Current
Geology News and
Earth Science Articles - June 2008
eology and earth science news, articles and blogs from around the world. Our earth science articles and geology news 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.
June 30, 2008
After the oil crunch?The end of cheap oil helps renewables, but makes far dirtier alternatives viable. A low-carbon future will demand brave leadership.
Lifting the U.S. ban on offshore drilling
U.S. supporters claim
that gasoline
prices will go down if they lift the drilling ban. Another version
of the argument is that gasoline prices would not be as high as they are
now if they
had lifted the ban at some point in the past.
BP: Speculation 'myth', demand is driving oil price up
Soaring consumption
is the reason behind the recent surge in oil prices, BP's top man has claimed. Tony
Hayward vehemently dismissed OPEC suggestions that speculators have caused
costs to spiral past the
US$140 a barrel mark.
 |
| Drawing of Ventastega curonica; the fossil found in Latvia. |
June 27, 2008
Most primitive four-legged fossil found in Latvia
Scientists
unearthed a skull of the most primitive four-legged creature in Earth's history,
which should help them better understand the evolution of fish to advanced
animals that walk on land.
Students
cash in on Alberta’s black gold
The heated Alberta economy
is attracting top students this summer, as engineering and business students
clamour for lucrative internships in the energy industry.
Anatomy
of an impact crater
About 35 million years ago, a large body crashed out
of space into the sea in an area that's now under the Chesapeake Bay. The
North American coastline was further west at the time, but models suggest
that the resulting tsunami blasted into, and perhaps over, the Blue Ridge
area of what's now Virginia.
June 26, 2008
Invisible gold discovered
Invisible gold nano particles have
been identified by Australian scientists. Although nano particles of gold
have been created in labs, they have never been found in nature.
Destruction of greenhouse gases over tropical Atlantic may
ease global warming
Large amounts of ozone -- around 50% more than predicted
by the world's state-of-the-art climate models - are being destroyed in
the lower atmosphere over the tropical Atlantic Ocean.
The world's nine largest science projects
Some have been heralded
as the largest undertakings since the building of the pyramids.
Others have been likened to a new set of wonders of the world.
June 25, 2008
Missouri oil and gas permit applications increase
The number
of applications received by the Missouri Department of Natural Resources’ State
Oil and Gas Council for oil and gas exploration has surpassed last year’s
total in the first four months of this year.
Clean coal has cloudy future
As co-chairman of the province's Self-Sufficiency
Task Force, McGuire advised the government it should tap the wealth of local
engineering talent and pioneer clean-coal technology at a second Belledune
thermal generator. Now as NB Power's chairman, McGuire readily admits the
thought of a clean coal-fired generator at Belledune is dead in the near
term.
June 24, 2008
Geologists'
letter injects science in debate over US energy, dismisses “Use It
or Lose It” talking point
For Democrats advancing the claim
that American energy producers - and not government - are
the ones responsible for preventing American oil and
natural gas from coming to the market, a
letter from the AAPG couldn't have come at a less convenient time.
Geology is prime for CO2 project
If storing carbon dioxide in coalbed methane reservoirs proves
feasible, the San Juan Basin could be the first place in the world that the
process will be used on a commercial scale.
Indian
firm fined for illegal bauxite storage
The
Geology and Mining Department officials from Gandhinagar, India, along with
Revenue Department officials caught local geologists napping when it seized
15,900 tonnes of bauxite from the port. In all, about 28,000
tonnes was seized initially; however, about 12,000 tonnes was found to be
of rejected or inferior quality mineral.
$9.4 million donation to geologists
Boone Pickens has donated
$9.4 million to the Tulsa-based American Association of Petroleum Geologists
Foundation to develop a digital geology consortium between the AAPG and Oklahoma
State University.
Buying water rights
In the coming decades, as growing numbers
of people live in urban areas and climate change makes some regions much
more prone to drought, water—or what many are calling "blue gold"—will
become an increasingly scarce resource. Some people and companies are buying
the rights to water with the intent to produce it and sell it in the same
manner that oil or natural gas are sold.
