All items below this are obtained by Dr. Hanford.
Geoscience Bulletin Board – 15 July 2024 – compiled by Elaine J. Hanford
Wyoming State Geological Survey issues new pamphlet on geology of the South Pass area
- https://county10.com/new-wsgs-pamphlet-shares-geology-of-south-pass-area/
- Pamphlet: https://www.wsgs.wyo.gov/products/wsgs-2024-ip-24.pdf
Kansas Geological Survey assessing potential for new sources of critical minerals
Drill core samples help reveal geologic & climate history of Antarctic Ice Sheet beginning about 34 myo with expansion toward West Antarctic coast about 7 myo
Planetary geology: impact flux on the Moon
- https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1049975
- Paper: https://spj.science.org/doi/10.34133/space.0148
Role of seawater in the formation of gold deposits
New NSHM map shows probability of damaging earthquakes in the next 100 years
- https://www.snexplores.org/article/where-earthquakes-most-likely-us-risk-map
- Paper: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/87552930231215428
Paper: Automated rock image classification & feature visualization
All about sinkholes
Subsurface deformation imaging using surficial mapping data
- https://scitechdaily.com/deformation-imaging-revolutionizing-our-view-of-earths-subterranean-mysteries/
- Paper: https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.adl4264
The “Pearlette volcan ash” in Kansas and Nebraska represented multiple eruptions in Yellowstone: the Huckelberry Ridge Tuff, Mesa Falls Tuff & Lava Creek Tuff
Micro-stratigraphy of pedogenic carbonates helps determine age of fossil soils via U-Pb dating
- https://eos.org/editor-highlights/unlocking-earths-terrestrial-sedimentary-record-with-paleosols
- Paper: https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1029/2024GC011488
Guide to fossil hunting on the coast of Maine
Giant Rock in the Mojave Desert – some moments in history
New Zealand has open-access essentially complete database of fossil record dubbed FRED
- https://eos.org/articles/new-zealand-has-a-unique-fossil-record-named-fred
- FRED: https://www.gns.cri.nz/data-and-resources/fred-the-fossil-record-electronic-database/
Anisotropic tomography using P-waves provides glimpse of inner structure of Mount Etna
- https://eos.org/research-spotlights/improved-imaging-offers-new-insight-into-mount-etna
- Paper: https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1029/2024GL108733
Application of distributed fiber optic sensing for detection of soil desiccation cracking behavior & soil crack breathing
- https://eos.org/editor-highlights/new-observations-provide-insight-into-soil-desiccation-cracking
- Paper: https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1029/2023JF007318
310 fatal landslides have killed 2,315 people as of 30 June 2024 – most in Northern Hemisphere summer monsoons
Aerosols increase size of cloud cells & cause greater radiative cooling under polluted conditions
- https://phys.org/news/2024-07-aerosols-shown-size-cloud-cells.html
- Paper: https://acp.copernicus.org/articles/24/6455/2024/
Quaternary geochronological study using electron spin resonance & paleomagnetism analysed oldest sedimentary levels at Galeria Complex in Sierra de Atapuerca (Burgos), Spain
- https://phys.org/news/2024-07-geochronological-ancient-sedimentary-galera-site.html
- Paper: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1871101424000797
Carbonate compensation depth adjusting to ocean acidification
- https://phys.org/news/2024-07-ocean-surfaces-acidify-deep-sea.html
- Paper: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0025322723001330
AI analysis of zircons from Australia suggest Plate Tectonics began more than 4 byo
- https://phys.org/news/2024-07-ai-analysis-zircons-australia-earlier.html
- Paper: https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2405160121
Evolution of damage in large rock slope failures – La Praz Landslide in France
- https://eos.org/thelandslideblog/la-praz-landslide
- Paper: https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1029/2024GL109139
Antigorite (type of serpentine) that may be main carrier of water into deep subduction zones – polysomatism may affect volume of water and affect distribution of intermediate depth earthquakes
- https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1050394
- Paper: https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1029/2023JB028060
Planetary geology: Debate on existence of garnet in the lunar mantle
- https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1050382
- Paper: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0012821X24002255
Sediment cores from Nile Delta reveal precipitation & flooding record from about 9,200 to 8,600 years ago
- https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1050343
- Paper: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41561-024-01471-9
Giant salamander-like Gaiasia jennyae was top predator in late Paleozoic ice age on Gondwana
Living during the 6th mass extinction event
Perspective on studying origins of life on Earth
Incompletely rifted micro-continent identified between Greenland & Canada
- https://phys.org/news/2024-07-incompletely-rifted-microcontinent-greenland-canada.html
