Mine Plan Design: Juli 2011

Our 'baby' is a star!

"Tunguska" the AZGS map store's mammoth mascot, was profiled in the Arizona Daily Star today.She's actually a museum-quality reproduction of a 1-year Siberian wooly mammoth, on loan from the Museum of Natural History in Novosibirsk, Russia. Her name...

Ghost towns of Arizona has its own Facebook page

I'm clearly not spending enough time playing around with other social media besides this blog. Who knew there is a Facebook page on Arizona ghost towns? [right, Canyon Diablo, circa 1890]There's a lot of updates there to what's in my 1969 copy of...

Nuclear waste report calls for new geologic repository

The report of the blue ribbon commission on nuclear waste is calling for "A new organization dedicated solely to implementing the waste management program and empowered with the authority and resources to succeed," including development of one or ...

Strain on global food supply pushing demand for potash

Emerging economies and bad weather are putting strains on global food supplies, pushing farmers to expand their plantings and thus increasing demands for potash-based fertilizers. This is the view of Potash Corp. CEO Bill Doyle in an interview posted...

State Geothermal Data project earns kudos

The DOE external Peer Review panel evaluated the first year of the AZGS-managed State Geothermal Data project and rated it ‘excellent’ to ‘outstanding.’ The only ‘criticisms’ were desires to see the user applications developed quickly so industry can...

ASU is running "most epic big science project in the universe"

Popular Science magazine has declared the EarthScope [top right, credit EarthScope] project to be the most epic big science project in the universe. And Arizona State University's School of Earth & Space Exploration (SESE) took over on July 1 as...

Grand Canyon mining furor

The Politico.com Energy Report website says, "Top Democrat appropriator Norm Dicks thinks his party has a “decent shot” to vote down an Interior-EPA spending bill rider that would prevent the Obama administration from blocking new uranium mining on...

Mapping the daily spread of the Wallow fire

The Wallow wildfire is the largest in state history and the Arizona Republic newspaper has compiled a striking set of maps showing the day by day growth of the fire. The one at right is the last in the series, with each color showing the acreage burned...

Sandbar experiment downstream of Glen Canyon Dam

http://pubs.er.usgs.gov/publication/70003971The USGS has published results of the most recent high flow experiments on the Colorado River to rebuild sand bars below Glen Canyon Dam. They found that "Each of the controlled floods resulted in sandbar...

Mysteries still cloud Montezuma Well geology and geochemistry

The USGS has issued a new report on the geology, geochemistry, and groundwater of Montezuma Well, the eponymous center of a national monument but they acknowledge that more information on the geology, surface water, and groundwater flow is needed to...

Third quake of the day at Lake Mead

There was a third earthquake this morning, a magnitude 2.2 event possibly under Lake Mead. The USGS lists it as occurring in Nevada but their most detailed map shows it just over the border in Arizona. [right, location map from USGS]Earlier today, we...

Second quake this morning near Lake Mead

There was a second quake near Lake Mead this morning. At 8:48 local time there was a magnitude 2.0 shock just southwest of the magnitude 2.4 event that occurred earlier today. [right, location map from US...

Continuing education requirement under consideration for Arizona geologists

The Arizona Board of Technical Registration is considering a requirement for continuing education for maintenance of professional licensing of geologists. The Arizona Chapter of the American Institute of Professional Geologists has weighed in on the...

Small quake near Lake Mead

We had another small quake a few minutes ago, near Lake Mead along the AZ-NV border. The magnitude 2.4 event occurred at 7:20 am local time. [right, location map from USGS]There have been a number of similar sized quakes in this area for several months....

ASU camera spots rare volcanoes on dark side of moon

When a science story gets a mention on the Colbert Report along with the debt ceiling debate, it must be big news, right?Anyway, the ASU-run Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera has captured images on the far side of the moon of rare silicic volcanism....

Good size quakes in Gulf of California

A magnitude 5.9 earthquake hit the southern Gulf of California late this morning (11:44 am local time) followed by a magnitude 5.0 aftershock almost two hours later. [right, epicenter location. Red lines are faults. Credit, USGS]The location is near...

U.S House overturns northern Arizona mining ban

The U.S. House yesterday passed a rule for the Dept. of Interior appropriations bill, with a provision that overturns the ban on mineral exploration and mining on 1 million acres of federal lands in northern Arizona, imposed by Interior Secretary Ken...

