Geobulletin alpha

3D Seismic Interpretation class 2016 

We have just completed the 2016 version of 3D Seismic Exploration, a graduate-level class in the Geosciences Department at the University of Arkansas. This was the first time the course used OpendTect interpretation software. We had some recurring issues with network licensing and crashes on some computers, but overall it was an excellent experience. My advice... just give the students access to the base OpendTect Pro system and forget about network licenses to advanced functions. Most of [...]

Rock Will Not Be Contained: Problems at the Ferguson Slide near Yosemite 

The Ferguson Slide today, April 30, 2016 I thought of an Ian Malcom quote from Jurassic Park (1983) today:  "If there is one thing the history of evolution has taught us it's that life will not be contained. Life breaks free, it expands to new territories and crashes through barriers, painfully, maybe even dangerously, but, uh... well, there it is." We were driving past the Ferguson

Trek recall of 1,000,000 bicycles 

Better late than never perhaps, Bikebiz reports that Trek has issued a 1 million bike recall notice relating to QRs loosening and causing crashes. There's still plenty of misdirection and obfuscation, of course. Trek's notice refers to QRs that can open beyond 180 degrees such that the lever gets caught in the disk or wheel. But all their original arguments were that if correctly installed,

‘Chasing Ice’: Watching History Unfold, and Disappear 

Near the end of “Chasing Ice,” a hunk of glacier the size of lower Manhattan explodes, rolls and crashes into the sea. If that sounds like a spoiler, well, go see the movie and you’ll know you would have known it was coming anyway. And the beauty of the movie is that it will still astound

Younger Dryas Impactor Hypothesis Crashes and Burns 

It seemed like such an elegant answer to an age-old mystery: the disappearance of what are arguably North America’s first people. A speeding comet nearly 13,000 years ago was the culprit, the theory goes, spraying ice and rocks across the continent, killing the Clovis people and the mammoths they fed on, and plunging the region into a deep chill. The idea so captivated the public that

Whoops: ROV Crashes into Ship Propeller 

ROV Isis. Image taken from here.A few days ago the multimillion dollar remotely operated vehicle (ROV) Isis accidentally crashed into the propeller of the RRS Cook. Isis is an underwater research vehicle that is operated by the National Oceanography Centre in the UK. Isis is a cousin to the ROV Jason here at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. Whoops. ROV (or more likely ROV operator) fail. I hope poor little Isis isn't damaged too badly. Repairing her is likely to be quite

BC Mining Crashes into Fish Lake: No Prosperity Mine Here 

   If you live in British Columbia you probably know about the Federal Government’s refusal to allow Taseko’s Prosperity Mine to proceed.  The reason: the mine would impact fish as a result of the use of Fish Lake for the mine tailings.  The British Columbia provincial government had approved the mine; but the Federal government which deals with

Who Owns the Lorton, Virginia Meteorite? 

A meteorite crashes through the roof of a doctors office in Lorton, Virginia and the doctors give the rock to the Smithsonian. Now the landlords say the rock belongs to them. Who really owns it? Related: What are

Arizona bill proposes seismic monitoring for illegal activity 

The Arizona State Legislature starts its annual session today and State Senator Russell Pearce pre-filed Senate Bill (SB) 1027, which calls for a pilot program to install seismic monitors at rural airports to identify possible illegal drug activity and illegal immigration.  I guess the idea is know when and where smugglers planes land.  [right, drug-smuggling Beechcraft crashes in tv series

Rime Ice Crashes into Colorado Home 

A large piece of rime ice fell onto a Colorado home, breaking through the roof, through the kitchen ceiling and scattering debris throughout the kitchen. Rime ice is ice that builds up on the outside of a plane’s cold fuselage as it flies through moist air. Rime ice often drops from planes during

NASA OCO Satellite Crashes 

Yesterday was launch day for NASA’s Orbiting Carbon Observatory which was to collect global measurements of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. The rocket’s payload fairing did not separate and the rocket with satellite crashed into the ocean near