Geology News from Alberta Geological Survey

Nova Scotia and Newfoundland wary of Quebec's power

Fri 30 Oct 2009 08:47 -0600

Yesterday's proposed deal to sell NB Power to Hydro-Quebec has sparked anxiety across Atlantic Canada about the transfer of critical energy assets to a large and powerful province outside the region. Hydro-Quebec, the world's largest hydroelectric producer, has emerged the early winner in a high-stakes contest with Newfoundland and Labrador to secure control - via New Brunswick's prized transmission lines - of Atlantic Canada's only direct route into the lucrative U.S. electricity market.

Meteorite hoax organized by Latvian mobile phone company

Fri 30 Oct 2009 08:47 -0600

Tele2 has admitted that it staged a meteorite crash in the Latvian countryside this week, resulting in a 10-metre wide crater. Emergency services attended the scene followed by scientists, who quickly identified that the meteorite was a hoax. A spokesman for Tele2's Latvian unit said the stunt had been intended to distract attention from the country's economic crisis and give people something creative and exciting to talk about.

Rising water levels may cause radical changes in Sydney, Australia

Fri 30 Oct 2009 08:47 -0600

A new federal government report out this week reveals drastic measures are being considered to protect hundreds of thousands of properties now at risk because of rising sea levels, allegedly caused by global warming. The most chilling paragraph in the report, which follows an intensive 18-month inquiry, suggests governments may have to soon flex legal muscle to prevent Australians setting up house near at risk addresses.

North Carolina sea levels rising 3 times faster than in previous 500 years, Penn study says

Thu, 29 Oct 2009 08:40 -0600

An international team of environmental scientists led by the University of Pennsylvania has shown that sea-level rise, at least in North Carolina, is accelerating. Researchers found 20th-century sea-level rise to be three times higher than the rate of sea-level rise during the last 500 years. In addition, this jump appears to occur between 1879 and 1915, a time of industrial change that may provide a direct link to human-induced climate change.

Russia develops spaceship with nuclear engine

Thu, 29 Oct 2009 08:40 -0600

The Russian Federal Space Agency Roscosmos has developed a design for a piloted spacecraft powered by a nuclear engine. The development of Megawatt-class nuclear space power systems (MCNSPS) for manned spacecraft was crucial for Russia if the country wanted to maintain a competitive edge in the space race, including the exploration of the Moon and Mars.

Mars may have cave systems

Thu, 29 Oct 2009 08:40 -0600

Using images from spacecraft orbiting the Red Planet, scientists have discovered a series of collapse depressions in extinct lava flows from the Arsia Mons volcano, near the equator. Twelve miles high and 270 miles across, Arsia Mons is Mars' second-largest volcano.

5.5-magnitude earthquake shakes Colombia

Wed, 28 Oct 2009 09:52 -0600

An earthquake measuring 5.5 on the Richter scale rocked the central and northeastern parts of Colombia, the Colombian Institute of Geology and Mining said. There is no reports of casualties at the moment. Rescue teams have been sent to all the regions where the earthquake was felt to determine if there were victims or damages.

Nevado del Huila volcano continues to seethe

Wed, 28 Oct 2009 09:52 -0600

The Nevado del Huila volcano in south west Colombia remains unsettled. Researchers announced on Wednesday that they have recorded 1,004 seismic tremors over the past week. The Colombian Institute of Geology and Mining claimed that they are closely monitoring the evolution of the volcano's activity.

China drills Kenya's deepest oil well

Wed, 28 Oct 2009 09:52 -0600

China's CNOOC spudded a $26 million exploration well in northern Kenya on Wednesday that will be the deepest yet in a country that has searched in vain for commercial oil and gas deposits for decades. In exploration terms, east Africa lags far behind the other regions with fewer than 500 wells, compared with some 14,000 in west Africa and nearly 20,000 in north Africa.

Latvian experts say meteorite crater was hoax

Tue, 27 Oct 2009 08:08 -0600

Scientists investigating a large crater initially believed to have been caused by a meteorite said a closer analysis Monday revealed it was a hoax. Experts in the Baltic country rushed to the site after reports that a meteorite-like object had crashed late Sunday in the Mazsalaca region near the Estonian border. It is believed that someone dug the hole and tried to make it look like a meteorite crater by burning some pyrotechnic compound at the bottom.

