December 2011 on EARTH Magazine

Energy Notes: August 2010-2011

Wed, 20 Jun 2018 15:46:14 -0400

Credit: The American Geosciences Institute

U.S. Oil & Petroleum Imports (millions of barrels per day)

Oil and petroleum imports data are preliminary numbers taken from the American Petroleum Institute’s Monthly Statistical Report. For more information visit www.api.org.

Mineral Resource of the Month: Garnet

Wed, 13 Jun 2018 16:26:57 -0400

Donald W. Olson, mineral commodity specialist for the U.S. Geological Survey, has compiled the following information on garnet, a useful industrial mineral as well as one of the world’s most popular gemstones.

Rock sample with garnet inclusions. Credit: ©iStockphoto.com/Dmitry Knorre

Garnet, the birthstone for the month of January, has been used as a gemstone for centuries. Garnet necklaces dating from the Bronze Age have been found in graves, and garnet is found among the ornaments adorning the oldest Egyptian mummies. However, garnet’s characteristics, such as its relatively high hardness and chemical inertness, make it ideal for many industrial applications.

Travels in Geology: Barbados: Ascending the sea-level staircase

Thu, 07 Jun 2018 17:12:06 -0400

Most people go to the Caribbean to escape — to relax on pristine beaches, enjoy fruity island drinks or perhaps swim with the dolphins. In Barbados, you can certainly do that. But in between your beach days, you may want to spend some time exploring the island’s unique geological features. The island provides the rare opportunities to stand on an active accretionary wedge and to visit uplifted coral reefs that have played a pivotal role in reconstructing climate and sea-level records of the recent geological past.

Getting There and Getting Around Barbados

Thu, 07 Jun 2018 16:57:35 -0400

Visitors to Barbados arrive at the Grantley Adams International Airport, on the south coast about 13 kilometers east of Bridgetown. Although there are established bus routes across the island, the most convenient way to explore it is by renting a car. A number of local agencies have depots at the airport. Driving is on the left in this former British colony.

Revealing the ancient sea levels recorded in reefs

Thu, 07 Jun 2018 16:55:32 -0400

Deriving the ancient sea levels in Barbados is easier than in other places, but still involves several steps.

First, researchers collect samples of the coral Acropora palmata, which only lives in the top five meters of the ocean, thus providing the tightest constraint on the elevation of sea level during its growth. Second, researchers date the coral via the uranium-thorium radiometric technique and measure its oxygen isotopic values so they can tie the data directly to the marine record of past global temperatures. Third, they survey the current elevation of each reef terrace.

Down to Earth With: Pat Pringle

Tue, 27 Jan 2015 09:24:18 -0500

Pat Pringle at Henderson Inlet, Puget Sound, where he and colleagues have sampled submerged trees. Credit: Michael Polenz, Washington State Department of Natural Resources.

After finishing a master’s degree in geology at the University of Akron in 1982, Pat Pringle left the relative flatlands of Ohio’s Allegheny Plateau and went west to pursue his passion. More specifically, he went northwest, to the U.S. Geological Survey’s (USGS) Cascades Volcano Observatory, lured by the steaming vents and layered debris flows of the recently awakened giant, Mount St. Helens. He was smitten.

Science as a model for governance

Fri, 28 Dec 2012 12:41:08 -0500

George Seielstad

“Truth, honor, rationality, openness to the contrarian view, engagement with the other, evidentiary arbitration of disputes … are all values that not only make science possible, they also make for a better society, a more open and tolerant society, a more peaceful society.” — Ismail Serageldin, director of the Library of Alexandria in Egypt, as written in the Library of Alexandria publication, “Science: The Culture of Change.”

Afghanistan's mineral resources laid bare

Mon, 23 Jan 2012 13:54:08 -0500

Geologist Said Mirzad (left) surveyed Afghanistan's mineral resources with colleagues from the U.S. Geological Survey and the Afghanistan Geological Survey (and a military escort). Courtesy of Said Mirzad

Marines from the First Reconnaissance Battalion, C Company, stand guard as a helicopter drops to pick up civilian scientists at the Khanneshin carbonatite complex in August 2010. Tina Hager, TFBSO

Forrest Horton (left), Robert Tucker (middle), and Emily Scott come across the first sign of rare earth element mineralization in the Khanneshin carbonatite complex. Tina Hager, TFBSO

Robert Tucker (left), Alex Chairhorsky (middle), and a Marine look at a specimen of rare earth element minerals from the Khanneshin massif. Tina Hager, TFBSO

The Khanneshin carbonatite complex hosts rare earth elements. Tina Hager, TFBSO

A mineral assessment milestone confirms world-class resources

Each donning about 10 kilograms of protective gear, including helmets and Kevlar, scientists trudged up the rugged, rocky volcanic terrain of southern Afghanistan, slowing now and then to catch an extra breath of thin air. Some carried guns. Others carried rock hammers.

