Arizona Geology

I'm ready for my close up, Mr. DeMille!

2012-01-27T15:22:00.000-08:00

The Microsoft Research film crew has packed up and moved out to get background city shots, after spending all day filming at AZGS. They are preparing a video showcasing how different scientific organizations are using their new Layerscape visualization software that is scheduled to be released publicly in mid-February. [Right, part of the video production gear brought in for today's shoot]

Microsoft Research is a partner on the AZGS-led project to build the Geothermal Data System for the US Dept. of Energy, that is being adopted by a rapidly growing list of other communities.

AZGS has been providing Microsoft with ideas on how the software should work to meet the needs of our data users, and we get technical assistance with deploying and testing the software.

In addition, AZGS is using Layerscape to build 3D fly-overs of some of iconic landscapes for the Virtual Arizona Experience web portal that will go public on Feb. 14, Arizona's centennial.

Getting unwrapped for the Tucson gem show

2012-01-26T12:32:00.001-08:00

The entire city of Tucson looks like move-in day at the university. There are U-Haul trucks everywhere, unloading crates, barrels, and boxes of minerals, gems, and fossils. Early buyers are looking for deals even as sellers unpack their specimens.

The Arizona [Tucson] Daily Star has an online interactive map of the nearly 50 independent shows going on around town. There's a separate article in today's paper on Arizona minerals and the main show coming up in two weeks.

Avoiding the water crisis

2012-01-25T19:43:00.000-08:00

Arizona will hit a "critical threshold" for water in 2035, according to Karen L. Smith, formerly deputy director of the Arizona Department of Water Resources and now a research fellow with the Grand Canyon Institute, in an interview for Arizona Public Media's Arizona Week. The 27-minute interview by Michael Chihak is posted below:

Arizona SciTech Fest gets underway today

2012-01-25T19:18:00.001-08:00

The first of more than 200 events are being held today as Arizona's first Science -Technology Festival gets underway. Events will continue, predominantly in the Phoenix and Tucson valleys, through March 14.

The list of events can be searched by location, theme, audience, and type of activity.

One event is a guided geology tour/hike at Papago Park led by ASU's Prof. Jack Farmer.

Description: Farmer will introduce participants to the local geology and will use story boards to illustrate how the rocks of Papago Park fit into the regional geological context and history. (http://www.gemland.com/holeinrock.htm)

Date, Time, Place: Saturday, Feb. 4, 2012; Papagp Park, Tempe. Meet at Parking lot of “Hole in the Rock” ( Map: http://www.delange.org/HoleInRock/HoleRock.htm)

Cost: Free!

Start time of the Tour/Hike: 9:00 AM

Ending time of the Tour/Hike: 11:30 AM

Other: Park at the Hole in the Rock parking lot. We will take some short hikes on moderate to steep slopes; wear sturdy shoes. A camera is strongly recommended.

Maximum number of guests: 15

TO REGISTER, please email Nikki Cassis: ncassis@asu.edu

Hearing on AZGS reauthorization bill set for Jan. 30

2012-01-25T11:55:00.000-08:00

The bill to reauthorize the Arizona Geological Survey in state statute was introduced in the Legislature today and will be heard by the Senate Natural Resources and Transportation Committee at 2PM, Monday, Jan. 30 in Phoenix. Senate Bill 1299 extends the life of AZGS ten years, from July 2012, July 1, 2020, the maximum period allowed.

In addition, SB1171 is scheduled to be heard at the same time, which reorganizes the statutes for AZGS with those formerly for the AZ Dept. of Mines & Mineral Resources, and cleans up language to be consistent across all sections. ADMMR and AZGS were merged last year through a budget bill, leaving the combined duties scattered across different statutes.

The Legislatures Sunset Review Committee gave unanimous, bipartisan approval last Fall to reauthorize AZGS. The committee commented on the broad support for AZGS that they received from stakeholders and users of AZGS services and data.

Coal ash debate will affect Arizona

2012-01-25T07:24:00.000-08:00

Two Arizona coal-fired power plants that have ash ponds are part of a national debate. An article on EnergyBiz.com by Ken Silverstein offers an update. "Coal-burning power plants consume 1 billion tons of coal each year" producing 140 million tons of coal in the form of fly ash, bottom ash, scrubber sludge and boiler slag, according to Earth Justice. [Right, ash ponds at Cholla power plant, near Joseph City]

Environmental groups want the EPA to reclassify it from solid waste to toxic waste. But about 40% of the ash is recycled into things such as cement and dry wall. The Edison Electric Institute argues that designating the ash as toxic will make it less likely to be recycled, resulting in more of it piling up in pools and landfills.

Environmental groups are preparing to sue EPA to force them to classify the ash as toxic, acknowledging they want to make this an election year issue. The White House says that no matter how ash is regulated they want it to continue to be recycled.

Potash prices rose 32% in 2011

2012-01-25T07:22:00.001-08:00

Potash prices rose 32% in 2011, the 3rd highest rate among 32 global commodities. In an interview on The Energy Report, securities analyst Corey Dias predicts price increases and demand will slow in 2012, with an average price of about $500 per ton. He expects prices to advance to $600-650 in 2013, which is lower than projections of $750 made last year when the market was rising so quickly. [Right, potash salts. Credit, USGS]

Arizona's Holbrook basin is mentioned briefly, as a possible candidate for consolidation among the three companies currently exploring the potash deposit there.

Arizona's thirsty cities

2012-01-24T19:23:00.000-08:00

Phoenix and Tucson get much of their water from the Central Arizona Project, "the country's largest and most expensive water-delivery system," according to an excerpt from a new book, "The Very Hungry City," by Austin Troy [right, CAP system map, from the book].

Troy notes that CAP relies on the Navajo Generating Station, a coal-fired power plant at Page, to supply the electricity to run 14 pumping stations that "are required to keep water moving along this 336-mile infrastructural straw, which includes a rise of 3,000-feet in its journey from Lake Havasu to southwest Tucson." Pumping costs account for 42% of waters cost to CAP users, and they have no where else to turn for electricity. As a result he argues that "the future price of energy — and hence of water — is bound to the price of coal." And the availability of coal as a fuel source for NGS, a subject of debate over air quality issues.

The availability and cost of water has a big impact on certain Arizona industries. While agriculture is generally considered the largest water user, Troy points out that Intel is Phoenix's biggest water consumer, using 7 million gallons a day in its computer chip manufacturing facilities, but cleaning and returning 3/4 of its wastewater back into the aquifer, for a net use of 2 million gallons daily. He raises the question whether new industries will consider setting up in Arizona, if they are similarly dependent on water supplies.

He predicts a time when agriculture and urban water users will have to square off: "But most water in the West is now used to irrigate crops; city dwellers get what’s left. And in these arid lands agriculture has been subsidized for decades through the provision of water below the cost of delivery. There may come a time when western water managers will need to ask whether desert agriculture — a vital source of America's food supply — is worth the cost."

The excerpt that I read came across as honest and frank in its assessment. Troy leaves it to the reader to make his/her own judgement although the description he offers leads one to appreciate the fragility of maintaining cities in the desert. I appreciated the focus on solid information without overt proselytizing or polemics.

Uranium shortage predicted by 2016

2012-01-24T11:48:00.000-08:00

The world produced 118 million pounds of uranium in 2010 but consumed 190 million pounds. The deficit is made up from Cold War era supplies and conversion of Soviet nuclear weapons. But according to story on Mineweb.com, Thomas Drolet, the president of Drolet & Associates Energy Services, predicted during a presentation at Cambridge House's Vancouver Resource Investment conference, that a uranium shortage will hit the world by 2016. He assumes that at least 30 of Japan's 50 idled nuclear reactors will be brought back on line to meet power demands.