Global Limits of Biomass Energy
Biomass energy—energy
generated from agricultural waste or specially grown energy crops—has
been widely touted as a clean, renewable alternative to fossil fuels.
June 20, 2008
President urges Congress to lift offshore drilling ban
With gasoline topping
$4 a gallon, President Bush urged Congress to lift its long-standing
ban on offshore oil and gas drilling, saying the United States needs to increase
its energy production. Democrats quickly rejected the idea.
Lake Ohrid is over three million years old
A group of German scientists are to complete the research by
2016 and to present exact data for all secrets that Ohrid Lake hides for
millions of years, which is one of the oldest lakes in the world.
June 19, 2008
Search
for oil, gas in state hits a rock wall
Two factors conspire against Washington becoming a major player in the energy
production business. One is geology. The other is tax policy.
Tests show illegally-mined rock is low-quality rose quartz
Tests on
samples of alleged rose quartz from a quarry on the outskirts of the central
Da Nang City reveal it is low-quality rose quartz and not a kind of gemstone
as previously suggested.
Scores of peer-reviewed studies contradict global warming alarmism
These
articles destroy the illusion that there is a "consensus" among scientists
about the causes of global warming. This site lists many such
articles.
'Deep landslide' reshaped mountain in Japan
A huge landslide akin to a massive
hole being punched in the side of a mountain was triggered by the Iwate-Miyagi
Inland Earthquake at an upstream section of the Aratozawa Dam in Kurihara,
Miyagi Prefecture, causing widespread damage and making roads impassable.
June 18, 2008
Taking on global challenges
Scholars who believe in the significant
contribution that Earth sciences such as geology and geophysics can make
in helping policymakers and people understand the global phenomena that can
have a huge impact on the world we inhabit, have begun reaching out to young
people through activities including art.
June 17, 2008
Lakes across Canada face being turned into mine dump sitesCBC News has learned that 16 Canadian lakes are slated to be officially but quietly "reclassified" as toxic dump sites for mines. The lakes include prime wilderness fishing lakes from B.C. to Newfoundland.
Samoa found to be in path of geological hotspots, adding fuel
to debate over origins of volcanic chains
The study concluded that the age
progression of Samoa and surrounding islands is clearly in line with scientific
theory that the chain was created by a hotspot.
Ancient mineral shows early Earth climate tough on continents
Zircons, the oldest known materials on Earth, offer a window in time back as
far as 4.4 billion years ago, when the planet was a mere 150 million years
old.
The International Atomic Energy Agency just released its Uranium 2007: Resources, Production and Demand report. The report added that nuclear capacity is expected to increase between 38% and 78% from 2007 and 2030 and will require both improved production and new discoveries if this growth is to be realized.
June 16, 2008
Alberta to rebut oil sands' environmental foes
Alberta and Canada's
governments stand in contrast to those of most other oil-producing
nations. Canada and the US developed a close and beneficial trading relationship
long before Canada became the largest foreign oil supplier.
E.R. Ward Neale
Enthusiasm seemed to follow Ward Neale, 84, in all facets of
his life that led him through a varied career of science, education and breakthrough
discoveries in geology.
Geology, climate links make Guiana Shield region particularly sensitive
to change
Guiana Shield's ancient — and therefore nutrient-deficient — soils
make it biologically "frail" relative to parts of the Amazon basin.
Beaver Creek geology camp nearly recovered
Devastated by a flood nearly two years ago that took out numerous
buildings and a bridge, the Oklahoma Geology Camp in the Upper Beaver Creek
area is nearly restored thanks to a project of renewal and renovation.
Is Nevada ready for a 7.1-magnitude earthquake?
The probability of an earthquake of magnitude 7.0 occurring within
31 miles of Reno or Carson City within the next 50 years is between 12
and 15 per cent. For an earthquake of magnitude 6.0, the probability increases
to between 65 and 70 per cent within the next 50 years.
