Geobulletin alpha

Damaging Ice on the Yukon River 

Large slabs of ice pushed onto land along the Yukon River have pushed buildings from foundations and a fear of flooding has forced

Ice Capades 

Fieldwork is exciting and inspiring, leading scientists to new ideas and places, and observations about how the world works. Spring on Alaska’s North Slope provides an especially productive environment for fieldwork. When the sun never sets, it’s easy to linger in the field and the lab long into the well-lit night. Our team spent about

Settling Into Life in the Arctic 

While I arrived in Barrow, Alaska on Tuesday, Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory scientists Andy Juhl and Craig Aumack, and graduate student Kyle Kinzler from Arizona State University, got here one week ago. They took a few days to unpack and set up their lab (everything they need to work here must be shipped to Barrow in

Investigating Life in the Ice 

Andy Juhl and Craig Aumack, microbiologists from Columbia University’s Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, are spending a month in Barrow, Alaska studying algae in and below sea ice, and how our warming climate may impact these important organisms. They’re investigating the factors that control the growth of algae inside of sea ice, how these algal communities are

Activity at Pavlof Volcano 

“Seismic activity at Pavlof Volcano increased this morning commensurate with the presence of an intense thermal anomaly at the summit observed in latest satellite imagery. Similar patterns of seismicity and elevated surface temperatures have previously signaled the onset of eruptive activity at Pavlof. Although not yet visually confirmed, a low-level eruption of lava has likely

How to escape a landslide 

In Alaska on Sunday a couple survived a landslide by outrunning it. It is extremely rare to survive a landslide in this

The Odds of Octopus Survival 

Thousands of octopus eggs are hatching at the Alaska SeaLife Center. The staff hopes that at least one of them will produce an adult

Deceptive Eruption Signals at Redoubt 

“Forecasting volcanic eruptions with success is heavily dependent on recognizing well-established patterns of pre-eruption unrest in the monitoring data. But in order to develop better monitoring procedures, it is also crucial to understand volcanic eruptions that deviate from these patterns.” Quoted from the Carnegie Institution for Science press

Cleveland Volcano Heard on Infrasound 

The Alaska Volcano Observatory does not have seismic monitoring on Chuginadak Island where Mount Cleveland Volcano is located; however, they “heard” small eruptions this weekend using

No Keystone XL? Send Tankers Through the Arctic 

The government of Alberta is looking into the possibility of shipping tar sand crude to foreign markets on tankers through the increasingly ice-free Arctic

Two flightless Kiwi 

Two flightless Kiwi, Chris Moy from Otago University and I, will be following the bar-tailed godwit (kuaka), one of New Zealand’s native birds to Alaska at the end of May.   While we must fly in a plane for over 12 hours, the godwit that is best known for being able to fly 12,000 kilometres in eight days will complete the journey unaided. read

Landslide Over the Black Rapids Glacier 

The Alaska Dispatch has an article with photos that tell the story of a landslide covering the Black Rapids Glacier during the 2002 Denali Fault

What is a Maar? 

Maars are the second most common volcanic feature on Earth. The largest maars are found on the Seward Peninsula of Alaska. Do you know what they are and how they

Measuring the Size of Explosive Volcanic Eruptions 

You have probably heard of the Richter Scale for measuring earthquakes, the Saffir-Simpson Scale for hurricanes and the Fujita Scale for tornadoes. The Volcanic Explosivity Index is used to compare the size of explosive volcanic

The Erosion and Tectonics Project 

The Erosion and Tectonics Project team is working to document “one paradox of geology – that weathering a mountain down can actually make it rise

A North Slope Shale Play? 

Some oil industry experts believe that the potential exists for an enormous unconventional oil and natural gas field beneath parts of Alaska’s North

Plane Views: Amsterdam to Cape Town– Part II 

Here is Part II of the views that I observed during a flight from Amsterdam to Cape Town back in September 2012. Part I is here. I believe that all of these shots were taken over Algeria. There are some stunning desert views. Although I grew up in relatively lush New England, I have always liked deserts. I think I first became enchanted by deserts when I was an exchange

Fort Knox, Alaska. A Driver of the Local Economic Engine. 

A reader of this blog sent me this link.  It is a 2011 report on the economic benefits of the Fort Knox mine in Alaska.  Although the report is from 2011, it still presents some statistics worthy of note.  Here are some: Fort Knox Mine employs an annual average of 502 workers in 2010, making it the

Archosaurs and Robots Show in Homer, Alaska 

Out next show is set to go up in April, and we'll be present for the first Friday on the 5th of April, so if you're in town, you can see us there! We may even be talkative. Archosaurs &

Monday Geology Picture(s): Gold Reef City– Panning for Gold 

After passing through the mining-themed entrance, going on an underground mine tour, and watching a gold pouring demonstration at Gold Reef City (a gold mining themed amusement park in Johannesburg, South Africa), my husband and I decided to try the “Gold Panning” activity. I must admit, we were somewhat disappointed in this activity, which involved “panning” for some shiny metal (but not gold– it was very different in texture, density,