- Paper: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1342937X24001023
A reminder that we are living in an inter-glacial time of limited duration
Assessment of undiscovered conventional O&G resources in the Black Sea area
- https://www.usgs.gov/publications/assessment-undiscovered-conventional-oil-and-gas-resources-black-sea-area-2023
- USGS Fact Sheet 2024-3018: https://pubs.usgs.gov/fs/2024/3018/fs20243018.pdf
Sangay Volcano in central Ecuador spews ash cloud
Documentary film on Baffin Bay Deglacial Experiment team investigating changes in Greenland Ice sheet over 15,000 years ago towards the end of the last Ice Age
- https://new.nsf.gov/news/new-film-baffling-baffin-bay
- Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CUsbDKFs7Og
Toward improved understanding of how marine life adapted to varying environmental conditions
Benggwigwishingasuchus eremicarminis – new species of crocodile relative discovered in Triassic Favret Formation in Nevada – coastal representative from Panthalassan Ocean
- https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/07/240710195436.htm
- Paper: https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rsbl.2024.0136
Freeze-dried 52,000-year-old scrap of woolly mammoth skin reveals 3D structure of genome
- https://www.livescience.com/animals/mammoths/52000-year-old-scrap-of-woolly-mammoth-skin-reveals-3d-shape-of-its-dna-for-1st-time-ever
- https://www.sciencenews.org/article/drying-woolly-mammoth-dna-3d-glass
- Paper: https://www.cell.com/cell/fulltext/S0092-8674(24)00642-1
Trees descended from Gondwana being protected as a “living seed bank” in Australia
Thick sea ice flowing from Arctic Ocean shortened ice-free shipping season in Northwest Passage 2007-2021
- https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1050634
- https://phys.org/news/2024-07-thick-sea-ice-arctic-ocean.html
- Paper: https://www.nature.com/articles/s43247-024-01477-6
The geological origins & formation of Red Rocks Amphitheatre
New relative geological dating technique based on paleomagnetism used to date hominids in Iberia
- https://phys.org/news/2024-07-geological-dating-techniques-european-hominids.html
- Paper: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S001282522400182X
Evidence of 3 July eruption of Kilauea Southwest Rift Zone
Origin of the “Dragon’s Eye” in rocks along the NW coastline of Norway
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Environmental Science Bulletin Board – 15 July 2024 – compiled by Elaine J. Hanford
Peer-reviewed study concludes that all cause deaths were higher for the vaxxed than the un-vaxxed – hazard ratios increased with increasing vaxxing/boosters
- https://amgreatness.com/2024/07/05/peer-reviewed-study-shows-all-cause-death-risks-higher-for-vaccinated-vs-unvaccinated/
- Paper download link: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2607/12/7/1343
Such hubris! To think it a “right” to a stable climate!!! Montana High Court to make ruling – need to remember that stable or static conditions are not the norm for Nature & humans do not have any ability to control climate
- https://www.nature.chttps://insideclimatenews.org/news/11072024/montana-supreme-court-youth-climate-change-lawsuit/om/articles/s43247-024-01477-6
Chinese swimmers who tested positive for banned performance-enhancing drugs won Olympic medals
BLM plans to roundup 1,373 wild horses & 356 burros on Blue Wing Complex near Lovelock, Nevada – will use helicopters – will release most to adoption & sales programs in Nevada & Utah
Ten cases (2 in intensive care) of botulism near Fresno, California, traced to home-canned nopales
Public free-market rejects EV mandates – Virginia exits mandates issued by unelected California ARB: “unworkable and out of touch with reality”
Landslide election of Labor Party in Britain will have huge impact on policy and spending – “voters have rejected anti-net zero rhetoric and chosen cheaper, cleaner, more secure energy” – will be interesting to see whether “green economy” works out for them
Is “repurposing coal power plants” just another mythology in the making?
“Clean energy” manufacturing surge in Georgia is product of at least $87B in federal subsidies
Technological hazard: 2021 Executive Order established Cyber Safety Review Board (CSRB) to probe SolarWinds cyberattack - CSRB never conducted probes
- https://www.propublica.org/article/cyber-safety-board-never-investigated-solarwinds-breach-microsoft
The $7.5B half-million EV charger charade – if actually built would cost $400B
Perspective: Politics may not be the world’s oldest profession but it is the dirtiest – aided by persistent media gaslighting
Technological hazard: Social media echo chamber in which social media algorithm favor singles viewpoint (i.e., censoring) – half of all adults get their “news” from social media
Average global temperature has warmed 1.64 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels exceeding Paris Accord limit – now changing conditions for breach of Paris Accord since the Earth has not boiled – Accord ‘target’ – current excursion driven in part by recent El Niño – what happened to CO2 emissions & man-made global warming?