Fire and water - floods, muds, and flows

The monsoon rains coming on top of the worst wildfire season in Arizona's modern history are producing floods, mudslides, and debris flows. [right, Horseshoe 2 fire. Credit, Inciweb.org]A flash flood and possible mudslide took out the main water line...

Arizona utilities rank in top 10 for solar growth

Arizona Public Service is the 7th largest supplier of new solar energy generation by a utility in the U.S., according to the Solar Top 10 Utility Solar Rankings by the Solar Electric Power Association. APS provided 29.9 MW of new solar power capacity...

Flash flood alert site for Wallow and Schultz fire areas

The National Weather Service is setting up flash flood alert systems for residents downslope from the recent Wallow wildfire [right] and last year's Schultz fire near Flagstaff.The Flash Flood Decision Support Pages provide live displays of weather radar,...

Dealing with alluvial fan flooding and debris flows in Flagstaff

There is more debris coming off the area burned by last summer's Schultz fire than expected, and "This debris threatens to fill in many channels that engineers could design to push floodwaters around the communities," according to one of several stories...

Channeling Mississippi River floodwaters to the West

Could Mississippi River floodwaters be channeled west to Colorado, New Mexico, and Arizona, freeing up Colorado River water to meet growing population demands?That's the proposal from Southern Nevada Water Authority chief Pat Mulroy the U.S. Chamber...

Lost: our shared sense of purpose

"America is at a precipice. Sitting still is not an option. Our problems, while not hopeless, are urgent. And they require rediscovering something fundamental that we have lost: our shared sense of purpose..."This is from the preface of a new book,...

Student competition to develop environmental 'apps'

The Environmental Protection Agency is holding a competition for students to develop "green apps" to aid in environmental and public health protection. Winners of the "EPA Apps for the Environment" will be recognized at a national event in Washington...

Uranium in the Colorado River

The debate over uranium mining in northern Arizona continues to focus on fears of uranium entering the Colorado River. The Las Vegas Sun today editorialized, "Republicans should quit trying to roll back uranium mining moratorium.""Republicans in Congress...

Freeport profits more than double; ramping up Arizona production

Freeport McMoRan Copper & Gold reports net income for the 2Q of 2011 of $1.4 billion, more than double that of $649 million, a year ago. The increase is due to a combined increased in production of copper, gold, and molybdenum and price increases...

Potash exploration programs expand in Holbrook basin

Two companies have added a total of nine more core holes to their potash exploration programs in the Holbrook basin of eastern Arizona. Southwest Exploration/Passport Potash had 4 drilling permits approved by the Arizona Oil and Gas Conservation Commission...

Flooding and debris flows from Monument fire area

On Wednesday afternoon, "A massive wall of fast-moving, grey and brown water funneled by Miller Canyon during an afternoon thunderstorm burst the banks of Miller Creek and spilled across Miller Canyon Road, threatening homes, property and people,"...

Dust storms and 114 degrees

I was in Phoenix today for meetings and to give talks on geologic hazards to the annual meeting of the Arizona Emergency Services Association, which put me on the road home to Tucson late this afternoon when monsoon storms and winds were gearing up.Just...

AZGS's first Kindle e-book now available

AZGS recently set up an online store at Amazon.com and now we have our first electronic book available for the Kindle."A Guide to the Geology of Catalina State Park and the Western Santa Catalina Mountains," (Down-to-Earth-12) [Kindle Edition], by John...

Japanese documentary crew filming today

A film crew from the Japanese tv network NHK was in the AZGS offices today in Tucson, interviewing Chief Geologist Jon Spencer [far right. Photo credit Mike Conway] about the role of geology in creating and influencing the nature of the Sonoran desert.A...

Mines - Survey consolidation formalized today

The legal consolidation of the Arizona Dept. of Mines and Mineral Resources with the Arizona Geological Survey became effective today. It was largely a non-event. AZGS took over management of the Mines Dept. assets in January when that agency ran...

Phoenix haboob, part deux

Friends and colleagues driving between Phoenix and Tucson have been reporting thick dust storms since Sunday. But yesterday Phoenix experienced another massive haboob, perhaps not as dramatic as the one that rolled through a couple weeks ago, but still...

Gold breaks $1600, silver over $40

The price of gold is $1602.21 at this writing, a new record and perhaps only a milestone on a path to even higher prices according to some. Silver also surged, jumping over $40.51 after retreating from that level earlier this summer. [right, gold nugget....

