Geology News from The Bible, Genesis & Geology

Canada to map Arctic's vast resources

Wed, 27 Aug 2008 05:23:51 +0300

Researchers on the ground and aboard aircraft fitted with specialized sensors are to gather data on the geological characteristics of Canada's three northern territories: the Yukon, Northwest Territories and Nunavut.(AFP)

Fast running dino had bird-like chest

Fri, 22 Aug 2008 06:21:33 +0300

Although it would've stood only waist-high next to a human, Hypsilophodon foxii could run away in a flash, and now new research suggests it even may have possessed a special adaptation that prevented its ribs from rattling during Olympic-worthy dashes.(ABC.net.au)

At top of Greenland, new worrisome cracks in ice

Fri, 22 Aug 2008 06:10:12 +0300

In northern Greenland, a part of the Arctic that had seemed immune from global warming, new satellite images show a growing giant crack and an 11-square-mile chunk of ice hemorrhaging off a major glacier.(AP)

The Real Story Behind the 'Roof of the World'

Fri, 22 Aug 2008 06:02:04 +0300

A group of researchers has put together the geological puzzle pieces to develop a more intricate, and somewhat controversial, picture of the development of the modern Tibetan Plateau than was previously envisioned.(LiveScience)

Study: Large Earthquake Could Strike New York City

Fri, 22 Aug 2008 05:51:15 +0300

The New York City area is at "substantially greater" risk of earthquakes than previously thought. Scientists say damage could range from minor to major, with a rare but potentially powerful event killing people and costing billions of dollars in damage.(LiveScience)

Geologist: Brazil Oil Reserves Maybe 55B Barrels

Wed, 20 Aug 2008 05:53:52 +0300

A prominent geologist says Brazil's offshore oil reserves could hold as much as 55 billion barrels of crude.(KSDK)

New climate record shows century-long droughts in eastern North America

Wed, 20 Aug 2008 05:49:44 +0300

A stalagmite in a West Virginia cave has yielded the most detailed geological record to date on climate cycles in eastern North America over the past 7,000 years. The new study confirms that during periods when Earth received less solar radiation, the Atlantic Ocean cooled, icebergs increased and precipitation fell, creating a series of century-long droughts.(PhysOrg)

Geological time gets a new period

Sat, 16 Aug 2008 05:41:33 +0300

Geologists have added a new period to their official calendar of Earth's history - the first in 120 years.(BBC)

Earth's Plate Tectonics May Eventually Stop

Sat, 16 Aug 2008 05:32:23 +0300

The Pacific is the biggest ocean on Earth, but it’s getting smaller every day. Australasia and the Americas are inching closer together, and in about 350 million years the Pacific will effectively close.(LiveScience)

Diamond conference at the Goethe University

Tue, 12 Aug 2008 06:42:56 +0300

Diamond inclusions are an annoyance for the gem industry, but a treasure trove for geoscientists. They provide us with information about the conditions and dynamics of the deep Earth.(EurekAlert)

Ancient big cat fossils found in South America

Tue, 12 Aug 2008 06:38:05 +0300

Venezuela has found the first fossils of an extinct scimitar cat -- of the saber-toothed cat genus -- in South America, during oil prospecting activities southeast of Caracas.(Reuters)

Sub to make deep Caribbean dive

Sun, 10 Aug 2008 05:39:52 +0300

Scientists are set to explore the world's deepest undersea volcanoes, which lie 6km down in the Caribbean.(BBC)

Third Aleutian Volcano Erupts Explosively

Sat, 9 Aug 2008 06:13:01 +0300

Kasatochi Volcano in Alaska's Aleutian Islands erupted explosively Aug. 7, sending an ash plume more than 35,000 feet into the air and forcing two biologists from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to evacuate the island.(USGS)

Yellowstone supervolcano is only lukewarm

Sat, 9 Aug 2008 06:09:43 +0300

How hot is the Yellowstone hotspot? At 80 kilometres beneath the Earth's surface it's about 1450 °C, say researchers – which, for a supervolcano, is only lukewarm. That doesn't mean we won't get another eruption. The last explosion, some 642,000 years ago, created the Yellowstone caldera and blanketed half of the present day US in ash.(NewScientist)

New planet geology map seen aiding mining, climate

Sat, 9 Aug 2008 05:51:33 +0300

The digital map shows the world stripped of vegetation, water, soil and human structures by joining up existing data from the geological centres of 83 member nations in a planetary jigsaw on the internet.(MG)