Mineweb says the supply crunch is widely expected to begin by next year. [Right, uranium ore. Credit, USGS]

Arizona is increasingly recognized by the mining industry as having some of the richest deposits in the nation, hosted in hundreds or even thousands of breccia pipes across the northern part of the state. The recent 20 year ban on exploration and mining imposed by the Secretary of Interior on a million acres of federal lands took out some of the highest concentrations of breccia pipes in the region. However, Tucson-based Liberty Star Uranium noted in a letter to investors that the federal ban could increase the value of remaining uranium properties in the region by further restricting supply.

Peak oil not until 2060 or later?

2012-01-24T10:19:00.001-08:00

The peak of world production may not occur until 2060 or even later as a result of enhanced oil recovery (EOR) of existing resources, shale oil from places like North Dakota, and from new supplies in extremes environments like ultra-deep offshore and the Arctic, according to recent analyses. William M Colton, Exxon Mobil’s vice president for corporate strategic planning. is quoted as saying, “There’s enough oil to supply the world’s needs as far as anyone can see.” [Right, peak oil projections. Credit, Oilprice.com]

In addition, shale gas production continues to expand across the country, leading ExxonMobil to project that by 2030, natural gas will surpass coal as an energy source.

ExxonMobil also predicted that oil demand will rise to 100 million barrels per day (compared to 88 MBPD now), and gasoline consumption will decline despite 400 million more cars on the world's roads, because of fuel-efficiency improvements.

ad more here: http://www.star-telegram.com/2011/01/27/2803434/exxon-mobils-2030-forecast-natural.html#storylink=cpy

Tiny quake in NW Arizona

2012-01-23T19:34:00.001-08:00

Northwest Arizona experienced a tiny earthquake on last Friday, along the southern part of the Hurricane Fault. The M=1.6 quake occurred around 6 AM local time. [Right, star marks quake epicenter. Other dots are historical earthquakes since 1990. Credit, USGS]

Arizona copper production down slightly in 2010, but value and jobs increase

2012-01-22T13:27:00.000-08:00

The Arizona Mining Association has released the latest annual economic analysis of the copper industry in Arizona, covering 2010. [Right, electrowinning facility at Freeport's Morenci mine. Credit, Larry Fellows]

Some key results:

Arizona produced 797,408 tons of copper and byproduct minerals (down 2% from 2009), accounting for 63% of the copper mined in the U.S., with a total value of $6.034 billion (that's an increase of 42% over 2009)

The total direct economic impact of Arizona's copper production was $3.676 billion, including $194.4 million in taxes and fees to state and local governments (up 28% over 2009), $2.512 billion in services and products purchased (up 19% from 2009), and $970 million in income (up 26% over 2009) to 10,400 Arizona employees.

The combine direct and indirect economic contributions for 2010 exceeded $12.1 billion (up 31%).

The study was prepared for the AMA by Dr. George F. Leaming of the Western Economic Analysis Center, in Marana, AZ.

Average oil price in 2011 sets record

2012-01-22T10:05:00.000-08:00

Oil hit its highest average annual price in 2011, since 1860, the year after the modern industry began. According to a report issued last month, IHS CERA determined the average price of benchmark Brent crude at $111 for the year, well above the previous high of $97 in 2008. [Right, pump jack in northeast Arizona. Credit, Navajo Nation Oil & Gas Corp.]

Famed oil industry expert and author Daniel Yergin attributes the costs to "the fundamentals of supply, demand, and costs." World demand is at a record 89 million barrels a day, while supplies were disrupted by civil war in Libya, and costs of operating in extreme environments are rising. Tensions over Iran's threat to close the Straits of Hormuz exacerbate the price rise.

Arizona SciTech Fest call for volunteers

2012-01-21T13:29:00.000-08:00

The Arizona SciTech Festival welcomes the assistance of volunteers to help coordinate the many events and activities happening in conjunction with the festival.

More than 200 events across the Phoenix and Tucson valleys get started January 25 and run through March 14.

AZGS has copies of programs and promotional fliers in our Tucson store, if you want some to distribute to your organizations to help promote the events.

Arizona water quality out for public review

2012-01-21T13:28:00.000-08:00

Arizona Department of Environmental Quality officials released a draft version of a report that examines surface water quality in Arizona is available for public review and comment.

The public comment period for the Draft 2010 Status of Water Quality in Arizona 305(b) Assessment and 303(d) Listing Report ends on Friday, Feb. 17 and is the first step in the approval process for the document. The report is available online at: http://azdeq.gov/environ/water/assessment/assess.html

[taken from the ADEQ announcement]

AIPG Arizona Section annual review set for Feb. 11

2012-01-21T11:13:00.000-08:00

The Arizona Section of AIPG has scheduled their annual meeting and review of the geology profession in Arizona, for Sat. Feb 11 at the AZGS offices in Tucson. This is an annual event that brings in leaders from state, federal, and professional organizations to give short briefings on key topics. The AIPG National Board of Directors will also attend. Their mid-year meeting will be held in Tucson, Feb. 10.

The section also announced officers for the 2012 AIPG Arizona Section Executive Board:

President: Julie M. Hamilton, AMEC

Past-President: John Ward, Ward Groundwater

President-Elect: Dawn Garcia, SRK Consulting

Secretary: David Palmer, El Paso Natural Gas Company

Treasurer: Erick Weiland, Freeport McMoRan Copper and Gold

Tent cities going up for Tucson gem show

2012-01-21T10:12:00.000-08:00

Giant tents are popping up all over Tucson this past week in preparation for the Tucson Gem, Mineral, and Fossil Showcase, the largest such event in the world. [Right, parking lot of Tucson City Center Hotel. My photo]

Events take place in 40 separate shows from January 28 through February 12.

Is this your bundle of drugs?

2012-01-21T10:00:00.000-08:00

One of our geologists, mapping in southern Arizona, stumbled across two large bundles wrapped in plastic and burlap. We gave the GPS coordinates to the county sheriff's office who recovered not only these drug bundles but several others. Recent rains wiped out indications of how long the bundles may have been there.

They warned us that the region from Bowie to the New Mexico state line is a smuggling corridor and to take appropriate cautions.

[I left out names and location on purpose]

Navajo power plant retrofit impacts on water rates, air quality

2012-01-21T08:10:00.000-08:00

A study by federal agencies appears to support Navajo Nation president Ben Shelly's arguments that EPA requirements to retrofit the Navajo Generating Station power plant near Page, are unnecessarily expensive with little benefits, and other approaches would meet environmental goals.

"Low-cost power from Navajo GS runs the massive pumps of the Central Arizona Project (CAP)" delivering Colorado River water across Arizona. Environmental groups want the plant shut down over fears that it is a source of haze at the Grand Canyon.

The new report from the National Renewable Energy Lab (NREL) concludes that it "is inconclusive as to whether removing approximately two-thirds of the current NOx emissions from Navajo GS would lead to any perceptible improvement in visibility at the Grand Canyon and other areas of concern."

The NREL study entitled “Navajo Generating Station and Air Visibility Regulations: Alternatives and Impacts” was completed under an Interagency Agreement between the Department of the Interior (Interior) and Department of Energy (DOE). This study addresses the various issues that EPA must consider in designing the BART [Best Available Retrofit Technology] rule for NGS.

Critics argue that the BART rule focuses entirely on technology rather than results and does not consider costs or benefits.

There are strong economic pressures to keep the power plant open. NREL notes that Tribal economic benefits associated with the direct operations of both the Navajo GS and Kayenta coal mine that supplies the plants fuel, are more than $150 million per year.

"Approximately 450 Native Americans are employed at the Navajo GS, and 400 are employed at the mine. The total wages and benefits paid to Native employees of the plant and mine are
approximately $100 million per year. In addition, the Kayenta mine also makes annual payments of just over $50 million per year to the Navajo Nation and Hopi Tribe ($13 million to Hopi, $37 million to Navajo) for coal royalties and bonuses, groundwater usage, and purchase of electricity from the Navajo Tribal Utility Authority. Additional benefits for the tribes include several hundred thousand dollars per year in scholarship funds, and local property taxes which
primarily go to schools in the region. SRP also pays the Navajo Nation about $1 million/year in lease and air permit fees for the Navajo GS itself."

