June 20, 2018
Energy Notes: September 2007-2008
U.S. Oil & Petroleum Imports (millions of barrels per day) Oil and petroleum imports data are preliminary numbers taken from the American …
The EARTH archive
January 2009
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26 articles · Page 1 of 2
June 14, 2018
Mineral Resource of the Month: Gold
Micheal W. George, mineral commodity specialist for the U.S. Geological Survey, has compiled the following information on gold, one of the most …
May 23, 2018
Down to Earth With: John Copeland
Movie effects have come a long way since the close-shot model explosions that made “Star Wars” a hit, and science documentaries are no exception, …
January 20, 2012
Oil barrel politics
As a new president and Congress entered office in January, current events continue to keep energy in the forefront of national concern. Volatile …
January 5, 2012
Weird whale tusks act as matchmakers
In the depths of the ocean, the bizarre beaked whale looks more like an eerie mutant than a gentle giant. With its bird-like beak and sharp tusks …
January 5, 2012
USGS fights false Yellowstone warning
Blogging on EARTH Unsubstantial warnings don’t fly with the U.S. Geological Survey. Following the recent swarms of earthquakes at Yellowstone, …
January 5, 2012
Underwater basalt formation looks like a city wall
Blogging on EARTH The concept of sunken, undersea cities has long been present in almost every society, especially in the form of myths such as …
January 5, 2012
Travels in Geology: Atop the German Alps
Mountaineers in the “High Points Club” have a lofty goal: to “tag,” or reach, the highest elevations of every country in the world. Many of the …
January 5, 2012
There and back again: Alien From Earth tells the tale of the Hobbit
For many years, local legend on the Indonesian island of Flores told of an elflike creature with large feet and a voracious appetite that lived …
January 5, 2012
Stonehenge's Mysterious Stones
A tale of glaciers, man, rocks and North America Out of the mist that blankets the gently rolling hills of Salisbury Plain, Stonehenge rises …
January 5, 2012
Shell tectonics may explain Mars mysteries
Mars may be mythologically known as the Red Planet, but its topography can be as captivating as its celestial glow. Several striking features …
January 5, 2012
People of the Ice
“We do not come to Antarctica because we are in love with Antarctica. We come to Antarctica because we want a mystery to solve, and we love a …
January 5, 2012
Pelosi: Science first for economic recovery
Blogging on EARTH According to U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, there are four words to describe the economic recovery package that Congress will …
January 5, 2012
Obama asks EPA to reconsider state-set emissions standards
Just a week into his presidency, Barack Obama has already set out to reverse several of Bush’s policies, including policies on long-contentious …
January 5, 2012
Minerals also evolve
Taxonomy, the science of classification, connects creatures through genealogical relationships. But taxonomist Carl Linné (Linnaeus) didn't stop …
January 5, 2012
Hurricane Ike sent Galveston's beaches out to sea
On Sept. 12, 2008, Galveston was a picture-perfect seaside Texas town, with an extensive stretch of beach lined with beautiful homes. But a day …
January 5, 2012
Hot enough for ya? Investigating climate change in "Heat"
In FRONTLINE's urgent, ambitious new special "Heat," producer and reporter Martin Smith takes on a sweeping canvas of climate change, journeying …
January 5, 2012
Guatemalan landslide kills 33
A landslide in northern Guatemala killed at least 33 people Sunday at about 10:30 a.m. local time. With between 40 and 60 people still missing, …
January 5, 2012
Fish guts can alter ocean's chemistry
The ocean’s surface waters contain many more microorganisms than fish — and so for years, the carbonate-shelled microorganisms were thought to be …
January 5, 2012
Energy mission: "Kilowatt Ours"
“What if every time you flipped a light switch, a mountain exploded in West Virginia?” In the new documentary “Kilowatt Ours,” filmmaker Jeff …
January 5, 2012
Danger in the Deep: Chemical weapons lie off our coasts
Flash back to 1944: It’s a misty Hawaiian morning and a military vessel carries a nervous crew and deadly cargo from Pearl Harbor into the …
January 5, 2012
Danger and wonder in Nat Geo's "Giant Crystal Cave"
Razor-sharp rocks. Deadly crevasses. Unbearable heat. Scalding water. One false step...and you’re history. “Giant Crystal Cave,” the National …
January 5, 2012
Comet finished off North American big game animals, cooled the planet?
Fires from a comet shower may have killed off the big game in North America about 13,000 years ago, scientists say. Those extinctions have long …
January 5, 2012
Benchmarks: January 3, 1961: Three men die in nuclear reactor meltdown
Of the hundreds of thousands of caskets buried in Arlington National Cemetery, only one is lined with lead to prevent the body from leaking …