Nigeria announces transition from asphalt to concrete in highway construction due to longer life-span
Half-mile long pilot project on Tribal lands near Phoenix, Arizona, will construct solar cover over canal – Casa Blanca installation
Refurbishing existing building much more affordable & effective than building new “green” structures
Now you, too, can buy insurance for damage caused by “underground climate change”
How humans recognized how to begin undoing the damage they caused to the ozone layer – the 1987 Montreal Protocol and impacts of CFCs – but that does not apply to the presence of CO2 in the atmosphere
- https://nautil.us/how-we-solved-the-hole-in-the-ozone-695664/
- Recovery: https://scitechdaily.com/unprecedented-recovery-ozone-layer-heals-ahead-of-schedule/
Multiple PFAS forever chemical contamination hot spots in the US
- https://phys.org/news/2024-07-multiple-chemical-contamination-hot.html
- Paper: https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0299789
PFAS forever chemical contamination hots spots in Wisconsin identified by testing foams & water surface microlayers
PFAS forever chemicals contaminate drinking water in Europe
Lithium-ion batteries used in EVs and electronics are growing source of PFAS forever chemical pollution
- https://phys.org/news/2024-07-lithium-ion-batteries-source-pfas.html
- Paper: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-024-49753-5
Monsoon floods in NE India drowned 6 threatened rhinos & other wildlife in Kaziranga National Park
Developer likely caused Barn Pond & surrounding wetlands to become a mud flat in Twin Lakes, Colorado
Bullock County Commissioners approved water & sewer services & well mitigation program – 4 wells will draw 6.625M gallons/day from Floridan aquifer – Hyundai Plug Power green hydrogen plant will use 1.1M gallons/day
Dingo fossil found on Balmoral Beach in Australia – DNA shows descended from ancient dogs & wolves of China & Tibetan Plateau, arriving in Australia between 3,000 & 8,000 years ago
WEF created coalition to suppress & demonetize conservative views – censoring the media
- https://amgreatness.com/2024/07/10/house-judiciary-committee-report-reveals-how-global-advertiser-cartel-colludes-to-censor-and-demonetize-conservative-influencers/
- Testimony: https://judiciary.house.gov/committee-activity/hearings/collusion-global-alliance-responsible-media
Solar power is relatively young industry but already having to thing about re-powering old systems
Technological hazard: Bitcoin mines consume massive amounts of power 24/7 threatening to “crash” the Texas electrical grid & cause excessive noise pollution that impacts human health
“Nukey Poo” – portable nuclear reactor contaminated Antarctica – designated Historic Site & Monument
Man caught smuggling 104 snakes into China in pockets of his pants – included snakes native to Texas
Seneca Nation sues City of Olean after wastewater treatment plant overflowed into Allegheny River for second time this year
- https://nativenewsonline.net/environment/seneca-nation-sues-city-for-wastewater-overflow
- https://nativenewsonline.net/environment/seneca-nation-waters-flooded-with-wastewater-from-nearby-city
A reminder that we are living in an inter-glacial time of limited duration
US House passes SAVE Act to prevent non-citizens (i.e., illegal aliens) from voting – no-brainer that it should apply to all federal, state and local elections
Touron trampled to death by elephant after leaving vehicle to take pictures of the breeding herd in Pilanesberg National Park in South Africa
Colorado confirms human case of plague (Yersinia pestis) which is now endemic in the mountains of the West – was introduced in 1900 by infected rats aboard ships
- https://www.livescience.com/health/viruses-infections-disease/plague-strikes-person-in-colorado
- https://county.pueblo.org/public-health-department/public-health-officials-confirm-first-human-plague-case-pueblo-county
- CDC Map & Stats: https://www.cdc.gov/plague/maps-statistics/index.html
Switching ships from diesel to ammonia fuel poses health risks – could result in more than 600,000 premature deaths per year
- https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1051089
- Paper: https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1748-9326/ad5d07
FEMA finalized rule mandating projects built must take into account local future flood risk
FEMA finalized rule mandating projects built must take into account local future flood risk
Biden administration announces yet another federal subsidy of $1.7B for EVs – this time it is $1.7B
COP28 growth of renewables will not be achieved at current average growth rate of 10% for 2017-2023 due to 14% jump in 2023
Current under-construction high-speed rails projects are over-budget & behind schedule but planning on yet another project connecting to Las Vegas – High Desert Corridor High Speed Rail engineering challenges – pushing for 4-year $200B American High-Speed Rail Act to subsidize boondoggles