2.5 Million-Year-Old Mastodon Unearthed in Romania

Sat, 9 Aug 2008 05:44:31 +0300

Miners in Romania have unearthed the skeleton of a 2.5 million-year-old mastodon, believed to be one of the best preserved in Europe. They stumbled on the remains of the mammoth-like animal during excavations in June at a coal mine in the village of Racosul de Sus, northwest of Bucharest.(LiveScience)

Scientists date Australian tectonic clash

Thu, 7 Aug 2008 06:23:53 +0300

New Australian research has resolved an ongoing debate regarding the timing of a major tectonic plate collision in the South Pacific region, the effects of which we're still experiencing.(ABC.net.au)

Southern California Hot Spot Hits 812 Degrees, Baffles Experts

Thu, 7 Aug 2008 05:22:43 +0300

An unexplained "thermal anomaly" caused a patch of land in Ventura County, just north of Los Angeles, to reach a temperature of over 800 degrees on Friday, baffling experts who have been monitoring the area for weeks.(FoxNews)

Found: The hottest water on Earth

Tue, 5 Aug 2008 05:49:14 +0300

Even Jules Verne did not foresee this one. Deep down at the very bottom of the Atlantic Ocean, geochemist Andrea Koschinsky has found something truly extraordinary: "It's water," she says, "but not as we know it."(NewScientist)

Ancestor of T-Rex dinosaur unearthed in Poland

Sun, 3 Aug 2008 05:31:57 +0300

Paleontologists digging in a brickyard in southern Poland have discovered the remains of a dinosaur they say is a previously unknown ancestor of the Tyrannosaurus Rex.(Reuters)

Geological mapping gets joined up

Fri, 1 Aug 2008 05:36:16 +0300

The world's geologists have dug out their maps and are sticking them together to produce the first truly global resource of the world's rocks.(BBC)

San Andreas Fault Longer Than Thought

Wed, 30 Jul 2008 05:25:47 +0300

As if the San Andreas Fault weren't long and menacing enough, newly found mud pots and mud volcanoes now suggest it extends another 18 miles, going under the Salton Sea and beyond, in the desert southeast of Palm Springs.(LiveScience)

Not Your Average Quake

Wed, 30 Jul 2008 04:49:28 +0300

The strongest earthquake to strike a populated area of Southern California in more than a decade rattled windows and chandeliers, made buildings sway and sent people running into the streets on Tuesday. But there were no immediate reports of serious injuries or major damage.(AP)

Mountain building boosts oxygen

Tue, 29 Jul 2008 05:55:45 +0300

The oxygen-rich atmosphere that sustains life on earth may have developed as a direct result of violent collisions between continents throughout the planet's history, new research suggests.(ABC.net.au)

Rock Reunites Antarctica and North America

Tue, 29 Jul 2008 05:42:57 +0300

A solitary chunk of granite, small enough to heft in one hand, is key evidence that Australia and parts of Antarctica were once attached to North America, a new study suggests.(LiveScience)

Kenya energy goes green to meet electricity boom

Mon, 28 Jul 2008 06:02:02 +0300

Facing soaring electricity demands, Kenya is opting to go full steam ahead with geothermal energy to boost its production while preserving its rich environmental heritage. (PhysOrg)

Chilean volcanologist warns Chaiten could erupt again

Sun, 27 Jul 2008 05:47:24 +0300

The Chaiten volcano began erupting May 2, emitting clouds of ash and rock that forced the evacuation of thousands around the town of Chaiten.(USAToday)

N.M. cavers chart unique `snowy' river of crystals

Fri, 25 Jul 2008 06:04:38 +0300

Hundreds of feet beneath Earth's surface, a few seasoned cave explorers venture where no human has set foot. Their headlamps illuminate mud-covered walls, gypsum crystals and mineral deposits. The real attraction, though, is under their shoes. A massive formation that resembles a white river spans the cave's floor.(AP)

Scientists recover complete dinosaur skeleton

Fri, 25 Jul 2008 06:00:26 +0300

Japanese and Mongolian scientists have successfully recovered the complete skeleton of a 70-million-year-old young dinosaur. The scientists uncovered a Tarbosaurus — related to the giant carnivorous Tyrannosaurus — from a chunk of sandstone they dug up in August, 2006 in the Gobi Desert in Mongolia.(AP)

Boiling Hot Water Found in Frigid Arctic Sea

Fri, 25 Jul 2008 05:48:55 +0300

Many miles inside the Arctic Circle, scientists have found elusive vents of scalding liquid rising out of the seafloor at temperatures that are more than twice the boiling point of water.(LiveScience)

Arctic holds 90 billion barrels of oil, mostly offshore: report

Thu, 24 Jul 2008 05:47:39 +0300

Within the Arctic circle there are 90 billion barrels of oil and vast quantities of natural gas waiting to be tapped, most of it offshore, the government-run US Geological Survey said.(AFP)