NREL found that adopting some of EPA's requirements would likely increase water rates from CAP between 13% and 16% for agricultural users and Indian tribes. For municipal and industrial users, the increase would likely be between 5% and 7%. These increases would roughly double under additional EPA requirements.

"If Navajo GS were to shut down, the Indian and Agricultural users of CAP water would see per acre-foot increases of as much as 66%, while municipal and industrial users would see increases up to 52%."

Pumped storage power project proposed for Big Chino

2012-01-20T19:02:00.000-08:00

The Prescott Daily Courier is reporting on plans by the Chino Grande Ranch, 40 miles north-northeast of Prescott in the Big Chino Valley to build "Arizona's first closed-loop hydroelectric power facility, which would utilize Big Chino groundwater." As I read it, the idea is to use renewable energy (wind and solar) to pump as much as 17,500 acre feet of Big Chino aquifer water 1,400 feet uphill into large reservoirs. When electric power is needed, water would be released to flow down through turbines, similar to hydroelectric power generation at places like Hoover Dam. The project as envisioned would generate 2,000 megawatts of electricity. [Right, Big Chino water basin]

A 3-year, $5 million feasibility study is being undertaken.

The ranch previously announced plans for a solar energy project that generated heated debate over hunter access to State Trust Lands checkerboarded among the ranches private lands.

Legislation to tidy up AZGS statutes

2012-01-19T19:56:00.000-08:00

One outcome of the Legislature's 10-year Sunset Review of the Arizona Geological Survey last fall, the review committee recommended making corrections to our statutes. Those changes are the basis for Senate Bill 1171, introduced yesterday. The intent is to simplify the release of earth fissure maps, and to integrate the statutes from last years Mines & Mineral Resources merger with AZGS.

The fissure language adopted 5 years ago specified AZGS deliver map results every five years for release by the State Land Dept. Instead, we release new maps as each is completed. In addition, AZGS now publishes the maps online immediately rather than after a 90-day waiting period that was expected. Working with the State Land Dept, we cut the costs of doing this by $20,000 per year. The legislation recognizes these benefits by revising the statute to formally incorporate these changes.

The second change is to put the revised ADMMR and AZGS statutes into the same section in code. That is normally how it would have been done at the time of the merger, but the consolidation last year was accomplished through a budget bill as the Legislature rushed to wrap up its work. As a result, the sections are in different chapters and there were wording differences between the two sections that we presented at the Sunset Review and asked for clarification. The committee chair, Sen. John Nelson, called together a broad range of stakeholders to solicit their input on integrating the sections, which led to SB1171.

There are no substantive changes to the consolidation approved last year.

Potash company brings in heavy hitter as Board Chair

2012-01-18T19:19:00.000-08:00

Passport Potash announced that they appointed David Salisbury [right, credit Resolution Copper], former CEO of Resolution Copper, as Chairman of the Board. Passport notes that

Mr. Salisbury was President and CEO of Resolution Copper Mining ("Resolution") from 2008 to his retirement on January 31, 2011. At Resolution he was responsible for the development of a deep underground copper mine in Superior, Arizona. One of his primary responsibilities was a legislative land exchange involving 3025 acres of federal land in exchange for 5500 acres of ecologically important private land. His role at Resolution required significant interaction and engagement with members of the U.S. Congress, federal agencies, the Governor of the State of Arizona and State legislators. He was also responsible for leading the activities of integrating all engineering studies and design with environmental permitting, progressive development of the future operations culture and working environment, health and safety, project budget controls and community relations.

This may indicate a shift in the company's efforts from exploration towards development.

Baja quake felt in Yuma

2012-01-18T19:05:00.001-08:00

A magnitude 4.2 earthquake in Baja California was felt across the region this morning, including in Yuma. The event took place at about 5:31 AM local time, roughly 35 miles southwest of Yuma. [Right, location map showing where the quake was felt. Credit, USGS]

Potash briefing to Arizona Senate

2012-01-17T20:19:00.000-08:00

I'm finishing up my slides tonight for a briefing in the morning (Wed) to the Arizona State Senate Commerce and Energy Committee on potash in Arizona. Aggressive exploration by three companies in the Holbrook basin is confirming AZGS estimates of a large, shallow, accessible deposit that could hold as much as a quarter of the nation's potash resources.

Projections are that a single underground mine could produce more than twice the total current U.S. production of potash, provide 400-500 highly paid jobs in the Holbrook area, with an annual operating budget of $400-500 million per year, with a mine life of 50 years. [Right, potash mining in Carlsbad, NM. Credit, Intrepid Potash]

There is growing interest across the state in understanding more about the impacts of this potential new industry.

Multi-part podcasts on Arizona copper

2012-01-16T19:33:00.001-08:00

Arizona Public Media broadcast a 5-part series on Copper at the Crossroads, that is posted online, with podcasts, slide shows, and links to other reports. There is a particular focus on the Rosemont copper mine proposal.

Part 1: The Miracle Metal -- The history of copper mining in Arizona, from underground mines to vast open pit operations.

Part 2: To Dig or Not to Dig? -- The debate over the open-pit copper mine that Rosemont Copper wants to build near Tucson.

Part 3: 'That Mine Was My Mother' -- Meet Onofre Tafoya, who worked for years at the San Manuel Underground Mine.

Part 4: Some Thrived, Some Died -- The history of Arizona's copper mining towns.

Part 5: Arizona's Toxic Town - A visit to Hayden, Ariz., one of America's most toxic towns.

Erosion of funding for mission-directed scientific research

2012-01-16T18:19:00.000-08:00

ASU's Daniel Sarewitz asks in his monthly column in Nature, why mission-directed science agencies such as the USGS, lag so far behind in funding compared to basic research agencies like NIH and NSF, whose budgets have doubled or tripled. Since 1996 (16 years ago), the USGS budget has risen 16%, not even keeping up with inflation.

Dan argues that "it wasn't supposed to be this way. America's pragmatic culture has long been assumed to favour applied investigation over fundamental science..."

After all, "Mission agencies provide knowledge — fundamental and applied — to address social problems as diverse as preventing and preparing for natural and technological disasters, providing the scientific basis for environmental monitoring and protection, dealing with public-health threats such as obesity and emerging infectious diseases, and developing the standards and measures that facilitate technological innovation."

He ascribes part of the problem to the support for science funding comes mainly from those engaged in basic rather than applied science - universities, the National Academies, the professional scientific societies and so on.

I have to agree. Universities increasingly rely on federal funds to operate. The University of Arizona for example gets something like only 30% of its revenues from the State. So, every VP of Research and Dean of Science across the country pounds on the desks of their congressional rep, arguing for more funding of NSF and NIH, because those agencies are mostly funding sources.

The USGS on the other hand, holds onto its money tightly, arguing they don't have funds to carry out their own core missions, so how could they possibly share any with other groups. As a result, the USGS doesn't have the same kind of stakeholder advocacy as do the basic science agencies.

In 2008, a group of prominent scientists proposed merging the USGS and NOAA to create an Earth Systems Science Agency. A key element of the ESSA would be that "No less than 25% of ESSA's budget should be devoted to grants, contracts, and cooperative agreements with academic and nonprofit institutions." Clearly, they recognized the need to build a politically powerful constituency.

It will be of great interest to all of us to see if the President's proposal to move NOAA from Commerce to Interior will also include a change in philosophy on how funds are spent by the agencies.

Groundwater depletion mapped by satellite

2012-01-15T20:43:00.001-08:00

A new analysis of ground water changes as measured by the GRACE satellites (Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment) finds that “Groundwater is being depleted at a rapid clip in virtually of all of the major aquifers in the world's arid and semiarid regions,” according to Jay Famiglietti, a hydrologist at the University of California Center for Hydrologic Modeling in Irvine, as reported by Science News. The data were released at last months AGU Fall Meeting.