Another small quake south of Lake Mead

We had a magnitude 2.2 quake south of Lake Mead this morning at 7:34 am local time. The event was about 23 east of Boulder City, Nevada.There have been a number of similar quakes in this region throughout the spring and summer so f...

Commodity supercycle bodes well for Arizona copper

In an interview with the Gold Report, reprinted on Mineweb.com, financial analyst Dr. Michael Berry, (whose Ph.D. is in quantitative analysis and investment finance from Arizona State University) said, "I think we're in the third inning of a very long...

Canada drops state-registered geologists as "qualified persons"

The AIPG newsletter this month reported that the Canadian Securities Administrators (CSA) "has shortened its list of recognized foreign professional organizations" that meet the definition of "qualified person" under National Instrument 43-101,...

Land subsidence interactive maps online

The Arizona Dept. of Water Resources has its subsidence maps online in an interactive viewer.There are multiple time intervals for each of 16 subsidence intervals. The map below shows the Hawk Rock (East Mesa - Apache Junction) area, from May 1992 to...

Science Foundation Arizona touted as economic engine

Science Foundation Arizona is more than tripling state investments in job and business development in science and techology arenas. An annual review by Battelle Technology Partnership Practice found that "since it began disbursing competitive grants...

Resolution Copper land exchange passed in House Committee

The U.S. House Natural Resources Committee approved the land exchange bill needed by Resolution Copper to move forward in development of what could be the largest copper producing mine in North America.The underground mine is projected to provide as...

Tycho crater central peak photo

We all know Tycho crater on the moon but you've never seen the central peak in such amazing detail. Check out the ASU LROC site to see the photo at right in perspective. "Arizona State University researchers have released a stunning image of the...

ASU volcanology prof wins international award

Amanda Clarke, a volcanology professor at ASU, recently received the 2011 Wager Medal from the International Association of Volcanology and Chemistry of the Earth's Interior (IAVCEI) July 4 in Melbourne, Australia. The medal is given every two years...

Planetary scientist Tom Gehrels, 1925-2011

Renowned planetary scientist/astronomer Tom Gehrels [right, credit UA] passed away in Tucson on Monday at the age of 86. The University of Arizona posted his obituary online and there is another version on Wikipedia."Gehrels was among the first members...

Half million sand bags to hold back Flagstaff post-fire floods

"More than a half-million sandbags are now in the flood area, and large concrete barriers sit around 160 homes," according to Andy Bertelsen, Coconino County public works director as reported in the Arizona [Flagstaff] Daily Sun.The Timberline and Doney...

Copper price rising on Chinese demand, Chile strike

The price of copper has been going up daily, reaching $4.41 a lb today. I suspect it's due in part to the news that Chinese demand is projected to rise by year end, and a one-day strike at the world's number one copper producer in Chile, that is raising...

Flood photos from Huachuca's Miller Canyon

The Sierra Vista Herald is running a few photos of the flood deposits coming down Miller Canyon in the Huachuca Mountains, near the town of Sierra Vista. The area was severely burned by the Monument fire, eliminating vegetation that normal slows runoff...

Post-fire mud and floods hitting southern Arizona

Joe Austin, owner of the El Coronado Ranch on West Turkey Creek, in the Chiracahuas, lives downslope from the Horseshoe II fire. He forwarded this photo [right] of the bridge by their house following a light rain on Monday. Heavier rains fell in the...

Reports of homes damaged from post-fire flooding in Huachuca's

update 7-11-11, 08:47: the Sierra Vista Herald published a long story with more details this morning.We have a report of 'serious' flooding in Miller Canyon in the Huachuca Mountains, causing 'substantial' damage to two homes. The area was burned...

Debris flows a worry for Monument fire canyons

Forest Service officials are warning that heavy monsoon rains in the Huachuca Mountains southwest of Sierra Vista, could carry "mud, debris, and boulders" down canyons denuded by the Monument wild fire. Rain gauges were installed Thursday and Friday...

Rain gauges installed in Horseshoe II and Monument fire areas for flood alerts

Based on recommendations of the Coronado National Forest's Burn Area Emergency Response (BAER) team and its interagency cooperators, two portable, self-sufficient real-time weather stations [right, credit USFS] have been emplaced within the burned area...

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