Another Aleutian volcano erupts

Wed, 23 Jul 2008 05:52:39 +0300

Mount Cleveland, a volcano in the Aleutian Islands about 90 miles west of still-simmering Okmok Caldera, erupted today, giving Alaska dueling volcanoes.(ADN)

Fossil Suggests Antarctica Much Warmer in Past

Wed, 23 Jul 2008 05:46:39 +0300

A college student's new discovery of fossils collected in the East Antarctic suggests that the frozen polar cap was once a much balmier place.(LiveScience)

Yemen embraces its Jurassic past

Tue, 22 Jul 2008 05:59:29 +0300

Tucked away in the heart of rural Yemen, the village of Madar now finds itself in the limelight after a series of dinosaur prints were discovered in the village - the first such discovery on the Arabian Peninsula.(BBC)

Dangerous faults reveal themselves in the landscape

Mon, 21 Jul 2008 06:02:10 +0300

Earthquakes sometimes seem like the rumblings of invisible giants – predicting the areas that are likely to suddenly shift requires an intimate understanding of what goes on deep inside the crust.(NewScientist)

Chile plans to spend $31M to build volcano centers

Sun, 20 Jul 2008 06:16:16 +0300

Chile plans to spend US$31 million to build three new centers to monitor volcanic activity. National Geology Service director Alejandro Vio on Saturday said the country has 122 active volcanoes, but only eight are closely watched.(AP)

Canal fossils give clue to formation of Americas

Fri, 18 Jul 2008 06:06:16 +0300

Scientists in Panama have unearthed hundreds of animal fossils dating back 20 million years, which could shed more light on how and when the American continent became connected.(Reuters)

Death in the deep: Volcanoes blamed for mass extinction

Thu, 17 Jul 2008 05:25:42 +0300

Ninety-three million years ago, Earth was a reshuffled jigsaw of continents, a hothouse where the average temperature was nearly twice that of today. Palm trees grew in what would be Alaska, large reptiles roamed in northern Canada and the ice-free Arctic Ocean warmed to the equivalent of a tepid swimming pool.(AFP)

Earth's hum predicts quake danger spots

Wed, 16 Jul 2008 17:13:34 +0300

THE faint sound of crashing waves can travel across continents through Earth's rocks. Now it seems this ambient hum can be harnessed to help predict how destructive an earthquake will be.(NewScientist)

Icelandic volcanoes help researchers understand potential effects of eruptions

Wed, 16 Jul 2008 05:43:19 +0300

For the first time, researchers have taken a detailed look at what lies beneath all of Iceland's volcanoes – and found a world far more complex than they ever imagined. They mapped an elaborate maze of magma chambers - work that could one day help scientists better understand how earthquakes and volcanic eruptions occur in Iceland and elsewhere in the world.(EurekAlert)

Undersea volcanic rocks offer vast repository for greenhouse gas, says study

Tue, 15 Jul 2008 05:50:09 +0300

A group of scientists has used deep ocean-floor drilling and experiments to show that volcanic rocks off the West Coast and elsewhere might be used to securely imprison huge amounts of globe-warming carbon dioxide captured from power plants or other sources.(PhysOrg)

Alaska Volcano Erupts With Little Warning

Sun, 13 Jul 2008 05:22:05 +0300

The Okmok Caldera erupted late Saturday morning, just hours after seismologists at the Alaska Volcano Center began detecting a series of small tremors.(AP)

Researchers Find Ancient Evidence of 'Snowball Earth'

Sat, 12 Jul 2008 06:19:07 +0300

Scientists recently discovered some of the first atmospheric evidence in support of the “Snowball Earth” hypothesis. This theory suggests that Earth was entirely covered by ice during the Cryogenian period, which took place from about 790 to 630 million years ago.(PhysOrg)

Geologists discover magma and carbon dioxide combine to make ‘soda-pop’ eruption

Sat, 12 Jul 2008 06:11:40 +0300

Through an autopsy of an ancient Scandinavian mountain chain, a team of Texas Tech University geologists found that carbon dioxide can create explosive eruptions when magma encounters calcium carbonate-based rocks. This discovery overturns a longtime belief by geologists, who thought that carbon dioxide was incapable of dissolving in magma.(KOHM)

Mount St. Helens back to 'normal'

Fri, 11 Jul 2008 06:14:54 +0300

An eruption in the crater of Mount St. Helens is definitely over, so the U.S. Geological Survey has lowered the alert level for the volcano to "normal." Five months have passed with no earthquakes, gas emissions or ground deformation.(AP)