[Right, driest conditions shown in darkest red. Credit, NASA/National Drought Mitigation Center at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln]

Fastest growth of mining sector jobs in decades

2012-01-15T09:03:00.000-08:00

Mining.com reports that the U.S. Labor Dept. figures show that "the country’s mining sector – particularly in the oil and gas sector – added more jobs in 2011 than at any other period since the early 1980s." Part of it is due to the rapid growth in natural gas and oil production from shale units. [Photo credit Asarco]

Bloomberg says "Producing natural gas from shale will support 870,000 U.S. jobs and add $118 billion to economic growth in the next four years," according to a report from IHS Global.

The potential for shale gas in Arizona has not been seriously examined.

Potash company raises funds for Arizona exploration program

2012-01-14T20:01:00.000-08:00

Passport Potash reports they raised $7.5 million from the private sale of warrants, that will be used for general operations and further exploration of their lands overlying the Holbrook potash deposit in eastern Arizona. [Right, Passport's land holdings]

The Arizona Oil & Gas Conservation Commission expects more exploration drilling in the region during 2012.

Mineral Madness event at desert museum

2012-01-14T18:38:00.001-08:00

The Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum's annual Mineral Madness event is next weekend, Jan. 21-22, west of Tucson. It's a good warm-up for the Tucson Gem, Mineral, and Fossil Showcase that really gets going a week later.

Mineral Sale: 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. both days (Baldwin Education Building): Collector's treasures (specimens from Arizona, Mexico and all over the world)
Start a collection (many specimens under $1)
Spruce up the yard with yard rocks (no watering!)
Also: Fossils, Gemstones, Jewelry Demonstrations
Family Mineral Activity Stations: 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. both days

Record number of drilling permits in Arizona in 2011

2012-01-14T18:16:00.001-08:00

The Arizona Oil & Gas Conservation Commission reports that 75 drilling permits were issued 2011, setting a record for the number of permits issued in a single year. All but two permits and all wells drilled were stratigraphic tests for potash in the Holbrook area. The two non-potash permits were for obligation wells at the St. Johns Gas Unit, according to Oil & Gas Administrator Steve Rauzi.

Three companies drilled a total of 67 stratigraphic tests in 2011. Southwest Exploration/Passport Potash drilled 31 wells at its potash project west and southwest of Petrified Forest National Park [right, credit Passport Potash]. HNZ Potash drilled 24 stratigraphic wells southwest and east of the Park. American West Potash drilled 12 wells at its project area east of the Park. All 3 companies finished their 2011 drilling programs and have plans to permit and drill additional wells in 2012, according to the annual report that will be presented to the AZOGCC next Friday, January 20 at its quarterly meeting in Phoenix. The companies are required to permit the potash test wells with the Commission because the holes penetrate the Coconino Sandstone, which is a potential helium reservoir in the region.

In other drilling news, El Paso Natural Gas Co. plugged and abandoned it AG 1-21 stratigraphic well in the Picacho basin in December. El Paso drilled the well in 2006 to test the feasibility of storing natural gas in subsurface salt caverns. The company found sufficient salt to create the storage caverns, but reportedly concluded that the market conditions were not economical for them. [Another Houston-based company is currently seeking FERC approval for a similar project in the same area.]

The proposal by Kinder Morgan CO2 Co. to purchase Enhanced Oil Resources (Ridgeway Arizona Oil Corp.) carbon dioxide properties between St. Johns and Springerville and in adjacent New Mexico, is now expected to be completed by January 31.

The Arizona Geological Survey provides all the technical and staff support for the Oil & Gas Conservation Commission, as the Commission has no staff of its own.

Legislative bills of interest

2012-01-14T17:38:00.000-08:00

With the Arizona Legislature in session since Monday, the number of bills introduced is over 800 and growing quickly. Here are a few that caught my attention:

HB2246 - disclosure of professor's financial interests in text books

HB2337 - continuing education for water well drillers

HB2493 - extending the life of the ADWR budget review panel

HCM2002 - prayer that the U.S. government turn over all federal land in Arizona to the State

HCM2003 - prayer that 12.2 million acres of BLM land be turned over to the State of Arizona for the benefit of public education

HCM2004 - The state of Arizona declares its sovereign and exclusive authority and jurisdiction over the air, water, public lands, minerals, wildlife and other natural resources within its boundaries (except for Indian reservations)

HCR2018 - Constitutional amendment to create a statewide elected office for a Secretary of Agriculture and Natural Resources who would oversee Agriculture and livestock, Water management, including dam safety, Environmental quality, including water quality, air quality and solid, liquid, hazardous and radioactive waste, The administration of state lands as state land commissioner under article X, including the management and sale of the products of state lands, Mine safety and mineral, oil and gas resources, Wildlife, including game animals, birds and fish, and Other natural resources as provided by law. [note: this would include the AZGS]

SB1054 - extending work time in underground mines from 8 to 12 hours

Moving NOAA to Interior Dept.

2012-01-14T10:01:00.001-08:00

President Obama's proposal to move the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration from the Commerce Dept. to the Interior Dept. may have a tough road. AAAS's Science Insider blog says "there is broad agreement that the plan will face serious opposition in Congress."

NOAA houses the National Weather Service, the National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service (NESDIS), the National Ocean Service, among other programs.

Science Insider also offered an explanation of why NOAA is in Commerce instead of Interior to begin with: "President Richard Nixon was furious when his interior secretary, the politically volatile Wally took aim at the Administration's Viet Nam War policy. So Nixon punished him by not making the newly created NOAA part of the Interior Department, which already housed the U.S. Geological Survey."

Long time readers of this blog may recall that I reported back in 2008 that the Obama Transition Team was considering merging NOAA with the USGS in Interior.

Earlier in 2008, a group of prominent scientists made the case for combining USGS and NOAA into an Earth Systems Science Agency, in an influential article in Science.

Nuclear waste storage in Arizona salt deposits

2012-01-13T07:36:00.000-08:00

State Senator Al Melvin's proposal to store high level nuclear waste in underground salt caverns in Arizona is drawing attention in the state's news media.

We recommend a couple of references for background on this.

Sandia National Lab released a report a year ago on "Salt Disposal of Heat-Generating Nuclear Waste." The 110-page report is available online at http://prod.sandia.gov/techlib/access-control.cgi/2011/110161.pdf. This report identifies 3 salt bodies in Arizona - Red Lake north of Kingman, Luke west of Phoenix, and Supai (or Holbrook) under and east of Holbrook in eastern Arizona.

AZGS published a report in 2002, "Arizona Has Salt!" (AZGS Circular 30, 41p) that summarizes what we know (and don't know) about the many salt bodies around the state. This is available online for viewing or free downloading.

In August, 2011, Sandia issued a companion report, "Granite Disposal of U.S. High-Level Radioactive Waste." The latter report is generating a lot of attention in the last few weeks in eastern and northern Midwestern states that were mentioned as having potentially suitable host rocks.

Southwest Wildfire Hydrology and Hazards Workshop

2012-01-12T08:09:00.000-08:00

AZGS is co-sponsoring the Southwest Wildfire Hydrology and Hazards Workshop to share recent advances to assess damage, provide hazard warning, attempt to mitigate hazards, and to study the wide-ranging effects of wildfire, and coordinate response to future fires in the Southwest. The call for abstracts is now open for the event to be held at Biosphere 2, April 2-5, 2012.

The field trip to the Huachuca Mountains will examine the 2011 Monument fire area (see video below)

This workshop is arranged around 4 broad themes:

1. Post-fire Research. What are the latest results from post-fire research, including, but not limited to: hydrological impacts (inc. flooding, debris flows), sedimentation, ecological impacts, water quality impacts, etc.? How can academic researchers better coordinate with government agency researchers? What avenues exist for funding post-fire research?

2. Models. What post-fire hydrological and hazard assessment models are available or in development? How have these been implemented and tested? What models work best and where? How might models be used to prioritize pre-fire treatments to reduce burn severity? How can post-fire assessment models be improved for use by response teams?

