Mud, rocks and trees flowed over State Route 410 west of Yakima, Washington. The Department of Transportation first called the event a landslide but decided later that it was a washout. See photo.
Over two years ago a large landslide covered a quarter mile of Washington State Route 410. Now the state plans to end the detours and build a new section of Route 410 around the landslide debris.
“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-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.
The University of Washington, the University of California Berkeley and the California Institute of Technology have each received $2 million for developing an earthquake warning system for the Pacific Northwest.
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.
This time-lapse video shows the draining of the Condit Dam in southeastern Washington. The dam is 125-feet high and has thick sediment deposits behind it. The water erupting from the hole in the dam appears black in color from suspended sediments. Time-lapse views behind the dam show sediments slumping and flowing as the water level declines.
A bone point lodged in a mastodon rib found near Manis, Washington has been dated to 13,800 years ago – making it the earliest hunting weapon found in North America.
“After years of planning for the largest project of its kind, the Department of the Interior will begin the removal of two dams on the Elwha River, Washington, in September 2011.” Quoted from the USGS news release.
The high price of gold has turned prospecting into a hobby, a part-time job and a retirement occupation for many people. This video visits some locations in Washington state where prospecting and related activities have attracted the new gold bugs.
This isn’t news but the Oregon State University website has an excellent article titled: “Super-Scale Slumping of the Southern Oregon Cascadia Margin: Tsunamis, Tectonic Erosion, and Extension of the Forearc” with great seafloor maps and seismic sections. Be sure to enlarge the images.
The United States Geological Survey has a helicopter flying instruments at low altitude over Mount St. Helens. They are collecting moisture data that will be used to assess the potential for landslides.
“The Northwest Forest Plan enacted in 1993 was designed to conserve old-growth forests and protect species such as the northern spotted owl, but researchers conclude in a new study that it had another powerful and unintended consequence – increased carbon sequestration on public lands.” Quoted from the Oregon State University news release.
“Knowing that the U.S. west coast was battered during the winter before last by a climatic pattern expected more often in the future, scientists have now pieced together a San Diego-to-Seattle assessment of the damage wrought by that winter’s extreme waves and higher-than-usual water levels.” Quoted from the USGS news release.
“The Cascadia Subduction Zone, which marks the most active seismic region in Canada, comprises the plate boundary between the oceanic Juan de Fuca Plate and the continental North America Plate.” Quoted from the Geological Survey of Canada article.
Millions of people in the western United States depend upon melting snow in mountainous areas for their year-round water supply. Reservoirs on streams draining the mountains capture spring snow melt and supply that water to customers through the summer. This source of water is being threatened by a warming climate.
“Earthquake scientists trying to unravel the mysteries of an unfelt, weeks-long seismic phenomenon called episodic tremor and slip have discovered a strange twist. The tremor can suddenly reverse direction and travel back through areas of the fault that it had ruptured in preceding days, and do so 20 to 40 times faster than the original fault rupture.” Quoted from the University of Washington news release.
A landslide at Porcupine Bay, Washington produced a small tsunami that traveled across the Spokane River, generating strong waves on the opposite shore that damaged a campground.
In 1958, a much larger landslide produced a tsunami with the world’s highest known run-up in Lituya Bay, Alaska.
This PBS video features Eddie Bernard of NOAA, Gary Griggs of the University of California at Santa Cruz, Rick Wilson of the California Department of Conservation and Bruce Jaffe of USGS. They report on the recent tsunami that struck Japan and relate it to potential events on the US west coast.
James Roddey, known as the “Prophet of Doom” from his earthquake preparedness preachings makes some good points about getting ready for potential earthquakes.
“A Tsunami Warning means that all coastal residents in the warning area who are near the beach or in low-lying regions should move immediately inland to higher ground and away from all harbors and inlets including those sheltered directly from the sea. Those feeling the earth shake, seeing unusual wave action, or the water level rising or receding may have only a few minutes before the tsunami arrival and should move immediately. Homes and small buildings are not designed to withstand tsunami impacts. Do not stay in these structures.” Quoted from the NOAA Warnings and Advisories page.
“In this month’s episode we discuss how 3-D modeling is used to examine groundwater in the Columbia Plateau. USGS hydrologist Erick Burns describes how his team modeled the 53,000 mi2 plateau, how this information is currently used, and what implications it has for the future. Join us, as we explore how cutting edge science today is used to solve tomorrow’s problems, only in this month’s episode of the USGS Oregon Science Podcast.” Quoted from the video transcript.
In the State of Washington, the Senate passed a bill that would close the State’s coal-fired power plants by 2025 and make Washington the first state to eliminate coal-fired power plants.
Heavy rains have produce a flood watch and debris flow advisory for northwestern Oregon and southwestern Washington. An article in The Columbian includes advice from the Oregon Department of Geology.
On 8 January 2011, the Seattle Seahawks beat the New Orleans Saints in the first round of the NFL playoffs. Seahawks fans jumping in the stands and stomping their feet in celebration were detected by a nearby seismometer.
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