Geology News - February 2008

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. If links are broken, it is because the news source has removed it from its website.

February 28, 2008

EDM brings millions of years of history to life
When the renovated interpretive centre at Frank Slide reopens in May, it will feature an incredible walk through 100 million years of geological history, part of a project designed and built by a Calgary company specializing in interactive installations.

February 27, 2008

Canada earmarks C$815 million for emissions plans
Among the measures, the government said it will spend C$250 million on carbon capture and storage technology, most of it on projects in Saskatchewan. It also earmarked C$66 million over two years for setting up a carbon trading system.

1,000 students evacuated due to landslide in China
Cracks were first found in the Baotaliang Mountain in Zhenping County, Ankang City, early this month. Recently some parts of the mountain began collapsing and the crumbling rocks, amounting to 1,000 cubic meters, have buried the road at the foot of the mountain.

February 26, 2008

Grizzly drills second Alberta kimberlite
This discovery represents the second new kimberlite discovered in Alberta in five years.

February 22, 2008

Study says people impact all oceans
Researchers studying 17 different activities ranging from fishing to pollution compiled a new map showing how and where people have impacted the seas.

Royal Ontario Museum houses countless curiosities the public galleries have no room for
One of the treasures includes a large water-coloured map, too delicate to put on public display, that is credited with revolutionizing how we think about the ground beneath our feet.

Earthquake coverage: is Idaho next?
Robert Clayton, of the BYU Idaho Geology Department and an expert in Seismology, explained why Eastern Idaho is at such a big risk, and it has no correlation to all of the earthquakes this week. 

First carbon dioxide injection well unveiled in Michigan
A consortium of Midwestern companies and the U.S. Department of Energy unveiled the first carbon dioxide injection well in the country, sequestering the gas linked to global warming at 3,700 feet underground in porous rock.

Quantifying Earth's copper: study puts numbers on nonrenewabilility
Researchers at the University of Michigan and Syracuse University have report that humans use about 18,000 times more copper each year than the Earth manages to put into new deposits.

The push toward unconventional gas
The push toward unconventional gas is a direct result of North America’s dwindling reserves of conventional gas.

Kashmir could have oil reserves
Geological and oil experts are upbeat over oil and natural gas reserves in Indian-occupied Jammu and Kashmir.

Cops say geology class gunman went off medication
Police say Kazmierczak burst into an NIU geology class and opened fire with at least a shotgun and two handguns, killing five students while hundreds fled for their lives.

February 12, 2008

U of C may be sitting on oil land
The University of Calgary in Canada's oil-rich province of Alberta has learned it has oil rights to 2 square miles of land surrounded by oil and gas wells.

Dinosaur debris
Every time your gas stove flickers to flaming life, you should say a wee thanks to the dinosaurs. It's these creatures that are sizzling your sausages and fuelling your Ford.

February 11, 2008

Spectacular geology draws majors to Chukchi
Although the U.S. Chukchi Sea remains largely unexplored, more than 100,000 line-miles of seismic data collected in the past have revealed subsurface geology that holds the promise of a world-class oil and gas province.

February 8, 2008

Resurrected proteins reveal details of the ancient earth
Researchers have reconstructed proteins that were likely to have been used billions of years ago by the ancestors of modern bacteria and have found that these proteins provide estimates of the early earth's temperatures that match those generated by geologists.

Expect some short, sharp jabs in B.C. climate change bout
The oil industry, ever adept at bobbing and weaving on the climate-change issue, has outpunched the opposition in the last two rounds.

February 7, 2008

Virginian town drafts policy to address karst geology
Karsts terrain has sinkholes, caves, and underground drainage from calcium and magnesium carbonates. The new ordinance allows the town to monitor how karsts terrain is handled.

A Death Valley stream offers insights into flooding and climate change
A 1941 stream diversion uncovered a rare glimpse into a range of geological changes that might otherwise take centuries to unfold but instead are revealed following the flash floods that strike the national park.

February 6, 2008

Mudslide kills nine near Rio de Janeiro
Nine people have died after mudslides overran their homes in a town outside Rio de Janeiro, emergency officials said.

February 4, 2008

Kurdistan does not have enough resources for large-scale investment projects
Kurdistan is not as rich on crude oil and gas as neighbouring countries, such as Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan.

Mojave Desert canyon offers colorful vistas
The exposed geology is stunning where the Sierra Nevada link up with the El Paso Mountains. Shades of pink, red, brown and white eroded volcanic and sedimentary layers provide a fascinating vista.

Mining task force overlooked impacts in Washington State
A state task force considering ways to ensure the mining industry access to “strategic” gravel, sand and shell resources in the future — even over the objections of local government if necessary — completed a report to the Legislature this week.

February 1, 2008

$2B needed to trap Alberta carbon
It will cost Albertans $2 billion to start planning a carbon capture infrastructure that will eventually be vital to the province's economic future, a report released by a carbon capture task force revealed yesterday.

Related story

Is global warming unstoppable?
Blogs showing both points of view.

Lake Mend ota ice quake shakes UW and Madison
A University of Wisconsin-Madison news release reports that a brief tremor may be attributable to an ice quake.

Related story