Current Geology News and Earth Science Articles

Geology news and current earth science articles from around the world. Stories are archived monthly.

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December 8, 2009

Oil sands emissions polluting Alberta waterways
Water pollution levels around the Athabasca River and its tributaries have risen because of emissions from the oil sands, a research paper released yesterday says, contradicting a view in the energy industry and the Alberta government that the massive mining of bitumen hasn't contaminated waterways.

Sea level could rise from 0.75 to 1.9 metres this century
A new scientific study warns that sea level could rise much faster than previously expected. By the year 2100, global sea level could rise between 75 and 190 centimetres, according to a paper published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

December 7, 2009

Did life on Earth start in Canada?
The mountain-size meteorite that struck Sudbury nearly two billion years ago - already known to have made the northern Ontario city a global mining mecca - may have also triggered changes in Earth's ocean chemistry that allowed complex life to begin evolving on the planet, two U.S. government scientists have theorized.

Shale gas is battering natural gas prices and squeezing Albertans
A dramatic slowdown in Alberta’s natural gas business has been driven largely by an emerging new resource: shale gas. The natural gas industry - long the bedrock of Alberta’s economy - faces major threats amid a fundamental shift south of the border. Massive stores of shale gas, once beyond the reach of engineers, are now being successfully squeezed out from under Texas and other U.S. states.

Dead Sea needs world help to stay alive
The Dead Sea may soon shrink to a lifeless pond Middle East political strife blocks vital measures needed to halt the decay of the world's lowest and saltiest body of water, experts say. The surface level is plunging by a metre (three feet) a year and nothing has yet been done to reverse the decline because of a lack of political cooperation as a result of the Arab-Israeli conflict.

December 4, 2009

Shale rock drilling causes heated environmental debate
Oil and gas companies have figured out how to turn shale rock into natural gas gushers, but they have also hit a deep well of anxiety about the environmental impact of drilling in some of the country's most scenic areas. The debate revolves around a technique known as hydraulic fracturing, which unlocks natural gas by shattering shale rock with high-pressure blasts of water, chemicals and sand.

Colombian oil: The next big thing?
The Colombian government has lifted restrictions on foreigners operating in the oil and gas sector, lowered royalties and improved security. These initiatives have paid off in a big way for Colombians. The country's oil-licensing agency, ANH, said last week that Colombian and foreign companies operating in the country produced an average 704,000 barrels of crude a day in October, that’s 34% higher than in 2005.

December 3, 2009

Alberta backs coal gasification plan with CO2 fund
Alberta intends to spend C$285 million (US$271 million) to help fund a coal-gasification project that would both produce electricity and capture carbon for use in boosting oil production from old fields. The Alberta government, which has spent the last few months distributing money from a C$2 billion carbon capture fund, said it signed a letter of intent with Swan Hills Synfuels, a private company, for the project, the fourth to get government backing.

Geology professor proves ancient Earth was cooler
A study of rocks, known as chert, that are 3.4 billion years old has revealed that early Earth's conditions and temperature was much cooler than what previous research has shown. Mike Tice has found through the isotopes preserved within the rocks that temperatures in the early ocean, at least in some spots on Earth, was about 40 degrees Celsius, which can be described as warm bath water. Previous to these findings researchers believed conditions were much hotter, around 70 degrees Celsius, 3.4 billion years ago.

December 2, 2009

Bitumen-from-limestone pilot project wins approval
The race to develop unconventional oil sands heated up Tuesday after Sunshine Oilsands Ltd. was granted regulatory approval for a small oil sands pilot project that aims to extract bitumen from limestone. The Alberta Geological Survey estimates the Grosmont carbonate in northern Alberta could contain more than 300 billion barrels on top of the 180 billion barrels already considered to be recoverable.

Related story

EPA takes steps toward boosting ethanol blend in auto gas tanks
The agency said it was clear that raising the current limit of 10 per cent ethanol in gasoline to 15 per cent was needed to meet federal requirements for more ethanol production. And it said, based on research so far, that vehicles starting with the 2001 model year appeared able to use the 15 percent blend without being damaged.

December 1, 2009

Uranium’s lingering glow
The world’s highest grades of uranium, up to 20%, are found under and around Lake Athabasca, a massive body of water that reaches into Alberta and Saskatchewan. But all of the current uranium mining happens in Saskatchewan, which singularly supplies about a quarter of the world’s nuclear fuel. The rapid rise in uranium price coincided with a report from the Alberta Geological Survey that identified great swaths of land rich in uranium in northeast and southern Alberta. Prospectors rushed to stake their claims near Lake Athabasca and in territory that stretched from Calgary to the American border.

Himalayan glaciers receding possibly a natural cycle
As per studies conducted by the Geological Survey of India, majority of Himalayan glaciers may be passing through a phase of recession because of a natural cyclic process. A national action plan on climate change has been launched since June last year with an aim, among other things, to sustain the Himalayan eco-system.