Mine Plan Design: September 2011

NPR's Science Friday broadcast from Flagstaff, Sept 23

NPR's popular "Science Friday" show will broadcast from Flagstaff, this Friday, Sept. 23. Host Ira Flatow will interview Arizona scientists on topics including Wildfires in the Southwest, Flagstaff Festival of Science, Formation of the Grand Canyon,...

More quakes this week near Lake Mead

We had a magnitude 2.1 quake at Lake Mead this morning around 7:22 am local time (only half an hour ago as I write this. Monday saw two other similar small events.I spoke to an engineer with the Bureau of Reclamation last week who said there is a...

Limited blogging while on vacation

If you noticed that I have not been blogging much in recent days, it's because I'm at our family cabin outside Yellowstone until the end of the month. We do have a phone but the dial-up modem transfer rate is running about 2 kbps, which means it takes...

Atmospheric rivers

Southern Arizona got more than half its rain last winter from one atmospheric river event. Wikipedia describes an atmospheric river as a narrow corridor or filament of concentrated moisture in the atmosphere. There are apparently only 3-5 active in...

Moderate quake in Colorado River delta

A magnitude 4.0 earthquake hit northern Baja this afternoon at 1:18 PM local time, about 36 miles southwest of San Luis, Arizona. As I write this, there were no reports of it being felt in Arizo...

USGS puts 90,000 historical topos online for downloading

The USGS National Geospatial Program (NGP) is converting historical printed topographic quadrangles to an electronic format (GeoPDF). This scanning and processing effort serves the dual purpose of creating a master catalog and digital archive copies...

Potash company revises disclosures after challenges

The British Columbia Securities Commission challenged Vancouver-based Passport Potash over statements they made about their potash project in Arizona's Holbrook basin. In response, Passport issued a press release describing changes they subsequently...

Our weekly Lake Mead earthquake

It really is starting to seem like we get a small magnitude earthquake around Lake Mead along the Arizona - Nevada border almost weekly. I need to look at the records over the past 6 months to see if there is a pattern here.Anyway, there was a magnitude...

Superfund clean-up at Dewey-Humboldt

EPA will start conducting "interim Superfund cleanup activities at some of the worst areas in Dewey-Humboldt for seven weeks" beginning tomorrow, according to the Prescott Daily Courier. [right, Humboldt smokestack. Credit, http://www.dhironkingsmelter.info/]"The...

Chile mine rescue leader to speak at Mine Inspector's conference

Richard Soppe of Center Rock Industries, who was responsible for the internationally renowned Chilean mine rescue, will be the featured speaker at the Arizona Mine Inspector’s Annual Fall Mining Conference Kick-Off Dinner, October 12th at the Phoenix...

Florence copper opponents focus on water issues

Real estate developers whose properties surround the proposed underground in situ Florence Copper Project, formed the opposition group Protect Our Water Our Future, which made a presentation to the City of Florence, arguing the project will threaten...

Park Service land acquisition plans for Petrified Forest

The following is taken from the National Park Service's FY12 budget plan. The first part of the land acquisition of the Paulsell Ranch was just announced. It is not explicitly stated what property is included in the second phase of 21,669 acres. ...

Details emerging on Petrified Forest acquisition of Hatch/Pursell ranch lands

The purchase of the Hatch/Paulsell ranch lands for addition to Petrified Forest National Park was the #4 priority on the National Park Service's Federal Land Acquisition FY2012 Priority List.The list describes the acquisition as comprising 26,496.16...

Lunar north pole mosaic from ASU

NASA stitched together 983 wide-angle photos from ASU's Lunar Orbiter Reconnaissance Camera (LROC) to create the crispest ever mosaic of the moon's north pole.[right, photo credit NASA/GSFC/Arizona State Universi...

No mineral rights with Petrified Forest land deal

The Holbrook Arizona Journal reports that the National Park Service bought the surface rights but not the mineral rights for over 26,000 acres of the privately owned Hatch Ranch lands to add to Petrified Forest National Park. The park and the ranch...