Giant sea beast found in the UK

Tue, 27 Oct 2009 08:08 -0600

The colossal beast was 60 feet long, weighed 12 tons and had a bite 4 times more powerful than a Tyrannosaurus Rex. The skull with its massive jaw is eight feet long and would have been capable of swallowing a human in one go, or biting a car in two.

Statisticians state global cooling is a myth

Mon, 26 Oct 2009 07:39 -0600

Have you heard that the world is now cooling instead of warming? Only one problem: It's not true, according to an analysis of the numbers done by several independent statisticians for The Associated Press. Statisticians who analyzed the data found a distinct decades-long upward trend in the numbers, but could not find a significant drop in the past 10 years in either dataset. The ups and downs during the last decade repeat random variability in data as far back as 1880.

Suspected meteorite crashes to Earth in Latvia

Thu, 22 Oct 2009 09:04 -0600

The fiery object set a field ablaze when it crashed on the outskirts of Mazsalaca, a small town in the north of the country. One geologist said he believed the crater was a hoax. Dainis Ozols, who examined the hole in daylight, said he believed someone had dug the crater in order to make it look like it had been created by an object from space.

Suncor Energy seeks ERCB's OK for new way to deal with oil sands waste

Thu, 22 Oct 2009 09:04 -0600

Suncor Energy Inc. says it has a promising a new technology that will turn tailing ponds near its oil sands operations in Northern Alberta into a solid landscape in a matter of weeks, thereby speeding the reclamation process significantly. Oil sands tailings are a mixture of water, fine clay, sand and residual bitumen - the sticky substance that is extracted and processed to make crude oil.

Geologists spill the dirt on wine quality at Portland conference

Thu, 22 Oct 2009 09:04 -0600

Geologists debunk the popular belief that soil minerality affects the taste of wine. Although wines may vary in the levels of dissolved mineral elements, the variations aren't related to the levels of those elements in vineyard soil. More importantly, the concentration of minerals in wine is below the threshold of human taste and smell.

South Korea wins biggest energy deal with Canada's Harvest

Thu, 22 Oct 2009 09:04 -0600

South Korea ended a frustrating losing streak in overseas resource deals with the agreed $1.7 billion takeover of Canada's Harvest Energy Trust, securing oil and gas reserves but also taking on an aging refinery in need of significant investment. State-run Korea National Oil Corp, which has narrowly lost out to Chinese rivals in several big deals, will pay a 37 per cent premium over Harvest's share price to buy the Calgary-based firm.

Scientists build first worldwide earthquake alert system

Wed, 21 Oct 2009 09:25 -0600

Called the Global Earthquake Model or GEM, a non-profit organization of scientists and researchers is well into a five-year project to gather existing knowledge about earthquake-prone areas and the risks involved. GEM will then take those volumes of information and - using a complex software program - create a worldwide picture of the planet's stress-prone areas, the risks to life and structures in vulnerable areas, and the ways to reduce that risk, including better building techniques and emergency preparedness.

Shell wins offshore drilling rights in Alaska

Wed, 21 Oct 2009 09:25 -0600

After years of controversy and delays, a federal agency has given the green light to Royal Dutch Shell to drill for oil and gas in the Arctic Ocean. The decision on Monday by the Minerals Management Service clears one of the last big hurdles for the company to drill two exploration wells on two offshore lease areas in the Beaufort Sea. The company plans to do the drilling between July and October 2010 - the next open-water season when the sea-ice melts.

Exxon Mobil liable for contaminating groundwater

Wed, 21 Oct 2009 09:25 -0600

A federal jury on Monday found Exxon Mobil liable for contaminating groundwater in New York City and awarded the city $104.7 million in compensatory damages. The city had sought $250 million in damages to finance construction of a treatment plant to make the water in five wells in southeastern Queens drinkable. But lawyers for the city called the jury's decision a "total victory" for their side.

Bedrock of a holy city: The historical importance of Jerusalem's geology

Tue, 20 Oct 2009 10:13 -0600

Jerusalem's geology has been crucial in moulding it into one of the most religiously important cities on the planet, according to a new study.

Alert level raised for Vanuatu volcano

Tue, 20 Oct 2009 10:13 -0600

Volcanologists in Vanuatu have raised the alert level of the Gaua volcano in the far north. The level was upgraded to two, from one, last week after volcanologists measured a rise in seismic activity.

