Geology News
Waste Disposal Current Events

Salt Domes are mounds or columns of salt that have risen above their parent rock unit because of the salt’s low specific gravity.

They serve as oil and natural gas reservoirs; sources of sulfur; sources of salt; underground storage sites for oil, natural gas and helium; and, disposal sites for hazardous waste.

“Scientists have linked a rising number of quakes in normally calm parts of Arkansas, Texas, Ohio and Colorado to below-ground injection. In the last four years, the number of quakes in the middle of the United States jumped 11-fold from the three decades prior.” Quoted from the Columbia University press release.

A study published in the Proceedings of the National Academies of Sciences reports that chemical spills associated with Marcellus Shale drilling have not significantly impacted Pennsylvania waterways.

“Drill cuttings and other materials associated with oil and gas have occasionally triggered radiation monitors at landfills. DEP’s data indicates that less than half a percent of all drill cuttings produced by the Marcellus Shale industry in 2012 that were disposed of in landfills triggered radiation monitors. The cuttings did not contain levels of radioactivity that would be harmful to the public, and they were safely disposed of in the landfills.” Quoted from the DEP announcement.

Elkhorn coral and 65 other species of reef-building corals were recently proposed for “endangered species” designation. Researchers are working to understand why these corals are disappearing from the Florida Keys and other locations.

“Dried acid mine drainage sludge, or residuals, that result from treating acid mine drainage discharges can be used as a low-cost adsorbent elsewhere to efficiently remove phosphorus from agricultural and municipal wastewaters.” Quoted from the USGS press release.

FirstEnergy plans to close the Little Blue Run disposal facility. It is the largest coal ash disposal pond in the United States, located on the Pennsylvania – West Virginia border.

You can use the Google map at right to view the facility. Click the “view larger map” link to get a full browser map.

An article in the York Daily Record explains why environmental groups would like to see acid mine water used for hydraulic fracturing.

CNN has a photo gallery that shows the Puente Hills Landfill, the largest landfill in the United States, located near Los Angeles.

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An article on the Bloomberg.com website explains how some states are responding to the correlation between wastewater injection and shallow earthquake activity. Injection well disposal of hydraulic fracturing wastewater is declining rapidly as natural gas drilling operations are recycling more of their wastewater instead of sending it to injection wells.

The Oklahoma Geological Survey has published a “Position Statement on Triggered or Induced Seismicity” that was motivated by many people attributing recent earthquake activity to fluid injection.

“There is a credible connection between the wastewater injection activities near Youngstown and the recent earthquakes, including the magnitude 4 earthquake that occurred on New Year’s Eve, 2011. This connection is based on the close proximity of the earthquakes to the injection well and depth of injection, and the observation that these events began soon after the start of the injection activities.” Quoted from the USGS FAQ.

The Energy Information Administration forecasts that United States non-hydro renewable power generation growth over the next 25 years will be led by gains in wind and biomass.

“This methodology is designed to assess the storage resources in mappable subsurface bodies of rock into which CO2 is injected and trapped; in this methodology, these mappable subsurface bodies of rock are referred to as storage assessment units (SAUs). The total volume of pore space within a SAU can be described as the total in-place resource.” Quoted from the USGS report.

The Arizona Geology blog links to four articles related to the storage of high level nuclear waste in underground salt deposits.

The Ohio Department of Natural Resources has temporarily shut down a waste injection well that is suspected to have triggered earthquakes. The state has nearly 200 other injection wells that have not been associated with seismic activity.