3. BAER Process. Burned Area Emergency Response (BAER) teams rapidly assess impacts from a wildfire. What is the BAER process and how does it function? What roles might other agencies and researchers play in the BAER process? How might BAER teams assist researchers select study sites and/or implement research projects?

4. Warning Systems. What decision support is required to properly deploy hazard warning systems? What are the roles of researchers, agencies and the BAER team in warning system site selection and deployment? What kinds of warning systems have been deployed? How have they worked and what are the lessons learned?

Black Mesa coal mining permit renewed

2012-01-11T20:45:00.000-08:00

http://www.wrcc.osmre.gov/Current_Initiatives/Kayenta_Mine/Renewal.shtm

The federal Office of Surface Mining has approved the renewal of Peabody Energy's operating permit for the Kayenta mine in the Black Mesa coal field on the Navajo and Hopi reservations in northeast Arizona. The company says they produce about 7.8 million tons of coal per year, which goes to fuel the Navajo Generating Station power plant near Page. The new permit runs to July 6, 2015. [Right, permit area map. Credit Peabody Energy]

News reports say "Environmentalists had urged the federal government to deny the permit and now are considering an appeal. They say the mining operation has been depleting water supplies at rates far higher than what Peabody predicted, a claim that Peabody says is light on fact."

Peabody writes that "Mining at Kayenta occurs under complex geological conditions, with coal extracted from multiple seams and splits of seams ranging in thickness from 3 to 15 feet. Coal is crushed then carried via conveyor approximately 17 miles to storage silos, where it is loaded on a closed loop electric train and transported approximately 80 miles to an electrical generating station that generates more than 2,250 megawatts..."

The company reports that "native people comprise more than 90 percent of Kayenta Mine’s more than 425-person workforce"

ASU & NASA put Project Gemini digital photo archive online

2012-01-08T19:30:00.000-08:00

Arizona State University's School of Earth & Space Exploration and the NASA Johnson Space Center unveiled the Project Gemini Online Digital Archive on Friday. The archive contains the first high-resolution digital scans of the original Gemini flight films, now available in several formats.

Project Gemini (1964-1966) was the second United States human spaceflight program, after Project Mercury (1960-1963). The overarching goal was to test systems and operations critical to the Apollo program (1961-1975), conceived with the purpose of "landing a man on the Moon and returning him safely to the Earth". The LROC Featured Image discusses Gemini's specific goals and "firsts" from the mission.

In May of 2011, a team of scientists led by professor Mark Robinson commemorated Project Mercury with digital image archive. You can read the details of the process here. Also visit the ASU Project Mercury digital scan archive, and the Apollo archive.

[excerpted from the ASU announcement]

Aristarchus panorama from ASU lunar camera

2012-01-08T19:18:00.000-08:00

Wired magazine is showcasing amazing images of the Moon's Aristarchus crater, taken by ASU's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter camera. The panorama at right [credit, NASA/GSFC/Arizona State University] covers an area 15 miles across and 2 miles deep. Zooming in on the original gets you down to 15 inch resolution.

Moderate quake felt across central Arizona

2012-01-08T18:57:00.000-08:00

A magnitude 3.1 earthquake just after noon today was reported felt in Payson, Mesa, and Prescott. The quake was 21 miles southwest of Winslow and 113 miles northeast of Phoenix. [Right, location map from USGS]

The USGS map of historical seismicity back to 1990 shows a handful of other earthquakes occurring in the same area.

Bill to assert sovereign authority over Arizona natural resources

2012-01-08T12:06:00.000-08:00

There's an intriguing final paragraph in the Arizona Republic's preview of the Arizona Legislature session that begins tomorrow:

"A trio of northern Arizona Republicans will push a measure to give Arizona sovereign authority over the state's air, water, public lands, minerals, wildlife and other natural resources. It's an attempt to shun federal rules and regulations on natural resources."

We've heard some chatter about this since the summer but have not seen the details. Stay tuned...

Holbrook skills center would train for jobs in potash mining

2012-01-08T09:14:00.000-08:00

The Holbrook area is taking seriously the potential for significant economic development from potash mining. The Arizona (Holbrook) Journal reports that Northland Pioneer College (NPC) in Holbrook "is making major capital investment plans in the coming year to accommodate industrial growth," identifying potash mining specifically.

NPC president Dr. Jeanne Swarthout is quoted as saying they will build a $3-4 million skills center in Holbrook that would "house the new construction trades program NPC will be rolling out in the coming year." The article says "the college will develop mining-related courses in cooperation with the mine developers that will be operating in the area. Those courses will also be housed in the new skills center."

The article states that "The construction trades program is being developed in partnership with the Northern Arizona Vocational Institute of Technology (NAVIT) program and will offer a full range of courses related to construction skills, including electrical, heavy machinery operation and maintenance, and others."

American West Potash announced their intent to have an underground potash mine in operation in two years [right, AWP holdings in yellow. Holbrook is in the northwest part of the Holbrook salt basin], that would employ 400-500 in the Holbrook area with salaries much higher than the average pay in the region currently. Annual expenditures of $400-500 million were projected over the expected 50-year life of the mine. Two other companies are also carrying out exploration work on the potash deposit, Passport Potash and HNZ Legacy, but neither have announced their plans.

Minerals of Arizona theme of this year's Tucson Gem & Mineral Show

2012-01-07T15:26:00.000-08:00

In recognition of the Arizona Centennial this year, the Tucson Gem & Mineral Show is focusing on "Minerals of Arizona" as the theme for the February 9-12 event. There will be around 50 separate shows going on around the city prior to the formal TGMS.

The TGMS video below offers shots of spectacular Arizona specimens.

Industry concerns over mineral scarcity

2012-01-07T12:43:00.000-08:00

Senior executives in 7 major industry segments worldwide "expect their companies to be affected by minerals and metals supply scarcity in the next 5 years," according to a new report from PricewaterhouseCooper.

The key conclusions of the report are:

Major manufacturing companies consider minerals and metals scarcity as an important issue for their business, but do not see sufficient awareness of this topic among all their stakeholders.
The risk of scarcity is expected to rise significantly, leading to supply instability and potential disruptions in the next five years, but this also creates opportunities for competitive advantage.
Because of the crucial nature of these minerals and metals, companies expect that the impact will be felt throughout the entire supply chain.
Economic and political drivers of scarcity are generally seen as much more important than physical drivers.
The renewable energy, automotive and high-tech industries have a high level of co-operation with their first-tier suppliers and customers.
For a large majority of the companies we interviewed, efficiency and collaboration throughout the supply chain are seen as essential to responding to the risk.

Ref: Minerals and metals scarcity in manufacturing: the ticking timebomb - Sustainable Materials Management, 2011, PwC

[Thanks to Jamie Caswell at National Mining Association for bringing the report to our attention]

Catching up on Arizona copper mining activity

2012-01-07T12:36:00.000-08:00

Nyal Niemuth, who runs our Phoenix office, joined AZGS last year from the Dept. of Mines & Mineral Resources, where he'd been evaluating mining and mineral resources in Arizona for 30 years. He briefed us last week on developments at southern Arizona copper mines.

Freeport McMoRan's drilling program at Twin Buttes is winding down. Freeport is continuing to review historic drill holes and creating a detailed deposit model. Speculation is that when the mine reopens it will feed the Sierrita mill. In the Fiscal 2011 10Q report, Freeport reported:

In December 2009, we purchased the Twin Buttes copper mine, which ceased operations in 1994 and is adjacent to our Sierrita mine. The purchase provides significant synergies in the Sierrita minerals district, including the potential for expanded mining activities and access to material that can be used for Sierrita tailings and stockpile reclamation purposes. We are conducting drilling on the property and metallurgical studies to support a feasibility study expected to commence in 2012.