CSA announces recipients of the 2008 Awards of Merit
One of the recipients
is Benoît Fournier, who receives the Award of Merit in recognition
of his outstanding contributions with respect to construction materials and
concrete, and related standards development. He is currently assistant professor
in the department of geology and geological engineering of Université Laval
in Québec City.
June 13, 2008
NASA finds new type of comet dust mineral
The mineral, a manganese silicide named Brownleeite, was discovered within an interplanetary dust particle that appears to have originated from comet 26P/Grigg-Skjellerup.
Stornoway
says Nunavut diamond project may hold 10M carat resource
Minibulk sampling has established a modest grade, but it is a large, outcropping ore body, located 10 kilometres from tidewater with the potential to yield a 10 million carat plus resource.
Protect environment and check resources
Bitter experience should
put Pennsylvania well past the point of tolerating nonchalance toward the
environment as the price of extracting natural resources. Yet, the early
phases of exploring the vast Marcellus Shale formation and extracting its
natural gas have produced spotty environmental performances by some drillers.
Australian government urged to boost mining exploration
support
The Western Australian Government has been told the state faces
a bleak future if it does not take measures to encourage more mining exploration.
June 10, 2008
Asbestos map of Eastern Australia published
An article published online in Environmental Geology identifies parts of eastern Australia underlain by rocks with the right geological conditions to host asbestos.
Seabed scratches show icebergs reached the tropics
Icebergs often etch out messages on the shallow ocean floor. Now a newly discovered set of scratches suggests bergs from the icy north drifted farther south than we thought after the last ice age.
June 9, 2008
Earth's biosphere is booming, satellite data suggest CO2 the cause
Over a period of almost two decades, the Earth as a whole became more bountiful by a whopping 6.2%. About 25% of the Earth’s vegetated landmass — almost 110 million square kilometres — enjoyed significant increases and only 7% showed significant declines.
The geology of cool
Newly eco-conscious developers are taking advantage of the greenness of geothermal pumps. In cooling a room, they use about half the electricity of the typical air-conditioner and produce fewer carbon emissions.
Nasa's Phoenix Mars lander takes most detailed pictures ever of alien dust
The pictures show an unprecedented diversity of geology.
Mining a new generation of economic geologists
With a worldwide shortage of economic geologists and growing demand for natural resources, the University of Western Ontario is embarking on a multi-million dollar initiative to become the premier national institution for graduating entrepreneurial geologist-explorers.
June 5, 2008
Search for places to store CO2 emissions set to begin
Researchers will start by searching for potential spots for carbon dioxide storage in Cape Breton and northern Nova Scotia, where the geology is most suitable.
Drought slowing down Old Faithful geyser
New research suggests that several years of drought may have added a minute or two to the eruption cycle of Old Faithful geyser.
June 4, 2008
Army Corps checking water supply in Illinois
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will install at least 20 monitoring wells to measure the status of water across McHenry County.
From fault lines to remnants of volcanoes and a prehistoric ocean, Oklahoma is a treasure trove of unexpected geology. Two ambitious filmmakers tell the story of the state's history through its rocks in their new documentary, "Oklahoma Rocks!”
June 3, 2008
International partnership evaluates feasibility of major carbon capture and storage project in British ColumbiaThe project - in its initial feasibility phase - aims to determine whether deep underground saline reservoirs are appropriate for CCS. Tests and analysis will help demonstrate the effectiveness of using the technology to manage greenhouse gases.
June 2, 2008
Local uranium eyed for Vietnamese nuclear plant
The Vietnamese government is planning to source input materials for the nation’s first nuclear energy plant. The nuclear plant is expected to begin operation in 2020.
Scientists divine secrets of Old Faithful geyser
The world-famous geyser in Yellowstone National Park erupts like clockwork, but the gap between each burst varies from year to year. That interval between eruptions appears to be linked closely with the amount of rain and snow the park receives, according to a new study published in the journal Geology.
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