesting to know the total cost of this earthquake. Assessments being done to the Washington Monument, National Cathedral and nuclear power plants are probably costing a fortune and the repairs and modifications that will result will likely be even more expensive. Anyone willing to bet that the total financial impact of this relatively small earthquake will be over $1 billion?
“Rivers and streams are reaching record levels as a result of Hurricane Irene’s rainfall, with more than 80 U.S. Geological Survey streamgages measuring record peaks.” Quoted from the USGS news release.
Numerous aftershocks have been felt following the M5.9 earthquake that occurred on August 23 near Mineral, Virginia. The strongest have been M4.2 and M4.5.
You can get some of the most up-to-date and authoritative forecasts for Hurricane Irene at NOAA’s National Hurricane Center. Their forecast on Friday evening at 9:00 PM EST:
“THE CORE OF THE HURRICANE WILL APPROACH THE COAST OF NORTH CAROLINA TONIGHT AND PASS NEAR OR OVER THE NORTH CAROLINA COAST ON SATURDAY. THE HURRICANE IS FORECAST TO MOVE NEAR OR OVER THE MID-ATLANTIC COAST SATURDAY NIGHT AND MOVE OVER SOUTHERN NEW ENGLAND ON SUNDAY.”
“Dr. Scott Marshall and Dr. Sarah Carmichael, both assistant professors in Appalachian State University’s Department of Geology, have created a website answering several commonly asked questions following the 5.8 magnitude earthquake that occurred near Mineral, Va., in the Central Virginia Seismic Zone.” Quoted from the Appalachian State University press release.
Governors in New York, Virginia, New Jersey, Maryland and North Carolina have all declared a state of emergency in anticipation of Hurricane Irene. These advance declarations are partially financial maneuvers to make funds ready for emergency use, but they are also signs of respect for the dangers of a hurricane.
Jeanne Meserve reviews some of the lessons learned from the recent Virginiaearthquake. The event has already produced many opportunities for earthquake education in the eastern United States.
USGS reports that a Magnitude 4.5 aftershock earthquake occurred at 1:07 AM local time near Mineral, Virginia. Their “Did you feel it?” map has reports from several states away.
Preliminary inspections reveal that the Washington Monument, National Cathedral and Smithsonian Institution Building may have been damaged by the Virginiaearthquake. Engineers will inspect these structures to determine the extent of damage.
The Central Virginia Seismic Zone is an area that has been experiencing small earthquakes every year or two since at least 1774. The August 23, 2011 earthquake was the largest to be recorded in the zone.
Earthquake waves travel very efficiently in the crust of the eastern United States. As a result the Magnitude 5.9 earthquake that occurred today in Virginia was felt in at least 22 states plus the District of Colombia. Ground shaking has been reported to the USGS and by news accounts in: New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Kentucky, Ohio, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine, Indiana, Georgia, Florida and Washington, DC.
A magnitude 5.9 earthquake occurred about 40 miles northwest of Richmond, Virginia at 1:51 PM local time. No injuries or severe damage has been reported in early news reports, however, the shaking was felt strongly enough in Washington, DC that some offices were evacuated.
This fall the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources will consider legislation that will allow the leasing of 3 million acres for offshore exploration off the coast of Virginia.
One of the world’s largest unmined uranium deposits is located in southern Virginia. Although there is a strong interest in mining the deposit the state has a 30-year moratorium on uranium mining.
“Because the majority of the war was fought on Southern soil, Confederates enjoyed a significant advantage in knowledge of terrain and reconnaissance capabilities,” said Wilson, who also noted that Union Gen. Irvin McDowell fought the battle without a map and with very little knowledge of the terrain, except whatever could be gathered by covert reconnaissance. Quoted from the NOAA article.
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.
Nearly 300 people were killed by strong storms and tornadoes in Alabama, Mississippi, Georgia, Tennessee, Virginia and Arkansas. This has been the worst series of storms to hit the southeastern United States in about forty years.
A number of college students will spend their spring break excavating whale fossils in Virginia.
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