Nuclear power revival Leaves waste unsolved

Tue, 20 Oct 2009 10:13 -0600

Reactors worldwide have produced 270,000 tons of spent fuel, storing most of it in canisters above ground. U.S. regulators, reviewing 18 applications to build new atomic plants, said last month they may approve such temporary storage for as long as 40 years, double the current allowable time. The new reactors will pile up radioactive waste, which already grows by 12,000 tons a year, the International Energy Agency in Paris estimated. That has prompted scientists to call again for the world to start building permanent dump sites.

Arctic sediments show that 20th century warming is unlike natural variation

Mon, 19 Oct 2009 15:19 -0600

The possibility that climate change might simply be a natural variation like others that have occurred throughout geologic time is dimming, according to evidence in a Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences paper published today. The research reveals that sediments retrieved by University at Buffalo geologists from a remote Arctic lake are unlike those seen during previous warming episodes.

Geologists point to outer space as source of the Earth's mineral riches

Mon, 19 Oct 2009 10:00 -0600

According to a new study by geologists at the University of Toronto and the University of Maryland, the wealth of some minerals that lie in the rock beneath the Earth's surface may be extraterrestrial in origin. Geologists have long speculated that four and a half billion years ago, the Earth was a cold mass of rock mixed with iron metal which was melted by the heat generated from the impact of massive planet-sized objects, allowing the iron to separate from the rock and form the Earth's core.

Fracture zones endanger tombs in Valley of Kings

Mon, 19 Oct 2009 10:00 -0600

Ancient choices made by Egyptians digging burial tombs may have led to today's problems with damage and curation of these precious archaeological treasures, but photography and detailed geological mapping should help curators protect the sites, according to a Penn State researcher. Geologists suggest that fracture traces are good locations for drilling water wells and probably the highly fractured rock made it easier for the Egyptians to dig tombs.

Finding water via satellites

Mon, 19 Oct 2009 10:00 -0600

A globe-trotting geologist uses satellites and other remote-sensing platforms to find water under some of the world's thirstiest places. A former oil industry geologist has developed a path-breaking, high-tech system that could help slake that growing thirst. The key: using satellites high above the Earth's surface to see what's underneath it.

Seismology data to be gathered as part of University of Calgary study

Fri, 16 Oct 2009 14:28 -0600

Every year there are dozens of earthquakes across Alberta that are so small they are not felt or noticed by anyone. But a research team from the University of Calgary is hoping to collect data and information from the quakes using seismic monitoring devices set up at nine locations across the province, including a South Peace site. The research team, along with the Alberta Geological Survey, spent the summer scouting sites and Darin Thorsteinson, owner of Saskatoon Mountain Kennels, agreed to have his property used for the seismic station.

The water in Maine is the U.S.'s third most contaminated

Fri, 16 Oct 2009 10:00 -0600

There is something in the water in Maine. A 2008 report by the Associated Press released on September 24 of this year shows that Maine has the third-most water quality violations in the country. Focusing on schools in towns that obtain their water from well systems, the study focused primarily on contamination from poisons like lead, arsenic and bacteria.

Huge asteroid crashing off Indian coast may have wiped out dinos

Fri, 16 Oct 2009 10:00 -0600

A massive asteroid crashing off the western coast of India, creating the planet's largest known crater 40 km across, may have obliterated dinosaurs 65 million years ago, an Indian American has found. If correct, this is the largest crater known on Earth. The one that struck Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula, and is commonly thought to have killed the dinosaurs, was between eight and ten km wide.

Satellite data explains China earthquake

Fri, 16 Oct 2009 10:00 -0600

Chinese scientists say they used satellite data to detail the geological events that led to the 2008 Wenchuan Earthquake that killed nearly 90 000 people. Sun and Peking University Professor Zhengkang Shen used radar data from European and Japanese satellites to determine the amount and scope of surface deformation produced by the earthquake.

Landslides a threat to future Portland expansion

Fri, 16 Oct 2009 10:00 -0600

Just-released information from the Oregon Department of Geology shows where some of those new threats are and they include potential future urban areas. But new maps released by Metro show that within the next 30-50 years the "urban growth boundary" will likely include this landslide prone land. According to Bill Burns with the State Department of Geology, many areas within the proposed new boundaries are landslide-prone.

Research discovers underground pockets of water and natural gas

Thu, 15 Oct 2009 13:25 -0600

Look out below! That's the warning a University of Alberta geophysics researcher has for hydrocarbon and water drillers after discovering uncharted land forms beneath the surface of the province. Deep valleys, cut out by glaciers and then filled with loose aggregate rock, silt and sand, are hiding fresh water reservoirs and natural gas deposits.