Grupo Mexico reports that mine life is being extended at Asarco’s Mission and Silver Bell mines. Mission’s copper production should increase. Grupo’s 2011 Q1 report says:

Asarco began a pre-feasibility study in February 2011 for the project to restart a molybdenum circuit at the Mission mine. The study is expected to be completed in May 2011. Also, the exploration and drilling program continues and the proven reserves at the different mines are expected to increase by the end of 2011.

The company's 2011 Q2 says:

The exploration program for the properties in Arizona continues as planned. Ore reserves at Silver Bell increased by 24 million tons, equivalent to 148 million pounds of copper, which represents approximately two additional years of cathode production. The pre-feasibility studies for the project to restart a molybdenum circuit at the Mission mine continue and are expected to be completed in 3Q11.

And from Grupo’s 2011 Q3 report on Asarco:

Capital expenditures for the first nine months of the year were US$59 million, 209% over the previous year, mainly attributable to maintenance projects at the smelter, refinery, and the replacement of mine equipment and for the expansion of operations in Mission and Ray [mines].

Bills introduced in Arizona Legislature

2012-01-07T10:12:00.001-08:00

The Arizona Legislature convenes on January 9 for the 2012 session. Here are bills filed so far that I found that may be of interest to the geoscience community:

HB2025 Water supply disclosure in home sales

Beginning January 1, 2013, a subdivider who sells one or more lots in a subdivision located outside of an active management area shall record a document that contains a statement of water adequacy or inadequacy for that subdivision.

HB2086 Mining & mineral museum; restoration

[AZGS] shall maintain a mining and mineral museum as the state depository for collecting, and cataloging and displaying mining artifacts and specimens, of various ores, gemstones, lapidary material and equipment and other valuable documents relating to mining and minerals mineral specimens.

HCR2007 Vulture Mine Day

Legislature proclaims the first Saturday of each January as Vulture Mine Day and encourages Arizona citizens to recognize and learn about this important part of our state's heritage.

Legislation calls for AZGS to create mining & mineral museum

2012-01-07T10:10:00.000-08:00

State Rep. Eddie Ableser (D-Tempe) introduced legislation [HB2086] directing the Arizona Geological Survey to establish a mineral and mining museum. It would also remove the mining and mineral components of the currently proposed Centennial Museum [right] that is planned for the former Arizona Mining & Mineral Museum building in Phoenix.

We have had no conversations with Rep. Ableser about his bill and were not aware it was being drafted.

The key language to be added to the AZGS state statutes is:

The department [AZGS] shall maintain a mining and mineral museum as the state depository for collecting, and cataloging and displaying mining artifacts and specimens, of various ores, gemstones, lapidary material and equipment and other valuable documents relating to mining and minerals mineral specimens. In connection with the museum, the state geologist may:

1. Establish and collect entrance fees to the museum for persons who are at least eighteen years of age.

2. Operate a retail gift shop, including the acquisition, purchase and resale of mineral specimens and mineral-related items.

3. Employ a curator for the museum.

4. Pay the necessary maintenance and operation expenses of the museum.

First-ever solar project on federal lands in Arizona

2012-01-07T08:02:00.000-08:00

Approval of the Sonoran Solar Energy Project is the first-ever solar project on public lands in Arizona, according to the BLM. The photovoltaic project will eventually produce 300 megawatts of electricity near Buckeye in Maricopa County [Right, credit BLM]

The Dept. of Interior announcement notes the project will be built on 2,013 acres of public land. BLM manages 12.2 million acres of public lands in Arizona, of which 3.4 million acres are managed for conservation and wilderness characteristics

The Arizona Republic reports that the project footprint is "about 1,600 acres fewer than the original proposal. The power array also will use just 33 acre-feet of water a year, far less than the 3,000 acre-feet a year first envisioned. The water savings will occur because the plant will use photovoltaic technology instead of the more water-intensive concentrated solar process."

Final public hearing on Rosemont copper mine

2012-01-06T17:48:00.001-08:00

The Coronado National Forest issued this announcement today about the last of the public hearings on the proposed Rosemont copper mine in the Santa Rita Mountains, south of Tucson:

The final public meeting for the Rosemont Copper Project Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) will be held on January 14th at the Sahuarita District Auditorium, 350 W. Sahuarita Road, Sahuarita, AZ, from 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. The formal 90 day public review and comment period ends on January 18, 2012. Requirements for commenting may be found at 36 Code of Federal Regulations Part 215.

The purpose of this final meeting is to solicit public input on the project’s Draft Environmental Impact Statement. Both written and oral comments will be taken at this meeting. For those wishing to make oral comment, speaker cards will be available beginning at 1:00.

Forest Supervisor Jim Upchurch will make a brief presentation beginning at 1:30. Beginning at 2:00, speaker cards will be pulled at random to determine the speaker order. To hear as many comments as possible, each speaker will be limited to 3 minutes in length. Any speaker cards received after 2:00 will be addressed if time allows. Oral comments will be heard until 5:00 p.m.

The Coronado National Forest is accepting public comments on the Rosemont Copper Project DEIS in a variety of formats. The DEIS is available online at www.RosemontEIS.us. Citizens are encouraged to review the document before submitting comments. Although comments may be submitted by various methods, citizens need only provide comments once for them to receive full consideration. Comments can also be submitted online at www.RosemontEIS.us; by email at CoronadoNF@RosemontEIS.us; by phone at (888) 654-6646; by facsimile to (435) 750-8799; and by mail at Rosemont Comments, P.O. Box 4207, Logan, UT 84323. The subject line of facsimiles and e-mails should include the words “Rosemont Copper Project DEIS”. E-mail attachments should be in Word (.docx), rich-text format (.rtf), or portable document format (.pdf).

Comments most useful for the Environmental Impact Statement process should be as specific as possible. It is also helpful if comments refer to pages and/or chapters of the DEIS. Comments may address either the adequacy of specific analyses in the DEIS or the merits of the alternatives formulated and discussed in the document, or both.

For questions or special needs regarding the public meetings or the comment period, the public may call (520) 388-8300. Additional information about the Rosemont Copper Project DEIS is available online at www.RosemontEIS.us.

Some Lake Mead seismic activity due to quarry blasts

2012-01-06T17:41:00.000-08:00

Some of the events recorded on seismographs as earthquakes around or under Lake Mead, were likely blasts from quarries in the region. AZGS seismologist Lisa Linville confirmed this in discussions with colleagues at the Nevada Seismological Lab in Reno. Despite this, has there been increased activity around the lake during the past spring and summer, as the lake filled at a record rate due to snowpack melt and releases from Lake Powell upstream? That will require more detailed analysis.

The map at right was compiled by AZGS for a review of seismicity in the Hualapai Valley but it shows historical earthquakes around Lake Mead, 1852-2011.

The Las Vegas Sun has an excellent article discussing the situation.

Northern Arizona mining ban expected on Monday

2012-01-06T17:40:00.002-08:00

Interior Secretary Ken Salazar is expected to announce Monday a 20-year ban on new mineral exploration and mining in nearly 1 million acres in northern Arizona [outlined in red in figure to right. Credit, BLM] in order to prevent development of one of the richest uranium districts in the country, over concerns of potential impacts on Grand Canyon.

[update: the New York Times included a brief quote from me in their Jan. 7 article]

A news release issued this afternoon said "On Monday, Jan. 9, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar will host the premiere of a new short film produced by the National Park Service for viewing by visitors to the Grand Canyon National Park. As part of this event, Secretary Salazar will make an announcement regarding conservation of the Grand Canyon."

The decision comes as no surprise as the Secretary publicly announced his intentions as soon as the draft EIS was issued.

Expect the next steps to be efforts by anti-mining groups to prevent exploration on existing claims.

Rover parked in "Greeley Haven" for the Martian winter

2012-01-06T17:40:00.001-08:00

NASA has parked the Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity for the next several months at a site informally named "Greeley Haven" with a sun-facing slope to provide more solar power and less solar panel covering dust. The name is a tribute to ASU planetary geologist Ronald Greeley (1939-2011), who was a member of the science team for the Mars rovers and many other interplanetary missions. [Right, mosaic from Opportunity, Dec. 2, 2011. Credit, NASA/JPL/Cornell/ASU]

Greeley Haven is an informal name for the location on the rim of Endeavor Crater.

