Geology News - May 2008

Geology articles, earth science new 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.

May 29, 2008

Prime Minister Gordon Brown doesn't get the oil crisis
There are problems here, sure enough, but the word he left out was "geological," and the omission is crucial. It means he really doesn't understand the profundity of the current crisis, and explains why panicky initiatives are bound to fail.

How gender and race of geologists are portrayed in physical geology textbooks
Physical geology text books portray males as more than three times more likely to be geoscientists compared to females. This ratio significantly exceeds the current proportion of men and women entering the workforce (59.1% male and 40.9% female for B.S. degrees in Earth science) or the near equal proportions in the general U.S. population (48.9% males, 51.1% females).

May 28, 2008

Geopolitics and geology force oil companies to explore new options
With oil-rich countries tightening control, Big Oil seeks tech fixes and alternative energy sources.

China's aftershocks have not expanded the cracks in Shiziliang mountain
The largest crack stretches for about 500 metres with a width of between 5 to 30 metres. Local residents discovered it ten days ago and experts checked it out and are monitoring the situation.

May 27, 2008

Spectra Energy to pursue feasibility of large-scale carbon capture and storage project in British Columbia
The project represents a partnership between Spectra Energy and the provincial government, who has provided a $3.4 million grant to help fund an initial feasibility phase, intended to determine whether deep underground saline reservoirs and associated infrastructure in the area are appropriate for CCS.

May 23, 2008

4.3 magnitude earthquake rocks Nepal
A minor earthquake measuring 4.3 on the Richter scale rocked Nepal, though no damage was reported.

More tests needed for Ohio carbon dioxide proposal
A new state study indicates that the underground geology in eastern Ohio is suitable for storing carbon dioxide gas from a FirstEnergy Corp. coal-fired power plant.

May 22, 2008

77 survivors dug out in China
At least 77 people were dug out of debris in the last 36 hours till Wednesday evening as the total number of survivors in the massive earthquake which struck parts of China on May 12 reached 6,452.

May 21, 2008

Nova Scotia discusses lifting uranium ban
Nova Scotia’s mining sector would contribute more to the economy than it does if uranium exploration was allowed, says the province’s natural resources minister.

Mars landscape bears traces of icy past
A closer look at the remnants of mid-latitude glaciers on Mars has revealed signs of deep, icy rivers in its recent geological past.

May 20, 2008

Outdoor geology laboratory established at Appalachian
Thanks to Appalachian State University geology graduates and others, the university has an outdoor geology laboratory with 32 rock specimens dating between 1.2 billion and 300 million years old.

3D tech could trigger resources boom
New three-dimensional technology that could accurately locate untapped mineral, oil and gas deposits could trigger a resources boom within Victoria, Australia.

Space travels in geology: Io: a different kind of hell
Io, a sulfurous rock about the size of Earth’s moon, is bursting with volcanoes. With more than 400 active vents spewing red-hot lava, the moon is by far the most geologically active body in our solar system.

Geology, engineering contribute to China's quake damage
India is moving into Eurasia and isn't stopping. The Himalayas have been pushed up and India still doesn't stop. So China is being squeezed out over the Pacific Ocean to make way for India to continue barrelling north.

May 14, 2008

Iran publishes medical geological atlas
Medical Geology is an emerging scientific discipline that examines the impacts of geological materials and processes on humans and the ecosystem health.

Oil drilling in Guyana unlikely to be soon
Regardless what the United States Geological Survey says, no one will know for sure whether there is oil until drilling starts.

May 13, 2008

Massive earthquake kills 10,000 in China
Rescuers sifted through rubble in a frantic search for survivors in China a day after a powerful earthquake flattened schools, hospitals and factories, killing at least 10,000 people and trapping hundreds more.

May 12, 2008

Ancient bug ate dinosaur bones
A Brigham Young University geology duo has discovered ancient insects are responsible for all those missing pieces of dinosaur bones, as well as damage to the bones.

Company at Texas sinkhole accused of pumping too much water
The saltwater disposal company nearly devoured by a giant sinkhole in Texas was injecting sometimes double the amount of saltwater into the ground that its state permit allowed.

Massive underground reservoirs proposed for Beijing
The proposal calls for the construction of five underground reservoirs with a total storage capacity of 4.7 billion cubic metres, which would make it the biggest water storage facility in China.

Geophysicists say new methodology could forecast quakes
Geophysicists from Britain and China have developed a new methodology to seismic monitoring that could help forecast the time, size and sometimes even the location of earthquakes.

Geology degree a hot commodity: high cost of metals, oil gives new graduates host of options
Graduates in the field are facing lucrative opportunities as they enter the job market, thanks to record metals and oil prices. The average pay for a petroleum geologist with two years experience or less has risen about 60 percent in the past eight years.

May 7, 2008

Thousands evacuate after Chile volcano Chaiten erupts
Chile's long-dormant Chaiten volcano spewed clouds of grey smoke, hot rocks and toxic gas, forcing authorities to order the complete evacuation of two nearby towns.

Chile's erupting Chaiten volcano one of scores of active volcanoes in region
The Chaiten volcano now erupting in southern Chile is one of 200 to 300 volcanoes in the "Andean Arc" region of Chile, Peru, Ecuador and Columbia considered active by volcanologists, some of which lie in much more densely populated areas.

Burning oil and coal killed dinosaurs, say researchers
The dino-killing Chicxulub meteor might have ignited an oil field rather than forests when it slammed into the Gulf of Mexico 65 million years ago, say geologists.

May 6, 2008

Geothermal markets heat up
Geothermal, long the "Sleeping Beauty" of sustainable energy, is now showing clear signs of waking up, particularly in the U.S., where geothermal potential remains largely untapped.

When genetics and geology meet
A group of scientists from across disciplines and academic institutions in North and South America are revisiting places Darwin explored and, like him, pondering the connections between the evolution of landscape and of organisms.

Rumble in the desert
Some of the biggest earthquakes in the last half century in the U.S. have occurred in Idaho. Are they due for another big one? Are they prepared?

Weather Network's Emergency Preparedness Week
Newscast about Turtle Mountain and Alberta Geological Survey's activities.

May 5, 2008

Cloud of ash and smoke above Michimahuida Volcano visible from Puerto Montt
The volcano, which is 40 kilometres to the south of Chaitén, began erupting after having remained dormant for almost two centuries. 

Expert suggests transferring water to save lake from drying up
Following virtually rainless winters for five consecutive years and the continuing lack of a long-term water management policy in Turkey, Tuz Lake has come to the verge of completely disappearing.

May 1, 2008

Alberta industries comply with pivotal climate change legislation
For the first time in North America, oil sands facilities, coal-fired power plants and others met a requirement to reduce the intensity of their greenhouse gas emissions by 12 per cent. Companies had until March 31, 2008, to comply with the Alberta law, which came into effect July 1, 2007.