Geology.com | News - August 27, 2009

Eruption of an Underwater Volcano Posted: 26 Aug 2009 11:45 PM PDT Scientists visited NW Rota-1 Volcano on the ocean floor near the island of Guam three years ago. They recently returned to find enormous numbers of shrimp, crab, limpets and barnacles growing on the flanks of the volcano. They also measured the impact of the eruption on local water chemistry.

Eruption and Recovery at Kasatochi Volcano, Alaska Posted: 26 Aug 2009 11:01 PM PDT The August 7, 2008 eruption of Alaska’s Kasatochi Volcano completely covered Kasatochi Island with several meters of ash and volcanic material. It kill all of the islands plants, fish and animals – it virtually sterilized the island. This ecological disaster also provided a rare research opportunity – a chance to see how species recolonize the [...]

Commercial Ships in Russia’s Northeast Passage Posted: 26 Aug 2009 09:09 PM PDT The first commercial ships to attempt a crossing of Russia’s Northeast Passage without the aid of icebreakers left Vladivostok last week. This route saves them 4000 nautical miles in their trip between South Korea and the Netherlands. A small upside to global warming. Related article: What is the Northwest Passage?

Tropical Storm Danny Projected Path Posted: 26 Aug 2009 07:21 PM PDT Tropical Storm Danny is slowly moving northwestward about 300 miles east of The Bahamas with sustained winds of about 45 miles per hour. It is expected to slowly strengthen over the next few days with a projected path that travels north along the United States coastline.

Rose and Tourmalinated Quartz Field Trip Posted: 26 Aug 2009 02:21 PM PDT Scott Kleine of Great Basin Minerals shares a few photos from his trip to collect rose quartz and tourmalinated quartz in Plumas County, California.

Stimulus Money for National Parks Posted: 26 Aug 2009 01:16 PM PDT CNN has a video that reports how much economic stimulus money is going to various National Parks. Many Parks have an enormous list of deferred maintenance – a grand total of $9 billion. But , some people believe that money to the National Parks is not a form of economic stimulus. Embedded video from [...]

Unconventional Natural Gas Institute Posted: 26 Aug 2009 10:52 AM PDT “Colorado School of Mines has announced the establishment of the Unconventional Natural Gas Institute (UNGI) for the upstream research and development of natural gas, which is clean-burning, helps minimize greenhouse gas emissions, and is in great supply in the United States.” Quoted from the Colorado School of Mines announcement.