Mudslide on Highway 89A between Flagstaff and Sedona

ADOT reports a mudslide on state highway 89A South between Flagstaff and Sedona forced them to escort traffic between mile markers 378 and 380 this afternoon, while crews cleared the road.Heavy rain hit the area yesterd...

Congressional Western Caucus calls for natural resources development

Republican members of the Congressional Western Caucus issued a report yesterday endorsing legislation that would promote mining and energy development among other resources, as job creation mechanisms. Among the bills they support is H.R. 1904-the...

AZGS publishes 10 historical reports on uranium-vanadium exploration

AZGS has published 10 reports prepared by well-known economic geologist Bill Chenoweth, that examine historical uranium-vanadium exploration on Navajo Tribal Lands of northeast Arizona. All 10 are available at the AZGS document repository for viewing...

Pima County sued over Rosemont mine air permit

Rosemont Copper filed suit against the Pima County Dept. of Environmental Quality last Thursday, over delays in processing the air permit for the proposed mine. [right, proposed mine site in the Santa Rita Mountains. Credit, Rosemont Copper]Company...

Northern Arizona mining withdrawal expected to be completed by end of November

BLM officials told attendees at the St. George hearing yesterday on mining in northern Arizona that the final EIS is expected to be delivered to the Secretary of Interior by the end of October, and the Secretary is expected to take action within 30 days...

Florence copper project zoning hearing Sept 15

A public hearing is scheduled for Sept. 15 in Florence to consider reverting the zoning of the Florence copper project from its current residential status to its previous commercial zoning. Curis Resources staff briefed the Arizona Mining Alliance today...

Small Lake Mead quake this morning

A magnitude 2.0 earthquake at Lake Mead on the Arizona-Nevada border this morning around 7:10 AM local time.There have been similar small quakes in this area for months, that appear to be related to the lake filling with runoff coming down the Colorado...

Park Service buys 26,500 acres of private land for Petrified Forest

The National Park Service has purchased 26,500 acres of private land to add to Petrified Forest National Park in eastern Arizona, at a cost of about $8 million, according to news reports this morning. The lands were owned by the Hatch family and used...

Public hearing set on future of Arizona Geological Survey

The public hearing on the future of the Arizona Geological Survey is scheduled for 2:30 pm on Monday, October 17, in Phoenix.Statutory authority for AZGS ends on June 30, 2012. The Legislature has convened a Committee of Reference to decide if AZGS...

Land needs for solar energy raise opposition

The BLM manages 12 million acres in Arizona, "Yet, a two-year effort by the BLM to identify possible sites for solar-power plants on its land in Arizona yielded consensus on only 25,000 acres. Every acre of the bureau’s land in Arizona seems to have...

Local officials from Arizona & Utah call for mining in Arizona Strip

A preliminary report in the St. George (Utah) News says the Economic Coalition of Five Counties and "the Arizona-Utah Coalition of Local Governments is currently fighting to keep the federal government from putting a stop to mining on the Arizona Strip."...

Minority partner sought for Florence copper project.

Curis Resources, the junior mining company, planning to build an in-situ copper mine in outside Florence, is considering selling a minority stake in its project to a strategic investor, according to a report on MiningWeekly.com The article says Curis...

Sneak preview of report on economic impact of copper mining in Arizona

The Arizona Mining Association is about to release a new report on the economic impact of copper [right, native copper. Credit, USGS] on Arizona for 2010, from George Leaming at the Western Economic Analysis Center. We have a preview of the summary...

Topos for teachers

AZGS is making surplus topographic maps available to teachers at no cost for class room teaching uses. Sets of 20+ maps can be picked up at the AZGS bookstore by public school teachers.Stop by our store at 416 W. Congress, Tucson, from 8am - 5pm, ...

ASU camera captures sharpest images ever of Apollo landing sites

ASU's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiting Camera has captured the most detailed photos ever of the Apollo 12, 14, and 17 landing sites."On August 10 a special pair of stationkeeping maneuvers were performed in place of the standard maneuvers, lowering LRO...