Voices: Harassment of scientists reaches a fever pitch

Fri, 20 Jan 2012 03:51:09 -0500

In recent years, climate scientists, particularly those involved in communicating the risks of anthropogenic climate change to the public, have faced increasing levels of vitriol from politicians, pundits and the public alike. The news earlier this year that leading Australian climate scientists were receiving death threats, in the midst of a fierce debate on the implementation of a carbon tax, is just the latest escalation. Other recent events include the legal harassment brought to bear on Penn State climatologist Michael Mann by the Attorney General of Virginia, and the baseless media firestorm over the hacked “Climategate” emails in late 2009, which also led to prominent British climate scientist Phil Jones receiving numerous death threats. And then there is this week's release of 5,000 more hacked emails. This has to stop, or we may start seeing a backlash where scientists refuse to explain their research findings at all. If that happens, society loses.

Benchmarks: December 16, 1811-February 7, 1812: The New Madrid earthquakes strike the Heartland

Thu, 05 Jan 2012 06:41:58 -0500

Central U.S. Earthquake Consortium (CUSEC) Executive Director Jim Wilkinson moderates a panel discussion during the 18th annual 'Earthquakes Mean Business' seminar on Feb. 11, 2011. Alisa Nave, CUSEC

Fissures that formed during the 1811-1812 New Madrid earthquakes can be seen in this 1904 picture from Mississippi County, Mo. Fuller, M.L., U.S. Geological Survey Photographic Library

Seismic risk across the United States as estimated by the U.S. Geological Survey in 2008. Colors show the levels of estimated horizontal shaking. U.S. Geological Survey

Students demonstrate how to protect themselves during an earthquake in this 'Drop, Cover and Hold On' drill. Alisa Nave, CUSEC

This winter marks the bicentennial of a series of powerful intraplate earthquakes that occurred in the central United States over a two-month period beginning on Dec. 16, 1811. Named for New Madrid, one of the settlements on the Mississippi River, these tremors were among the largest historic earthquakes to occur east of the Rocky Mountains.

Blogging on EARTH: AGU: Japan tsunami actually made population more vulnerable?

Thu, 05 Jan 2012 06:41:58 -0500

Megan Sever is managing editor of EARTH and writes the Hazardous Living blog. Jim Sever

Usually, when a major natural disaster strikes, a population becomes more alert and aware. People know what warning signs to watch for; they know what to do should such an event occur again. They increase their chances of staying alive. For example, intergenerational knowledge of tsunamis passed down by island tribes around the Indian Ocean is credited with saving lives during the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami.

Cantabrians keep humor in the hardship

Thu, 05 Jan 2012 06:41:58 -0500

Even though the inhabitants of Christchurch (Cantabrians) have had a nonstop year of hardships, they have kept their humor. A local named Bruce Raines started a “You know you are from Christchurch when…” Facebook page and solicited comments, from which he then published a book.

Highlights of 2011: Energy and economics 2011-2012

Thu, 05 Jan 2012 06:41:58 -0500

A vertical drilling rig in Pennsylvania extracts natural gas from the Marcellus Shale. Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection

Some people say fracking, or hydraulic fracturing, is the mother of all evils whereas others say it's a necessary part of our energy salvation. Callan Bentley, 2011

Long-term fiscal plans need to consider energy possibilities

In 2012, we should contemplate how much the period from 2002 to 2011 looked like 1973 to 1982. The earlier period, just a few decades ago, was marked by energy crises (instigated by global geopolitics). The U.S. had just ended a war that it couldn’t win; high energy prices threatened our ability to repay debts; the gold standard was abandoned, and the savings and loan crisis ended in many bank failures. Starting in the 1970s, we banded together and the energy crises brought about advances in energy efficiency, renewable technologies and the exploration for new oil and gas resources.

Highlights of 2011: Jobs, jobs everywhere, but not enough people to fill them

Thu, 05 Jan 2012 06:41:58 -0500

Geologists working on Mount St. Helens in Washington. Courtesy USGS Cascade Volcano Observatory, ESW Image Bank

This has been a vintage year for the health of the geoscience workforce in the United States. Overall enrollments and degrees in geoscience programs increased 5 to 10 percent — as they’ve been doing for the past four years — this year reaching nearly 25,000 undergraduate majors and 10,000 graduate students across the country. Employment opportunities for geoscientists continue to be widespread, with more jobs available than people to fill them.

Highlights of 2011: New Zealand: After 8,000 aftershocks, when will it stop?

Thu, 05 Jan 2012 06:41:58 -0500

Many churches were damaged or destroyed in the earthquakes. Many that weren't damaged are allowing other congregations to hold services in their buildings. Andy Miah, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic

Many neighborhoods still don't have sewer service, so residents are relying on portable toilets. Ann (Helen) Devereux, Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic

When the earthquakes struck, they liquefied silt and sand that came pouring out from belowground and covered streets. Andy Miah, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic

Fissures opened up in the ground from the earthquakes, especially near riverbanks. Ann (Helen) Devereux, Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic

Damaged buildings have been marked by one of three tags following the earthquakes: Red means the building is destroyed; yellow means a building needs repairs; green means the building is alright. Wayne Feiden, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic

Cleaning up all the sand and silt that was liquefied in the earthquakes has taken months. Andy Miah, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic

The untold story of life after a major earthquake in Christchurch, New Zealand