Chile Llaima volcano simmers

Fri, 11 Jul 2008 06:10:41 +0300

Llaima, one of the most active volcanoes in South America, spewed pyroclastic rock 1,300 feet into night skies early Thursday morning, spooking residents a week after lava shot down one of its sides.(Reuters)

Yellowstone Geysers May Stop Erupting, Study Suggests

Thu, 10 Jul 2008 05:49:57 +0300

A long-term study of Yellowstone National Park's iconic geysers suggests that dry spells caused by climate change are slowing—and may even stop—the geysers' clockwork-regular eruptions.(NationalGeographic)

Extreme rain causes mountains to grow

Thu, 10 Jul 2008 05:40:48 +0300

Researchers studying a section of the Andes mountain range in Colombia have found that the more it rains the faster they grow.(ABC.net.au)

Discovery may lead to quake early-warning system

Thu, 10 Jul 2008 05:32:11 +0300

Scientists working at California's San Andreas Fault have detected subtle geological changes occurring hours before an earthquake that could enable them to develop an early-warning system aimed at saving lives.(Reuters)

Fossil feathers reveal their hues

Wed, 9 Jul 2008 05:46:42 +0300

The complex coloured plumage of extinct birds which once soared over the heads of dinosaurs could soon be revealed. Scientists have shown they are able to interpret the colour patterns seen in 100 million-year-old fossil feathers.(BBC)

Pac-Man supercontinent ate itself to pieces

Mon, 7 Jul 2008 06:00:46 +0300

The reason you are sitting where you are right now may be because Pangaea, the most recent supercontinent to gather together all the world's landmasses together, ate itself nearly 300 million years ago.(NewScientist)

Geologists study China earthquake for glimpse into future

Mon, 7 Jul 2008 05:55:30 +0300

The May 12 earthquake that rocked Sichuan Province in China was the first there in recorded history and unexpected in its magnitude. Now a team of geoscientists is looking at the potential for future earthquakes due to earthquake-induced changes in stress.(PhysOrg)

Major quake hits region of Okhotsk Sea

Sun, 6 Jul 2008 05:45:41 +0300

A major earthquake with a magnitude of 7.5 hit the region of the Sea of Okhotsk early Saturday, the US Geological Survey said, but no casualties were reported.(AFP)

Earth's Core, Magnetic Field Changing Fast, Study Says

Sat, 5 Jul 2008 06:22:59 +0300

Rapid changes in the churning movement of Earth's liquid outer core are weakening the magnetic field in some regions of the planet's surface. The changes may suggest the possibility of an upcoming reversal of the geomagnetic field.(NationalGeographic)

Former officials of Geological Survey, NOAA propose merger of earth science agencies

Sat, 5 Jul 2008 06:02:20 +0300

From climate change to volcanoes and earthquakes, the world's growing challenges have leaders in earth science proposing a merger of agencies that study the planet. Creation of a new Earth Systems Science Agency is urged in this week's edition of the journal Science, by merging the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the U.S. Geological Survey.(AP)

Geologists push back date basins formed, supporting frozen Earth theory

Sat, 5 Jul 2008 05:59:00 +0300

University of Florida geologists say they have found strong evidence that a half-dozen major basins in India were formed a billion or more years ago, making them at least 500 million years older than commonly thought. The findings appear to remove one of the major obstacles to the Snowball Earth theory that a frozen Earth was once entirely covered in snow and ice.(UOF)

Greenland ice sheet slams the brakes on

Fri, 4 Jul 2008 06:03:16 +0300

Much noise has been made about how water lubricates the base of Greenland's ice sheet, accelerating its slide into the oceans. In a rare "good news" announcement, climatologists now say the ice may not be in such a hurry to throw itself into the water after all. Mother Nature, it seems, has given it brakes.(NewScientist)

Japan beefs up undersea quake monitoring system

Fri, 4 Jul 2008 05:56:04 +0300

The system will be placed 1,000 to 2,000 metres (3,280-6,562 feet) beneath the ocean surface to gather data on seismic activity that will be transmitted by fiber-optic submarine cable to an above-ground observation centre.(AFP)

Insulating continents cause tectonic cycles to flip

Thu, 3 Jul 2008 06:42:00 +0300

Thanks to a load of small balls in a tank of gloop, we are a little closer to understanding why continents split up and get back together again.(NewScientist)

Exploding Asteroid Theory Strengthened By New Evidence Located In Ohio, Indiana

Thu, 3 Jul 2008 06:27:49 +0300

Geological evidence found in Ohio and Indiana in recent weeks is strengthening the case to attribute what happened 12,900 years ago in North America -- when the end of the last Ice Age unexpectedly turned into a phase of extinction for animals and humans – to a cataclysmic comet or asteroid explosion over top of Canada.(ScienceDaily)