Water demand puts Canadian rivers at risk

Thu, 15 Oct 2009 11:05 -0600

Increasing demands on Canada's fresh water is putting rivers at risk, according to a new report. Growing more food, generating more electricity, expanding cities and industry are all taking a toll on Canada's rivers, according to the World Wildlife Fund Canada. The report released Thursday, Canada's Rivers at Risk: Environmental Flows and Canada's Freshwater Future, examines the health of 10 major rivers from the perspective of water flow.

Alberta coal-fired plant secures $779M for carbon capture

Thu, 15 Oct 2009 09:40 -0600

The Alberta and federal governments will pump $779 million into a carbon capture and storage facility west of the city, the second time in two weeks Ottawa and the province have committed to such a project. The money will be used to help TransAlta retrofit its Keephills 3 coal-fired generation plant with technology it says will capture and bury up to one million tonnes of CO2 per year.

China could cheaply control coal-plant emissions via CO2 sequestration

Thu, 15 Oct 2009 09:40 -0600

Getting China's coal-plant emissions out of the atmosphere so they don't worsen global warming may be cheaper, easier and longer-lasting than expected, a federal energy lab report finds. The Pacific Northwest National Laboratory report says there are vast underground reserves in China that can be used for "carbon sequestration," a carbon dioxide-trapping technology considered vital to cutting greenhouse gas emissions.

Shell project captures $865 million for CO2

Wed, 14 Oct 2009 09:40 -0600

Alberta and the federal government laid down their first big bet in the fight to limit carbon dioxide industrial emissions Thursday, promising Shell Canada Energy $865 million in financial support for its Quest project near Fort Saskatchewan. Alberta's ante is $745 million from its $2 billion carbon capture and storage program, whereas Ottawa is chipping in $120 million from a fund that supports large-scale CO2 projects across Canada.

Experts warn glaciers in Indian Kashmir melting

Wed, 14 Oct 2009 09:40 -0600

Indian Kashmir's glaciers are melting fast because of rising temperatures, threatening the water supply of millions of people in the Himalayan region, a new study by Indian scientists says. The study by Kashmir University's geology and geophysics department blamed the effect on climate change, and said it endangered the livelihoods of two-thirds of the region's nearly 10 million people engaged in agriculture, horticulture, livestock rearing and forestry.

Scientists seek truth on oil sands damage

Tue, 13 Oct 2009 09:40 -0600

A team of Canada's top scientists is wading into the pitched debate over the damage the oil sands is causing to the environment and human health. Their mission: to judge what's true and what's not. They will examine some of the most controversial accusations that have been levelled against industry: that it is damaging aquatic life; that it is causing elevated rates of cancer in nearby First Nations; that it produces green house gas-laden "dirty oil."

NASA flights will study Antarctic ice changes

Tue, 13 Oct 2009 09:40 -0600

NASA plans to launch next week the first of 17 planned flights to study changes in Antarctic ice and collect data that may help scientists better predict the consequences of those changes. The flights will be able to gather information that a satellite cannot. The flights will be conducted by a DC-8 outfitted as a special airborne laboratory with laser mapping instruments, ice-penetrating radar and gravity instruments.

Black gold: Oil companies seek profits from Canadian source

Tue, 13 Oct 2009 09:40 -0600

While the oil is flowing from Canada's Alberta province, environmental and trade groups are ramping up battles focused on whether a less damaging, more environmentally friendly source is available. The Energy Resources Conservation Board of Alberta, an independent government agency, estimated its oil sands are the second-largest source of the world's proven crude oil reserves - 173 billion barrels - next to Saudi Arabia. The board said as of January, there were 91 active oil sands projects. The oil is located beneath an area one-and-a-half times the size of Indiana in the province's northeastern region.

Airships set for Arctic's heavy lifting

Tue, 13 Oct 2009 09:40 -0600

Using blimps to deliver heavy payloads to remote northern sites has oft been touted as having cost and environmental benefits over traditional means of transportation. Now a concrete business case can be made for using the SkyHook HLV (heavy lift vehicle) airship in specific applications, such as moving an oil rig, instead of conventional means of transportation.

Crash course in geology: Water-seeking probe to smack into moon as world watches

Thu, 08 Oct 2009 10:30 -0600

NASA will throw a one-two punch at the big old moon Friday and the whole world will have ringside seats for the lunar dust-up. NASA will send a used-up spacecraft slamming into the moon's south pole to kick up a massive plume of lunar dirt and then scour it to see if there's any water or ice spraying up. The idea is to confirm the theory that water - a key resource if people are going to go back to the moon - is hidden below the barren moonscape.