[Taken in part from the NASA news release]

Suit against Patagonia silver exploration

2012-01-04T19:38:00.000-08:00

A group of environmental organizations is filing suit against Coronado National Forest in an attempt to halt exploration drilling on the Hardshell silver prospect [Right, location map. Credit, Wildcat Silver] by Wildcat Silver subsidiary Arizona Minerals on federal lands near the southern Arizona town of Patagonia.

The groups also want the Forest Service to require a full Environmental Impact Study done before drilling could commence. An EIS is normally only required if an actual mine is proposed to be developed. They claim the exploration area is a corridor for jaguars and ocelots. However, Wildcat rep Greg Lucero is quoted as saying "there has not been a jaguar sighting in the area in a half century, and that there has never been a sighting of an ocelot in the Patagonia Mountains."

Funding decision on UA giant telescope delayed until 2020s

2012-01-04T11:50:00.000-08:00

The University of Arizona is part of a university consortium competing to build the next generation telescope, a huge, $1 billion+ 28-meter diameter Giant Magellan Telescope in Chile [right, artists concept of the GMT]. But Science Insider reports that the National Science Foundation, which had been expected to provide most of the funding, has issued a solicitation that says major funding won't be available until the 2020s.

The UA team has competed against a University of California team plan for the Thirty Meter Telescope in Hawaii, for seven years. Under new requirements from Congress, NSF will fund only $1.25 million over 5 years for planning purposes, in the event that funding is made available a decade from now or later.

Global copper outputs and trends since 1770

2012-01-03T19:37:00.000-08:00

In 1800, global production of copper was 14,000 tonnes. By 1900, it reached 495,000 tonnes, a 35-fold increase. But by 2000, production hit 13,212,000 tonnes, nearly 1,000 times what it was two centuries ago [right, credit Mining Magazine].

The United Kingdom was the world leader in copper until about 1850. However, in 1900, the US produced over 55% of the world's copper. By 2000, the US was the second largest producer at 11%, far behind Chile at nearly 35%.

These figures come from a richly detailed article in the November 2011 issue of Mining Magazine, entitled "The Copper Conundrum." Author Phillip Crowson looks at world copper production from 1770 and found that "the average percentage yield of copper from mining has tended to decline over the long term, but by no means evenly." Cornish mines in the 1770s mined copper with an average grade of 12.17%. This dropped to 9.27% in 1800; 2.61% in Michigan by 1900; 0.85% worldwide by 2000; and to 0.77% worldwide in 2008.

Crowson warns there are lots of gaps in the data as many companies kept numbers proprietary. There are also widely divergent strategies, company by company, and country by country, in how to produce ore grades under different economic situations.

Still, there is no question that the big, rich, surface deposits of copper have been tapped out. Companies are pursuing deeper or lower grade deposits to meet the phenomenal global demand for this industrial mainstay. For example, the proposed Resolution Copper mine near Superior, Arizona, is going down to 7,000 feet after copper ore with a grade of 1.5%, about twice the current global average.

Critical minerals supply concerns

2012-01-02T10:10:00.000-08:00

The US Dept. of Energy released a major report on supplies of 16 minerals critical for new technologies including "wind turbines, electric vehicles, photovoltaic cells and fluorescent lighting." The report also warned that mining and metal processing expertise "has gradually declined in countries of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, although the need to develop and retain such expertise has received increasing attention in recent years." I tried to download the report and summary from multiple computers without success - error messages say the files are corrupted. But Mineweb.com published a lengthy summary of it.

Mineweb says "five rare earths metals-dysprosium, terbium, europium, neodymium and yttrium-are at risk in the short term, potentially impacting clean energy technology deployment in the years ahead." [Right, figure credit, Physorg.com]

The DOE report calls for a 3-pronged strategy to resolve the potential supply crunch: 1. "facilitate extraction, processing and manufacturing here in the United States, as well as encouraging other nations to expedite alternative supplies;" 2. develop substitutes; and 3. recycling, reuse and more efficient use could reduce global demand.

Rare earth elements (REEs) exist in Arizona, but generally not in concentrations high enough to make their mining economically viable. The DOE report notes that developing a new mine from scratch could run around $1 billion, with most of that investment upfront before any production would begin.

The 5th anniversary of "Arizona Geology"

2012-01-01T15:58:00.001-08:00

Today marks the 5th anniversary of this blog and as has become somewhat of a custom on these occasions, I'm reprinting the very first post on Arizona Geology from January 1, 2007. The driving forces that prompted me to start blogging remain the same as they were five years ago. Some of the issues of the day have evolved or been subsumed by new developments, but many of them continue almost unchanged. So, here is blog post #1. It comes with a renewal of commitment and enthusiasm for 2012. Thanks to all of you who post comments or share your thoughts privately. I appreciate the support, the corrections, the elaborations, and the new insights. Happy New Year!

Arizona lives and dies by its geology

Arizonans depend on groundwater for life, minerals to build our communities and create jobs, and amazing geologic scenery for tourism and our own enjoyment. Arizona recently became the fastest growing state in the nation, putting increased demands on our natural resources and reigniting concerns about the environmental impact of all this growth. Then there are natural disasters such as floods, landslides, debris flows, earth fissures, and earthquakes that threaten our homes and lives.

On top of that, our university geology programs are among the best in the country. We are the number one mining state in the nation and global demand for copper and uranium are drawing renewed interest in mineral exploration. The State's expanded Renewable Portfolio Standard, requiring 15% of our electricity to come from renewable energy sources, is generating re-examination of our geothermal resources.

Clearly, understanding our geology is critical to all Arizonans. Yet, one of the things I noticed when I came to Tucson a year ago is the fragmented nature of news coverage around Arizona. There is no state-wide newspaper or tv news. As a result, important geology-related news reported in one metropolitan area is often ignored elsewhere around the state.

The intersection of all this creates a need for collecting and sharing current activities, news, and opinions in the geosciences within the Arizona earth science community and to broader audiences. So, this site is an experiment.

My job as State Geologist of Arizona encompasses different responsibilities from my task as Director of the Arizona Geological Survey, giving me reign to work to ensure a healthy, dynamic, and robust earth science enterprise to benefit the State and the profession.

Within that scope, I'd like to try using this forum to
1. share news, ideas, opinions, and help foster a greater community sense in the geosciences,
2. reach out to the larger community to let them know how the geosciences affect all our lives, and
3. re-engage the public in better understanding of the nature and process of science.

Lee Allison
State Geologist and Director
Arizona Geological Survey

Interim Arizona State Parks director

2011-12-31T17:35:00.000-08:00

There doesn't seem to have been much attention in the news media about Renee Bahl leaving as Executive Director of Arizona State Parks for a position as Assistant County Executive in Santa Barbara, California.

The State Parks system has been struggling with budget cuts by closing some parks, seeking support from local communities, and attempting to find private sector operators for others. But some Legislators berated Renee for not privatizing all the parks, despite parks officials warning there is a near-zero likelihood of most of them becoming self supporting, let alone profitable, and thus not of interest to companies. Sitting in a Parks budget hearing last session, it seemed to me Renee was in a no-win situation.

The Prescott Daily Courier reports that the Arizona State Parks Board appointed Prescott resident Bill Feldmeier [right, credit ADOT] as the interim executive director while a national search for a permanent director is underway.

Feldmeier is a former Yavapai County Supervisor, and currently the chair of the Arizona Dept. of Transportation Board.

Baja quake felt in Yuma

2011-12-31T14:24:00.000-08:00

A magnitude 4.3 earthquake in Baja California on Friday morning was felt across southern-most California with at least one report from Yuma. The event occurred at 7:34 AM local time about 37 miles south of Mexicali, Mexico.