Sci-Tech Festival shaping up for Centennial

The Arizona Science & Tech Festival is shaping up to be a center-piece of the Arizona Centennial in 2012. The Festival "will collaborate with more than 200 organizations in the state to integrate science in events with hands-on activities and workshops,...

Tunneling under Lake Mead

Las Vegas is digging a 1,500 foot long tunnel, 600 feet below ground through bedrock to suck water from Lake Mead, in case the lake level drops too low for the existing intake to draw water. "Intake No. 3 will maintain SNWA's ability to draw upon...

Arizona Minerals Yearbook 2007 released

The advance release copy of Volume 2 of the USGS Mineral Yearbook 2007 [right] arrived recently and is available online. There is a chapter for each state, including one for Arizona prepared in cooperation with the Arizona Dept. of Mines & Mineral...

Gold and silver recover, but where next?

Gold has just pushed back over $1,900 an ounce this morning, recovering most of the $150 drop of the past weeks but where does it go next? A summary of analysts projections on Mineweb.com sees it anywhere from $1,500 to $2,000 an ounce. [right, gold...

Geo books and journals sought for Mexico universities

Tucson-based geologist Peter Megaw has led local efforts through the Tucson Gem & Mineral Society for many years to collect geology texts and references and donate them to a variety of Mexico universities. By donating your books and journals to...

Using fossil leaves to track ancient climates

The University of Arizona is the world center for using tree rings to understand ancient environments. Now, a new process at UA using fossil leaf veins may offer new tools for measuring ancient climate.An article in Nature newsblog says Benjamin Blonder,...

Water resources report due in October

The latest issue of the Arizona Hydrologic Society is out and AHS Corporate Board President Alan Dulaney offers insights in his column on key water issues facing Arizona.He writes that "The Water Resources Development Commission, established by House...

Arizona coal production up 3.7% in 2010

Arizona's coal production in 2010 was up 3.7% over 2009 to 7.8 million tons, reversing a decline from 8.2 tons in 2006, according to the annual U.S. coal report from DOE's Energy Information Administration.Arizona's coal comes from the Black Mesa field...

State Lands says Florence Copper project is "no substantial threat" to the environment

The Arizona State Land Department has found that the proposed Florence Copper Project presents "no substantial threat" to the environment and the economic benefits outweigh other concerns, according to a story in the Casa Grande Dispatch.The article...

NASA's Desert RATS back in Arizona

NASA's Desert RATS (Research and Technology Studies) Team is back in the field in northern Arizona for a multi-week test of astronaut habitats and field vehicles for extended missions to other planets and asteroids.The Desert Research and Technology...

Forensics geology

Forensic geology is becoming a well established field of research and practice."The International Union of Geological Sciences (IUGS) Initiative on Forensic Geology was established at UNESCO headquarters in Paris, France on 22 Feburary 2011. The aim...

Public input sought on mining in N. Arizona

A meeting in St. George Utah, next Wednesday will take public input on the withdrawal from mineral exploration and development of nearly one million acres of federal lands in northern Arizona. [right, withdrawn areas in cross hatch. Credit, BLM] ...

Freeport talks about its economic impacts in Arizona

"In 2010, Freeport-McMoRan had a total estimated impact of $2.1 billion to Arizona. Within our Southern Arizona counties, Freeport-McMoRan had a total estimated impact of $920 million in 2010," according to company spokesman Gabe Doak, in an interview...

Flagstaff Festival of Science

A heads up that the Flagstaff Festival of Science gets underway Sept. 23 with a 7pm lecture by former astronaut Dr. John Grunsfeld, now deputy director of the Hubble Space Science Institute. "He’ll be sharing Hubble’s expansive collection of spectacular...

Declining precipitation in the West

An article in JAWRA, Journal of the American Water Resources Association, was reviewed by jfleck at inkstain, who reports that data point to declining precipitation in the West, although the authors warn that the 30-year time frame of measurements may...

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