Geology News - July 2007

Geology articles, earth science news and blogs from around the world. Stories are archived monthly. All links are to external sites and linking does not mean the site or opinions are endorsed by AGS.

July 31, 2007

First Indian expedition to Arctic
The delegation will stay at Svalbard in the Arctic for a month. “The rocks and sediments of all the geological ages are found in Svalbard, that’s why it is also known as [the] mecca of Geology,” said Singh.

July 28, 2007

New Zealand formed from 'giant plateau'
New Zealand is a remnant of a gigantic high plateau that collapsed as the earth tore apart, a team of geologists say.

Giant prehistoric tusk found in Greece
A startling discovery of two massive prehistoric tusks — possibly the largest ever found in the world — could prove to be a “gold mine” for scientists seeking clues into Europe’s past.

July 25, 2007

Arctic terrain is 2.4 billion years old
A lingering mystery surrounding the formation of the Canadian landmass billions of years ago has been solved by a team of researchers from the University of Alberta.

July 23, 2007

Penguin remains being used to measure Antarctic ice movement
Ancient penguin colonies' population shifts with climate change data and sea-ice extent create a new and reliable method of dating ice movement.

25 still missing in Indonesia's landslide
Twenty-five people are still missing and over 9,000 others fled homes after a landslide and flood in Central Sulawesi, eastern part of Indonesia.

Clues found in mystery of Antarctic mountain formation
The origins of the highest peaks in Antarctica have long been shrouded in mystery. Now researchers suggest they are remnants of a gigantic high plateau that collapsed as the earth tore apart.

We come to bury carbon, not to praise it
Canada, as a significant emitter of carbon dioxide with world-leading potential for large-scale implementation of carbon capture and storage technology, can take an international leadership role in developing a solution.

July 22, 2007

Groundbreaking research changing geological map of Canada
Researchers exploring a remote terrain in Arctic Canada have made discoveries that may rock the world of Canadian geology.

July 21, 2007

Dinosaur boneyard excites researchers
A tooth is one of the larger dinosaur remains found so far this summer by researchers exploring the Grande Prairie area.

July 20, 2007

Geology rocks in CBC HD documentary series
GEOLOGIC JOURNEY documents the incredible and sometimes surprising history of Canada’s landscape – a land that humbles humans with its awesome magnitude.

July 19, 2007

Eleven missing in northwest China flood
Eight of the 19 workers with the Xinjiang bureau of coal geology who were drilling and exploring there managed to escape, but the rest disappeared in the floods.

Mining exploration up across Nevada due to high gold prices
Higher gold prices and favourable geology are fuelling an increase in mining exploration across Nevada, one of the world's largest gold producers, according to a new state survey.

July 18, 2007

GeoMet-led group pursues coalbed methane project in B.C.
A consortium led by GeoMet Inc. is inching closer to a coalbed methane (CBM) natural gas project in British Columbia, in what could be the first such development seen in the province.

34 dead in Landslide in western Nepal
The Nepali Home Ministry said at least 34 were confirmed dead in the landslide that took place in Baglung District situated some 180 km west of Kathmandu.

July 16, 2007

Japan quake kills at least 8 and injures hundreds
A powerful earthquake shook Japan’s northwestern coast this morning, killing six people and injuring more than 700, flattening hundreds of buildings and sparking a fire at a nuclear power plant.

Kenya: panic over earth tremors
According to the U.S. Geological Survey, Saturday's tremor measured 4.5 on Richter scale, while that one that shook the country yesterday hit 5.4.

July 15, 2007

Meteorite debris from 1.85 billion years ago found in northeast Minnesota
A Minnesota geologist has found debris from a meteorite that smashed into Earth 500 miles away in Ontario nearly two billion years ago.

July 13, 2007

Climate change debate re-ignited
The climate change debate is firmly back on the agenda, after the airing of a controversial documentary.

July 6, 2007

Dinosaur bones used as 'medicine'
Villagers in central China have been using dinosaur bones as medicine - thinking they were from dragons.

July 5, 2007

Sudden weather change leads to first biological extinction
China's paleontologists confirmed that a sudden change in climate led to the extinction of the Ordovician period.

Rain causes new landslide in England
This was the latest dramatic landslip in the West Midlands, caused by wettest spell of summer weather for 150 years.

July 4, 2007

Rundle rock commissioned for Air India memorial
Dixon Edwards, with the Alberta Geological Survey, says he suggested Kamenka's Rundle rock to memorial organizers because it is the "kind of rock that you could think of as an Albertan rock."

July 3, 2007

Monster icebergs left deep scratch marks on seabed
Scratch marks on the ocean floor off western Greenland mark the passing of the largest icebergs ever known to have existed.

Landslides threaten homes in Cold Lake, Alberta
A homeowner in Cold Lake is turning to the province for help after a landslide forced his family from their property.

July 2, 2007

Resources boom to rescue Australia's rust belt
South Australia is gearing up for a massive resources boom, with more than $20 billion in resource-related infrastructure to be built in the next 10 years.

Icy stalagmite at Kashmiri shrine melts; officials blame body heat from Hindu pilgrims
"One of the main reasons for its melting is the conduction of body heat of the huge crowds at the formation," Shakeel Ahmed, who heads the Geology and Geophysics Department at the University of Kashmir.

Saurolophus and Edmontosaurus found in urban Edmonton
A bed of dinosaur bones discovered in southwest Edmonton is yielding some startling new facts about two huge creatures that lived 70 million years ago, University of Alberta researchers announced.