Geobulletin alpha

Letters, op-eds, and blogs express concern over defunding of geological survey 

Geologists and geology advocates are making their opinions known about Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey's government consolidation decision to defund the Arizona Geological Survey as of June 30.  The AZGS duties have been handed over to the University of Arizona, which is providing partial funding for one year while the Survey is expected to become fully self supporting from grants and fees

The Rim of Fire and the "Impending" Mega-Earthquakes: Look past the inflammatory headlines 

Every few years (or months) there is a flurry of activity, and everyone gets hot and bothered and worried that the world is about to come apart. There's concern, even panic, and then things settle down a bit and the subject gets forgotten for another couple of years (or months). Oh, you thought I was talking about earthquakes? No, I was talking about media storm ABOUT earthquakes. There

What would a Gold-OA world look like? Three issues briefly considered 

What would the world look like if, as proposed by the Max Planck Institute, the scholarly world flipped from being dominated by subscriptions to Gold open access? I think there are three things to say. First, incentives. A concern is sometimes expressed that when publishers are paid per paper published, they will have an incentive to want more papers

Shrinking Great Salt Lake 

A group of experts from Utah is warning that more awareness is needed to preserve the long-term stability of Great Salt Lake. Their concern is that, given a loss of[...] The post Shrinking Great Salt Lake appeared first on Lake

Lake Baikal Levels Dropping 

Water levels in Lake Baikal have been a concern for Russian officials since at least early 2015, according to Russia Today. Early in that year, the level of the world’s[...] The post Lake Baikal Levels Dropping appeared first on Lake

Reinforcing feedback loops power effective communities of practice 

A "community of practice" is "a group of people who share a concern or passion for something they do and learn how to do it better as they interact regularly." Effective communities of practice

Flood Threat Growing for Texas 

There is growing concern that a tropical cyclone may be forming in the Gulf tonight, and it will likely impact the Texas coast by late Monday. This system will probably not have time to reach hurricane strength but it does not matter since the threat is heavy flooding rains. While it will probably cross the coast well SW of Houston the heavy rains may affect the entire Texas coast, and

We can’t ignore the Great Pacific Garbage Patch: World Ocean Day aims to raise concern for plastic pollution 

I once heard there is an island of plastic the size of Texas floating in the North Pacific. Turns out this is just a myth. The truth is much, much worse. The Great Pacific Garbage Patch is not an island. … Continue reading

10 quakes in 18 years in J'khand, claims geologist 

10 quakes in 18 years in J'khand, claims geologistJharkhand has experienced more than 10 tremors in 18 years though their intensity was mild to medium, geologist Nitish Priyadarshi claimed and suggested that newly constructed buildings in the state should be earthquake-resistant.'Back-to-back tremors occurred for the first time in Jharkhand. The state has never experienced aftershocks,"Priyadarshi, a member of the Geological Society of India, said here.    He said the [...]

AHP for ArcGIS 10.x using Python 

When it comes to site selection problems or suitability models, the spatial Multi-Criteria Analysis (Weighted Overlay) is the most commonly used method. It’s easy, simple and popular. However, if it’s your first time to come across this method, it’s highly recommended to have a look at this link. After defining the problem you want to solve, the next 4-steps are followed to perform this method. Determine significant layers. Reclassify the layers. Weight the input layers. Sum up the [...]

Pay Scientific Reports extra to bypass peer-review altogether 

There’s been some concern over Scientific Reports‘ new scheme whereby authors submitting manuscripts can pay $750 to have them peer-reviewed more quickly. Some members of the editorial board have quit over this development, feeling that it’s unfair to authors who can’t pay. Myself, I feel it at least shows admirable audacity — NPG has found a way to

3D Seismic Exploration 2015 

Due to SEG responsibilities looming large, I once again taught my graduate class 3D Seismic Exploration (GEOL5143) at the University of Arkansas during January intercession.  Last year, we had to scramble around school closings due to winter weather.  This year was plenty cold (-5F windchill one morning), but no ice and no cancellations. Intercession classes are geared to run 9 days at 4 hours per day.  Someone, somewhere set the dates for Jan intercession this year to Jan 3-11. [...]

Cold Snap Raises Concern: How will the monarchs fare? 

Should I be concerned about the monarch butterfly? Is it going extinct? Will these cold temperatures kill the ones I’m raising? What is “OE” and should I worry about it? If you have questions about monarchs, you are in good … Continue reading

The CC By licence does not let people distort and misrepresent your work 

I was skim-reading the Political Studies Association’s evidence submitted to RCUK’s review. I was struck by one part that perpetuates a common but completely unfounded misapprehension: There is little enthusiasm for CC-BY [...] in the field of political studies. [...] It is clear that there is serious concern about the potential for work published under a CC-BY licence to

Geologic Hazards of the Copperton Quadrangle, Salt Lake County, Utah 

By: Jessica J. Castleton, Ashley H. Elliot, and Greg N. McDonald The Copperton quadrangle, in the western part of the Salt Lake Valley, is expected to experience a significant population increase over the next several decades. As urbanization expands into areas less suited for development, geologic hazards become of increasing concern in planning, design, and

Fieldwork should be safe and welcoming for all. Currently, it’s not. 

How prevalent is sexual harassment and assault during fieldwork? A paper in PLOS One that grapples with this question is getting some justified attention in the press and online at the moment, and the answer is of concern to anyone … Continue reading

Large Quake Swarm at Long Valley Caldera, CA 

After a few months of relative quiet at California's Long Valley Caldera, East of Mammoth Mountain volcano, activity has intensified with hundreds of small and shallow quakes at depths of around 4.7 miles. Many small tremors are occurring below the surface about 1.5 miles north of Yosemite Mammoth Airport. These are small quakes, and likely not able to be felt by anyone not at the epicenters. These quakes are interesting mostly due to the sheer numbers, not the magnitude.More than likely these [...]

The UK's Rivers Trust uses our Em2 to protect people from floods. 

                                                                  >> Click the image above for link to video on Vimeo.  Last winter England saw terrible flooding that [...]

Earth Day 2014 — Conservative environmentalism — seeking balance 

Today was Earth Day, 2014. For many, it was a day to celebrate the Earth, to give thanks for its fruitfulness, and to express concern about threats to both the planet and we humans that inhabit it. As a Christian, I also rejoice on Earth Day in the Creator, who has graciously placed us both

Volcano Report for Peru and Chile 

Erik Klemetti posts an update on recent activity at Ubinas Volcano in Peru. In addition, some people have expressed concern about the recent magnitude 8.2 earthquake triggering an eruption at one of several nearby volcanos, Erik comments on these concerns plus, in another post, on the recent earthquake at