New Geoblog
- Jacquelyn Gill, a paleoecologist studying for her PhD at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, has launched her blog, ‘The Contemplative Mammoth’ with a cool geo-word: gyttja. Head over and welcome her to the geoblogosphere!
http://contemplativemammoth.wordpress.com/2011/07/01/i-still-play-in-the-mud/
Earthquakes
- 5000 Christchurch quake homes will not be rebuilt, as tough decision made not to rebuild on liquefaction-prone areas.
http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg21128193.000-5000-christchurch-quake-homes-will-not-be-rebuilt.html
The rebuilding maps can be found here:
http://3922059514570705653-a-1802744773732722657-s-sites.googlegroups.com/site/ceragovtnz/land-information-map-20110623.pdf
(via @ugrandite) - Pre-publication copy of National Academy of Science report on US Earthquake Resilience is available for (free PDF) download
http://dels.nas.edu/Report/National-Earthquake-Resilience-Research-Implementation/13092
(via @CPPGeophysics) - Cool video showing flow of Twitter @ replies in and out of Japan after March 11 earthquake
http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2011/07/video-of-the-day-activity-on-twitter-after-the-earthquake-in-japan/241050/ - Video of a ‘Mild tsunami’/surge – possibly caused by an underwater landslide – moving up-river in SW UK .
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-devon-13959478
(via @BGSwebEd)
Dave Petley on the Landslide blog has more: it’s still not clear what caused it.
http://blogs.agu.org/landslideblog/2011/06/29/the-mini-tsunami-on-the-south-coast-of-england-a-submarine-landslide/ - Excellent post by @aboutgeology at KQED’s QUEST blog about Salton Sea paleoseismology paper in @NatureGeosci
http://www.kqed.org/quest/blog/2011/06/30/salton-sea-15-months-pregnant/
(via @clasticdetritus)
Volcanoes
- The NASA Earth Observatory has been putting out some spectacular images of the eruption of Nabro in northeast Africa. It’s like a window into Mordor.
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/view.php
This relatively cloud-free infra-red image of the lava flow is spectacular.
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/IOTD/view.php - Great video of pillow basalt formation. This is how the oceanic crust gets built. The top bit, anyway.
http://glacialtill.wordpress.com/2011/06/28/video-of-pillow-basalt-formation/ - Interesting new paper on how localised convection at base of Pacific plate interacts with upwelling Hawaiian plume
http://www.nature.com/ngeo/journal/vaop/ncurrent/full/ngeo1187.html
(Paleo)climate
- Climate statistics are calculated for 30 year periods, and the “new normal” (1981-2010) U.S. temperatures released on 1 July average 0.5° F warmer than the 1971-2000 normals.
http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/oa/climate/normals/usnormals.html - Also, interesting to see that nighttime low temperatures increased by more than daytime highs in NOAA’s "new normals".
http://www.noaanews.noaa.gov/stories2011/images/state_annualmax&min_720.jpg
(via @afreedma)
Water
- Groundwater is being depleted very quickly in China and there’s no easy solution. “China told to reduce food production or face ‘dire’ water levels”
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2011/jun/28/china-food-water - A new court ruling gives Atlanta a win in over fight to water rights from Lake Lanier, for now:
http://www.npr.org/2011/06/28/137482826/u-s-court-tosses-water-restriction-on-metro-atlanta - El Paso as a "model city" for dealing with drought but growth in desert is still a bad idea
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2011/jun/27/water-conservation-el-paso-texas
(via @clasticdetritus) - Before & after photos of way down Suwannee River: Drought & overuse [Springs drying up, for good?]
http://www.tampabay.com/blogs/alleyes/content/suwannee-river-drought
(via @cynthiabarnett) - Klamath River dam removal plan won’t solve all problems for salmon, they need to reduce phosphorus & algae too
http://www.latimes.com/news/science/environment/la-me-klamath-20110625,0,7494191.story
(via @rivrchik)
(via @revkin)
Environmental
- A natural gas bubble? ‘Shale plays are just giant Ponzi schemes and the economics just do not work’. A must-read.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/26/us/26gas.html
(via @twitoil)
General Geology
- Check out the polysyllabic symphony of geological terminology that is the latest Accretionary Wedge.
http://georneys.blogspot.com/2011/07/accretionary-wedge-35-favorite-geology.html - Bayesian statistics for dummies: Making reliable predictions of unlikely geology.
http://www.agilegeoscience.com/journal/2011/6/29/reliable-predictions-of-unlikely-geology.html
(via @kwinkunks) - Ooh, lovely. 50 Stunning Masterpieces Of Geological Photography
http://www.smashingapps.com/2010/12/19/50-stunning-masterpieces-of-geological-photography.html
(via @mihaela4021, @SmashingApps) - OK, Chris is jealous. Callan Bentley got to hold a piece of the world’s highest outcrop – which started out a LOT lower (warning: the title is the but the start of a high concentration of puns).
http://blogs.agu.org/mountainbeltway/2011/06/26/a-pretty-cool-rock/ - A great accessibility boost: Map based interface to BGS’ geological photograph archive.
http://mapapps.bgs.ac.uk/geoscenic/home.html
(via @hypocentre, @BGSwebEd) - Gorgeous lava landscape photos by @helenasrox of her summer haunt at Craters of the Moon: :
http://helenaheliotrope.blogspot.com/2011/06/hazard-of-living-in-new-places-is-that.html
Interesting Miscellaney
- Could be fun: a new column in Nature Geo: a journalist on why/how he finds certain Earth Science stories interesting.
http://www.nature.com/ngeo/journal/v4/n7/full/ngeo1197.html - Am I a science journalist? Ed Yong at the World Conference of Science Journalists. Great stuff.
http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/notrocketscience/2011/06/28/am-i-a-science-journalist/ - Milestones in Photography: a cool collection of photographic ‘firsts’ at National Geographic. The 1884 shot of a tornado is a particular standout.
http://photography.nationalgeographic.com/photography/photos/milestones-photography/ - Fascinating survey results: Minorities in Ocean Sciences: The LGBT Pride Weekend Edition
http://deepseanews.com/2011/06/minorities-in-ocean-sciences-the-lgbt-pride-weekend-edition/
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