Ships Stranded in Baltic Sea Ice

“Thick ice stranded dozens of ships in the Baltic Sea in late February and early March 2010. By March 5, icebreakers had managed to free the vessels that collectively carried thousands of passengers, the Agence France-Presse reported. Ice?largely broken into pieces of varying sizes?fills most of the gulf. ” Quoted from the image [...]

One-Way Heat Transmission in Polyethylene

Polyethylene is used to make items such as plastic bags and other packaging materials. Researchers at MIT have figured out how to transmit heat – in one direction only – through the plastic.

Fossil Fuels Dominate Future Energy Use

Khalid Al-Falih, CEO of Saudi Aramco: “I don’t think any of us will see, at any time in our lives, fossil fuels meeting less than 70 percent of total energy demand.”

Is the Number of Earthquakes Increasing?

That was one of the questions asked of Dr. Michael Blanpied of the USGS Earthquakes Hazard Program in a question and answer session published in the Washington Post.

Methane Venting in the Arctic and Climate Change

Methane is a more powerful greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide and sediments in some parts of the Arctic are starting to vent significant amounts of methane as their temperatures increase.

INTCAL09 Radiocarbon Calibration Curve

Researchers at Queen?s University have refined a calibration curve used to date carbon-based materials. The curve, called INTCAL09, extends radiocarbon calibration and improves date determinations in the part of the curve that approaches 50,000 years.

Lava Trails on Mars

“Flowing lava can carve or build paths very much like the riverbeds and canyons etched by water, and this probably explains at least one of the meandering channels on the surface of Mars.” Quoted from the NASA mission news.

Summer 2010 Teacher Trip: Iceland

The Geological Society of America has announced an exciting July 2010 trip for teachers. Their GeoVentures program will travel to study the geology and plate tectonics of Iceland.

66-Ton Rock Drops Onto I-70 in Colorado

A rockfall on Interstate 70 between Glenwood Springs and Dotsero, Colorado left large boulders scattered over the highway and severely damaged the pavement. The largest rock weighed an estimated 66 tons. No injuries were reported.

Enriching Uranium Gets Easier

Uranium is enriched using a centrifuge, where the heavier uranium is removed. The more enriched the metal is, the easier it becomes to remove any remaining heavy atoms. This article briefly explains the process and why it is pertinent to Iran’s current enrichment activities.

El Salvador Landslides and Lahars

“Although El Salvador?s Volcán San Vicente has not erupted in the past 1,700 years, the mountain is still a hazard. In November 2009, dozens of people living near the volcano, also known as Chichontepec, lost their lives after torrential rains saturated the steep hillsides and unleashed numerous landslides. The landslides triggered lahars?avalanches of mud, boulders, [...]

Sturtian Glaciers Reached Equator

During the “Snowball Earth” phase of our planet’s development, Sturtian glaciers covered the tropics and reached the Equator. Rock samples from Yukon Territory, Canada yield evidence of this prehistoric glaciation.

Moon?s Deep Crust in Apollo Basin

What can we learn from the huge, old craters on the moon? There is a possibility that some of the Moon’s deep crust is accessible from the Apollo Basin impact crater.

STEM Clubs in U.S. Schools

STEM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math. Some U.S. schools are having success with the creation of STEM clubs, which allow kids to explore these subjects interactively and in different ways than they would in the classroom.

Video: Backlog of Nuclear Waste

This video features a visit to a nuclear power plant to see the volume of nuclear waste that is being store there until the United States has a viable long-term storage facility.

M 5.9 Earthquake in Turkey

A magnitude 5.9 earthquake caused over 50 deaths in Turkey in the early hours of March 8. The epicenter was located in the Elazig province, close to the town of Basyurt; heavy damage was suffered by the town of Okcular.

Monitoring Volcanoes in the Northern Mariana Islands

“U.S. Geological Survey and Southern Methodist University will use infrasound, seismometers, GPS and other methods to monitor lava and ash hazards in the Northern Mariana Islands, a U.S. commonwealth. The archipelago’s active volcanoes threaten not only residents of the island chain and the U.S. military, but also passenger airlines and cargo ships.” Quoted [...]

Alaska Coal, Coal Mines and Power Plants

The Ground Truth Trekking Blog has a collection of articles on the theme of “Coal in Alaska”. The state has enormous coal resources from lignite through anthracite – but it can be hard to transport the coal to distant markets at a competitive price.

Basaltic and Silicic Magma at Long Valley

Beneath the Long Valley caldera in California, both basaltic and silicic magma can be found. When the volcano erupts next, the style of eruption will depend upon the magma’s composition.

Ocean Extinction and Microscopic Fossils

Since very small organisms like plankton form the base of the ocean’s food chain, anything that affects them will impact most marine life. Microscopic aquatic fossils are being used to compile latitudinal details on the mass extinction events of 65 MYA.