Captain Bligh's logbook may yield climate change information

Wed, 07 Oct 2009 09:41 -0600

Scientists hope weather data from 18th Century ships' logbooks will throw new light on how the climate has changed in the past 200 years. A new UK project is digitizing nearly 300 Royal Navy captains' logs from voyages dating back to the 1760s. They include the voyages of Charles Darwin on HMS Beagle, Captain Cook's log from HMS Discovery and Captain Bligh's journal from The Bounty. The logbooks will be available on the National Archives website next year. But scientists are already transcribing the data as part of a project led by the University of Sunderland.

Unique dinosaur footprints discovered in France

Wed, 07 Oct 2009 09:41 -0600

A set of dinosaur footprints uncovered in eastern France and dating from 150 million years ago has been authenticated by scientists as a unique discovery. The well-preserved footprints, between 1.5 and two meters in diameter, were discovered in Plagne in the French Jura by a team from Claude Bernard university in Lyon, eastern France. The discovery was made in April by members of an amateur science society specializing in geology and paleontology. The finding was authenticated by scientists at France's National Centre for Scientific Research and Lyon university.

Machine-mounted sensors for smart mining operations

Wed, 07 Oct 2009 09:41 -0600

Sensors that can characterize the mining environment, locate mineral and metal ore deposits, and differentiate between different ore grades without the need to take samples from mines to laboratories for testing are being developed through the Minerals Down Under Flagship. Through the Geologically Intelligent Mining project, the Flagship aims to integrate individual sensors into a machine-mounted instrumentation system capable of controlling surface mining and processing operations.

How will future sea-level rise linked to climate change affect coastal areas?

Tue, 06 Oct 2009 08:00 -0600

The anticipated sea-level rise associated with climate change, including increased storminess, over the next 100 years and the impact on the nation's low-lying coastal infrastructure is the focus of a new, interdisciplinary study led by geologists at The Florida State University. By 2012, the study is expected to produce methodologies and models that help coastal planners and managers in all low-lying coastal regions better understand, address and mitigate the near-future effects of sea-level rise.

Archaeologists discover a mini-Stonehenge

Tue, 06 Oct 2009 08:00 -0600

Archaeologists have discovered a smaller prehistoric site near Britain's famous circle of standing stones at Stonehenge. Researchers have dubbed the site "Bluehenge," after the colour of the 27 Welsh stones that were laid to make up a path. The stones have disappeared, but the path of holes remains. The new circle, unearthed over the summer by researchers from Sheffield University, represents an important find, researchers said Saturday. The site is about a mile away from Stonehenge.

Researchers use high-tech tools to map ocean floor off the sea coast

Tue, 06 Oct 2009 08:00 -0600

The use of rapid-fire sonar technologies and computer programs developed at the University of New Hampshire has revolutionized seafloor mapping and drastically improved the accuracy of nautical charts. And although the science behind it is complicated, former UNH graduate student and research ship commander Shepard Smith said his days out on a hydrographic survey vessel provide the data necessary to create "road maps for the ocean."

Will carbon capture deliver on its promises?

Mon, 05 Oct 2009 11:27 -0600

Graham Thomson replies to the backlash he received on his Fix or Folly Edmonton Journal article on carbon capture sequestration.

New ancient fungus finding suggests world's forests were wiped out in global catastrophe

Mon, 05 Oct 2009 11:27 -0600

Tiny organisms that covered the planet more than 250 million years ago appear to be a species of ancient fungus that thrived in dead wood, according to new research published October 1 in the journal Geology. The researchers behind the study, from Imperial College London and other universities in the UK, USA and The Netherlands, believe that the organisms were able to thrive during this period because the world's forests had been wiped out. This would explain how the organisms, which are known as Reduviasporonites, were able to proliferate across the planet.

Coal-mining hazard resembles explosive volcanic eruption

Mon, 05 Oct 2009 11:27 -0600

Worldwide, thousands of workers die every year from mining accidents, and instantaneous coal outbursts in underground mines are among the major killers. But although scientists have been investigating coal outbursts for more than 150 years, the precise mechanism is still unknown. New research by scientists at the University of Michigan and Peking University in Beijing, China, suggests that the outbursts occur through a process very similar to what happens during explosive volcanic eruptions. The research is described in a paper in the October issue of the journal Geology.