Springy sediments may amplify tsunamis

Wed, 2 Jul 2008 06:26:30 +0300

THE devastating Indian Ocean tsunami of 2004 may have been made worse by springy sediment on the seabed.(NewScientist)

Germany to start storing carbon dioxide underground

Tue, 1 Jul 2008 06:19:06 +0300

Germany is due to inaugurate Europe's first underground carbon dioxide storage site at Ketzin, outside Berlin, as part of a European project dubbed CO2SINK which aims to test whether capturing and storing carbon dioxide in subterranean rock is a viable way of fighting global warming.(AFP)

China Earthquake Was Rare Type

Tue, 1 Jul 2008 06:14:04 +0300

The major earthquake that devastated China last month was something of a seismological oddity, seismologists report in a new analysis. The faults that caused the temblor rarely rumble.(LiveScience)

Harness volcano power, energy experts say

Sat, 28 Jun 2008 07:33:13 +0300

Volcanoes and hot springs could supply up to 25 per cent of America's power needs, energy experts have said. As fuel prices soar, Alaskan officials announced the exploration of the state's volcanoes, saying they could be exploited to provide energy for thousands of homes.(Telegraph)

Volcanic eruptions reshape Arctic ocean floor: study

Thu, 26 Jun 2008 06:12:59 +0300

Recent massive volcanoes have risen from the ocean floor deep under the Arctic ice cap, spewing plumes of fragmented magma into the sea.(AFP)

Natural 'Invisible' Gold Found In Nanoparticles

Wed, 25 Jun 2008 07:09:10 +0300

Nanoparticles of gold too small to be seen with the naked eye have been created in laboratories, but up until now, have never been seen in nature.(ScienceDaily)

Early Earth Marred by Acid Rain

Wed, 25 Jun 2008 07:05:49 +0300

The climate of early Earth was no day at the beach, with stinging acid rains and an intensely warm surface, a new study suggests. These harsh conditions could explain why geologists today have found no rocks more than 4 billion years old: They were all weathered away.(LiveScience)

July 2008 GEOLOGY and GSA Today media highlights

Sat, 21 Jun 2008 07:39:03 +0300

GEOLOGY topics span the globe and beyond, covering southern Africa's diamond kimberlites, sandstones and shales of Scotland, a "Greenhouse World" in the Wyoming badlands, glacial erosion in East Greenland, oxidation of methane in southern Namibia, preservation of woolly rhinoceroses in Ukraine, gold nanoparticles in Australia, and the possibility of a water-rich environment in Mars' past. GSA TODAY contains the first authoritative geological and geophysical treatment of the 12 May 2008 earthquake in Sichuan Province, China.(EurekAlert)

The mystery of mass extinctions is no longer murky

Wed, 18 Jun 2008 06:12:50 +0300

Ebb and flow of the sea is the primary cause of the world's mass extinctions over the past 500 million years.(EurekAlert)

Scientists to mimic earth's spinning core

Tue, 17 Jun 2008 05:54:08 +0300

A team of scientists in the United States are hoping to create a miniature version of the earth's core and in the process discover why its effect is waning. Professor Dan Lathrop and his team from the non-linear dynamics laboratory at the University of Maryland have constructed a 26-ton steel sphere that will be filled with boiling metal and spun.(ABC.net.au)

Samoa Found To Be In Path Of Geological Hotspots, Adding Fuel To Debate Over Origins Of Volcanic Chains

Tue, 17 Jun 2008 05:49:39 +0300

A new study that determines Samoa is indeed on the path of a geologic “hotspot” trail is adding fuel to a vigorous scientific debate over the origins of volcano chains – especially in the Pacific Ocean.(ScienceDaily)

Oil in the Great Plains

Tue, 17 Jun 2008 05:47:43 +0300

Move over Texas and Alaska — Montana and North Dakota may be the country’s newest oil hotspots. Two new large-scale assessments have found that a 360-million-year-old rock layer located three kilometers below the rolling plains of eastern Montana and western North Dakota — called the Bakken Formation — holds between 3 billion and 4 billion barrels of recoverable oil. (Geotimes)

Time to build Yucca

Tue, 17 Jun 2008 05:45:27 +0300

After 30 years and $9 billion worth of federal research, Yucca Mountain is one of the most intensely studied pieces of real estate in the world. But the Nevada landmark — the proposed site of a national geological repository for high-level nuclear waste — remains shrouded in controversy.(Geotimes)