Geology News - January 2006

Interesting geology articles and earth science news from around the world. Stories are archived monthly. All links are to external sites.

January 31, 2006

Nunavut diamond mine begins production
Nunavut's first diamond mine has begun producing gemstones months ahead of schedule.

Geologists study quake subduction zones
Scientists from Yale and the University of Washington say major earthquakes might be caused by the buildup of sediment on top of subduction zones.

January 29, 2006

Frozen gas deposit found off West Coast
Scientists have discovered an undersea deposit of frozen methane just off the Southern California coast.

January 27, 2006

Dwindling coastlines
In the South Pacific, Papua New Guinea's Carteret islands are being drowned by rising sea levels.

Labour shortage clouds mining boom
Canada's mining sector is suffering from a lack of experienced workers just as demand and prices soar.

January 26, 2006

Money sought for geology division
Washington State Lands Commissioner has asked the 2006 Legislature to invest in mapping and in communicating with the public about the geological hazards facing the state.

January 23, 2006

North Vancouver landslide risk management report
Links to information about the landslide.

January 17, 2006

New iron ore reserves found in Jharkhand
Geologists have explored huge new iron ore reserves in West Singhbhum district of Jharkhand.

January 16, 2006

Afghanistan landslide kills 13, destroys 5 houses
A landslide killed 13 people and destroyed 5 houses when it plowed into a village in mountainous northern Afghanistan.

January 10, 2006

Geology students walk into $80,000 first jobs
Geologists are Australia's highest-paid graduates, stepping out of the classroom straight into $80,000-a-year jobs.

January 9, 2006

Grizzly Diamonds announces $1.5 million budget for Alberta mobilization of field crews to northern Alberta
The survey area, which is situated along the western edge of the Buffalo Head Hills, was selected on the basis of a new diamond indicator anomaly announced during April 2005 by the Alberta Geological Survey (AGS).

Rewriting glacial history in Pacific North America
A research team at the University of Alberta's Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences has found evidence for a regionally extensive glacier expansion in A.D. 1000, suggesting that climate during the last several thousand years may have been even more variable than previously thought.

Related story

Vietnam facilitates mineral foreign projects
Under a recent government decree, the Vietnam Geology and Mineral Resources Department has been given the authority to receive applications for mineral exploration, extraction and processing licenses.

January 7, 2006

Is Jamaica sacrificing its natural and cultural assets?
Currently, there is a proposal to quarry limestone in the Canoe Valley area of the south coast. Long designated for protection but never actually protected, Canoe Valley contains a wealth of natural, cultural and archaeological resources.

January 5, 2006

New Finnish diamond discovery
Sunrise Diamonds announced that follow-up drilling at its Anomaly 45 kimberlite at Kuusamo in northern Finland has resulted in a new discovery.

January 4, 2006

Mano confirms Alpha-1 kimberlite to be diamondiferous
Sixteen diamonds were recovered from a sample of Alpha-1 kimberlite in Liberia; 88% were described as white and transparent.

January 3, 2006

Yemen landslide tolls reaches 65, set to rise
Yemeni rescue workers have so far recovered the bodies of 65 villagers killed in last week's landslide.

January 2, 2006

Uranium field conference
The Saskatoon Section of the Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum Geological Society announced the upcoming CIM Field Conference will be held in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan in September 2006.

Bahrain to host GEO 2006
The Seventh Middle East Exhibition and Conference ''Geo 2006'' will be held in Bahrain on March 29, 2006.

Angola increased export of black granite in 2005
Angolan Minister of Geology and Mining Manuel Africano has said the country exported 35,677 cubic meters of black granite, about 94 percent of its total output in 2005 and earned about 1.4 million U.S. dollars.

January 1, 2006

Relocating New Orleans picks up support
Few scientists are willing to go as far as Kusky by suggesting New Orleans be relocated. But some are calling for an end to federal support for people who want to live in areas that are going to be ravaged by storms again in the future.