July 2011 on EARTH Magazine

Energy Notes: March 2010-2011

Wed, 20 Jun 2018 15:32:09 -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: Indium

Thu, 14 Jun 2018 10:32:30 -0400

Amy C. Tolcin, a mineral commodity specialist for the U.S. Geological Survey, compiled the following information on indium, a minor metal that is important in flat-panel displays.

Indium-tin oxide thin films are used in flat-panel displays, such as in touch-screen mobile phones. Credit: ©iStockphoto.com/tiridifilm

Geologically, the occurrence of indium minerals is rare. The element most often occurs as a sulfide inclusion or substitutes in other base-metal minerals, including cassiterite, chalcopyrite, sphalerite and stannite. Indium’s abundance in the crust is estimated to be 0.05 parts per million, which makes it more abundant than silver, but it is so widely disseminated that it does not occur in high enough concentrations to form mineable deposits. Therefore, indium is most often recovered from byproduct residues produced during the refining of lead and zinc. But only about one-quarter of the indium mined worldwide is refined into metal, as many indium-bearing concentrates are sent to refineries that do not have the capability of recovering the metal.

Travels in Geology: Florissant fossil beds: An Eocene time capsule

Thu, 07 Jun 2018 13:08:51 -0400

Beneath the grassy meadows and pine-studded hills of central Colorado lies one of the richest and most diverse fossil deposits in the world. From enormous petrified redwood stumps to the individual lenses in a fly’s compound eye, an entire ecosystem of rarely preserved life forms has been fortuitously fossilized, narrating the story of a warmer and wetter prehistoric Colorado that thrived at the brink of a dramatic episode of global cooling.

Getting There and Getting Around Colorado Springs

Thu, 07 Jun 2018 13:01:38 -0400

Colorado Springs is a good jumping off point for exploring Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument. A car is necessary to get around the area; you can rent one at the Colorado Springs Airport if you choose to fly into Colorado. Once you’re ready to visit the fossils, head west on Highway 24 for about 50 kilometers to the town of Florissant, where you’ll find gas, a couple of restaurants and convenience stores. Woodland Park, about 25 kilometers east of Florissant, offers accommodations and more eating options.

Benchmarks: July 9, 1958: Megatsunami drowns Lituya Bay, Alaska

Wed, 06 Jul 2016 08:53:09 -0400

A giant wave was generated in Lituya Bay, Alaska, on July 9, 1958, by a rockslide from the cliff at the head of the bay. The wave destroyed the forest over the light areas to a maximum height of 524 meters. The fishing boat Badger, anchored in the cove at lower left, was carried over the spit in the foreground. The Sunmore, near the bay's entrance, was sunk; the Erdie, anchored near the lower right, rode out the wave. Credit: U.S. Geological Survey.

The recent disaster in Japan demonstrates the incredible destructive power of a megatsunami in a heavily populated area. But a record-breaking tsunami of a different sort occurred in 1958, in a remote part of Alaska known as Lituya Bay — and was witnessed by only six people, two of whom died. The giant tsunami and the unusual geometry of the bay combined to produce the largest wave run-up ever recorded — deluging the steep forested hills along the edges of the bay to a height of 524 meters. The wave was a powerful reminder of the forces nature can unleash.

Down to Earth With: Deep-Sea submersible Alvin

Tue, 27 Jan 2015 10:54:03 -0500

The Alvin. Credits: Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution.

Every oceanographer knows Alvin. Since 1964, the legendary deep submergence vehicle has carried more than 12,000 scientists and other observers to the bottom of the ocean on more than 4,600 dives. Its exploits are legion: locating and recovering a lost U.S. hydrogen bomb in 780 meters of water off the coast of Spain in 1966, exploring the first-known hydrothermal vents (black smokers off the Galapagos Islands) in 1977 and surveying the wreck of the Titanic in 1986.

Voices: A growing need for geoscience diplomacy

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

U.S. State Department headquarters in Washington, D.C. AgnosticPreachersKid, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported

“I have come here to seek a new beginning between the United States and Muslims around the world … we have a responsibility to join together on behalf of the world we seek.”

Voices: Austerity axes geological survey in Greece

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

We have all heard about the austerity measures being taken in Greece regarding its economy. This economic situation is about to affect many of us outside of Greece, however: One aspect of the austerity measures is the immediate closure of the Institute of Geology and Mineral Exploration (IGME). This is a travesty. I am hopeful that by raising awareness outside of Greece, we might be able to save this great body.

Voices: The confounding economics of natural disasters

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

In the hours (not days) after the enormous earthquake hit Japan on March 11, before it was even known that the Fukushima power plant had been badly disabled and well before the scope of the mortality and damage had been assessed, the Japanese yen rapidly appreciated in value. The G7 nations moved to quickly stabilize the yen — not to prevent it from falling, but to prevent it from further appreciating.

Blogging on EARTH: Webb Space Telescope ensnared in political drama