- https://www.ktnv.com/news/another-high-speed-rail-project-would-connect-las-vegas-to-additional-california-stops
- https://www.unlv.edu/news/article/bright-side-brightline-and-nations-first-high-speed-rail-line
Warning that H7 bird flu could put Black Swans in “significant peril” in Western Australia (podcast)
- https://www.abc.net.au/listen/programs/radionational-breakfast/iconic-black-swan-at-risk-of-significant-peril-/104088926
- https://www.uq.edu.au/news/article/2023/01/avian-flu-could-decimate-australian-black-swans
- Paper: https://genomebiology.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s13059-022-02838-0
Second-generation anticoagulant rodenticides (SGARs) killing owls and other wildlife in rural & urban areas in Australia – banned in Canada, US & EU
Cause for concern: US EIA still does not know how much electricity is used by cryptocurrency miners as major (and rapidly growing) consumer – use estimated at up to 2.3% of all electricity per year
EU Court of Justices rules economic reasons (e.g., preventing loss of livestock) are not enough to allow wolf hunting
US BLM sued for failing to protect endangered species by allowing illegal livestock grazing along Big Sandy River in western Arizona
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Coastal Zone Management Bulletin Board – 15 July 2024 – compiled by Elaine J. Hanford
Migratory birds face habitat loss due to development, predation & human disturbance on Harbor Islands of NY
Louisiana wants to line its entire Gulf shore with segmented rocks – geology and natural forces limit effectiveness – not consistent with state “science-based” Coastal Master Plan
Philippines receives coastal surveillance radar system from Japan under Official Security Assistance
Homeless forced out of encampments in woods along Coastal Highway in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware
Population of Pilosocereus millspaughii tree cactus declining in Key Largo due to habitat destruction due to development, saltwater intrusion, hurricanes, soil depletion & herbivores – 6 salvaged for cultivation
Daiichi Meta Maru launching ceremony – coastal tanker uses methanol fuel and automated handling systems
Rising construction costs causing an average 15% increase in coastal home insurance premiums in Maine
Deaths of federal listed sea turtles in canal leading to Brunswick Nuclear Power Plant cooling system intake prompted govern review – one turtle transferred to Rescue & Rehabilitation Center
North Carolina DEQ Division of Coastal Management accepting public comments on proposed NOAA amendments to North Atlantic Right Whale Vessel Strike Reduction Rule
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Proposed Amendment links: https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/action/amendments-north-atlantic-right-whale-vessel-strike-reduction-rule
Hurricanes prune mangroves in Gulf of Mexico – down tallest trees & stunt growth of others
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https://eos.org/articles/hurricanes-may-prune-gulf-mangroves
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Paper: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0048969724024276
Complicated explanation of who has access to coastal areas of Nova Scotia
Model quantifies polar amplification of global climate variability caused by Milankovitch cycles during hyper-thermals - Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum (~56 Ma) & Eocene Thermal Maximum 2 (~54 Ma)
Status of pending, under construction, cancelled & not yet in commercial operation US offshore wind farms – 30% cancelled
Court ruling could permit construction of new reservoir to feed water into Panama Canal locks
Cleaning up Narragansett Bay
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https://thepublicsradio.org/possibly-podcast/how-did-the-narragansett-bay-get-so-much-cleaner/
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https://www.golocalprov.com/news/2-Billion-Investment-Cleaning-Up-Narragansett-Bay-Hits-Milestone
Centuries-old traditional whale hunt in Faroe Islands versus animal rights activists
Caution: dig safely when building sand castles – collapsing sand holes can be deadly
Impacts of stormy weather in Cape Town region of South Africa – maritime rescue & carbo ship abandonment
Construction slated to begin on first phase of $2.3B South Shore of Staten Island (SSSI) project to add interior drainage areas, seawalls & other stormwater infrastructure
https://theconstructionbroadsheet.com/triumph-set-to-start-m-staten-island-coastal-risk-project-p1814-175.htm
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"Actually, these are the two best candidates for university president we could find. You need to lower your expectations." - @ass_deans
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