[Right, shake map from USGS]

ASU researchers propose searching for alien artifacts on the moon

2011-12-31T13:54:00.000-08:00

ASU professor Paul Davies and student Robert Wagner have a new paper in the journal Acta Astronautica, calling on volunteers to search high resolution photos of the Moon for evidence of alien visitation. [Right, the "Blair Cuspids" photographed by Lunar Orbiter 2 in 1966. Credit, NASA] The basic concepts are that:

Alien civilizations may have sent probes to our region of the galaxy. Any mission to the solar system would probably have occurred a very long time ago. The lunar environment could preserve artifacts for millions of years. Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter provides a photographic database to search for artifacts. Searching the LRO database would make an excellent educational project.

The authors conclude that "Although there is only a tiny probability that alien technology would have left traces on the moon in the form of an artifact or surface modification of lunar features, this location has the virtue of being close, and of preserving traces for an immense duration."

The article is generating buzz in the planetary science community

Link: Searching for alien artifacts on the moon, Acta Astronautica, In Press. doi:10.1016/j.actaastro.2011.10.022

Earth science contributions to Tucson's "Science City" moniker

2011-12-31T07:57:00.001-08:00

Catching up on events of recent weeks, I missed pointing out the 40-page insert in the Arizona (Tucson) Daily Star, showcasing science at the University of Arizona:
"World Class Research in Tucson: A Science City"

Geosciences are profiled in 5 reports:

Geotourism: Experience our amazing natural world

Listening to earthquakes as the Andes grow

Clues into how the Grand Canyon formed [right]

Drake leaves scientific legacy of greatness

Seeing water as it hides underground

Seismic-hazard maps for conterminous U.S.

2011-12-31T07:30:00.001-08:00

The USGS just published the 2008 probabilistic seismic hazard maps for the conterminous U.S. "portraying peak horizontal acceleration and horizontal spectral response acceleration for 0.2- and 1.0-second periods with probabilities of exceedance of 10 percent in 50 years and 2 percent in 50 years. All of the maps were prepared by combining the hazard derived from spatially smoothed historic seismicity with the hazard from fault-specific sources."

Ref: Petersen, M.D., Frankel, A.D., Harmsen, S.C., Mueller, C.S., Haller, K.M., Wheeler, R.L., Wesson, R.L., Zeng, Yuehua, Boyd, O.S., Perkins, D.M., Luco, Nicolas, Field, E.H., Wills, C.J., and Rukstales, K.S., 2011, Seismic-Hazard Maps for the Conterminous United States, 2008: U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Map 3195, 6 sheets, scale 1: 7,000,000.

Induced seismicity under Lake Mead

2011-12-29T19:36:00.000-08:00

Seismic activity under Lake Mead appears to have increased this past spring and summer, which I speculated was due to the rapid refilling of the lake from melting snowpack upstream and releases from Lake Powell. [Right, Satellite images of Lake Mead taken between 1990 (upper left), 1995 (upper right) and 2009 (lower left) show the dropping lake level. The red color in the lower right image (difference between 1990 and 2009) shows where the water level has dropped. These false-color images use TM bands 7,4,2. Photo credit, NASA/USGS]

Science reporter Tom Beal wrote an article about this last week in the Arizona (Tucson) Daily Star.

Now, Phil Pearthree, Chief of the AZGS Environmental Geology Section (which also runs the Arizona Broadband Seismic Network) did a little research and found the Lake Mead area experienced a burst of activity in the late 1930's that coincided with initial lake filling, and elevated rates of seismicity compared with rates for the area prior to dam construction continued until the mid-1960's. The largest event was M 5, with 8 events of M 4.5. These events correlated fairly well, but not perfectly, with annual maxima in lake levels. No moderate events have occurred since 1964, when Lake Powell was completed and annual lake level variations were damped down. Detailed studies of short intervals since then did not show a correlation between seismicity and lake level, but looking at the whole period between the mid-1930's and the present, there probably is a positive correlation between lake levels and seismicity.

Lake levels have risen fairly dramatically this year from the all-time lows of late last year. The current reservoir storage is far below levels of the early 2000's, and essentially is back to a level that was more typical of the past decade. However, the rate of rise during the past year has been much greater than any other interval in this record, and this may be recreating the changing lake levels of the pre-Lake Powell reservoir period when there were more lake fluctuations and more seismicity.

Lake Mead is included in a number of papers and books as a type case for induced seismicity.

References:
David W. Simpson, ‘Seismicity Changes associated with reservoir loading’, Engineering Geology 10 (1976) 123-150, p.123

Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America. Vol. 66, No. 5, pp. 1657 1681. October 1976
SEISMIC STUDY OF EARTHQUAKES IN THE LAKE MEAD, NEVADA-ARIZONA REGION
by A. M. Roger and W. H. K. Lee

Advanced dam engineering for design, construction, and rehabilitation, by Robert B. Jansen, p744

Earthquakes related to reservoir filling, by Joint Panel on Problems Concerning Seismology and Rock Mechanics, National Academy of Sciences (U.S.), National Academy of Engineering, National Research Council (U.S.). Division of Earth Sciences, 1972

Rapid incision of Grand Canyon 4.8 Mya

2011-12-28T19:43:00.000-08:00

AZGS Senior Geologist Jon Spencer's written a concise summary on the origin of the modern Colorado River and incision of the Grand Canyon starting about 4.8 million years ago (Mya), for our online Arizona Geology magazine.

Jon concludes that the integration of the Colorado River drainage basin with the Pacific Ocean occurred at 4.8 Mya. "This event resulted in a major eastward shift in the continental divide, which was perhaps the single largest transition in the Cenozoic hydrologic evolution of southwestern North America" He also cautions that "much remains to be learned about the cause of this transition."
[Right, maximum inferred extent of the Miocene-Pliocene Hualapai-Bouse lake system. Southward spillover of Lake Blythe marks the final event in integration of the Colorado River drainage basin with the Pacific Ocean]

Small quake near Utah border

2011-12-27T13:00:00.001-08:00

A magnitude 1.6 earthquake occurred at about 1:30 AM local time on Monday morning, 15 miles west of Colorado City, AZ.

The quake is at the southern end of the Intermountain Seismic Belt. [Right, star marks location amidst other 2011 seismic events. Credit, USGS]

ASU geo prof's Antarctic exploration book gets rave reviews

2011-12-26T08:52:00.000-08:00

The new book by ASU geoscience professor Edmund Stump, "The Roof at the Bottom of the World: Discovering the Transantarctic Mountains" (Yale University, $29.95) is drawing lots of attention including a recent review by the New York Times:

Stump clearly and ably recounts the history of Antarctic exploration from James Clark Ross in the 1840s through the 1950s. (Fair warning, though: there’s lots of geologizing.) Best, he includes very fine topographic maps, color photographs (many his own) and satellite images. And most helpful for anyone ever confused about just where and how the explorers made their way, Stump has superimposed the actual routes they took on many of the images.

The review was published in tandem with one on "The Lost Photographs of Capt. Scott." NYT noted that a version of this review appeared in print on December 4, 2011, on page BR27 of the Sunday Book Review with the headline: The Antarctic.

M=4.7 quake in Gulf shakes Rocky Point (Puerto Penasco)

2011-12-23T13:48:00.001-08:00

A magnitude 4.7 earthquake in the Gulf of California shook the beach resort town of "Rocky Point" (Puerto Penasco, Sonora, Mexico) 40 miles to the north. The quake occurred at 5:32 AM local time.

The Gulf is tectonically active with spreading centers and transform faults, but the quake appears to be off the main fault lines. [Right, location map from USGS]

Preliminary economic assessment for Holbrook basin potash mine

2011-12-23T12:47:00.000-08:00

Prospect Global Resources has released the Preliminary Economic Assessment for the American West Potash LLC potash resources in the Holbrook basin of eastern Arizona. The 79-page report expects 2 million tonnes per year of finished product, a mine cost of $1.334 billion dollars, a workforce of almost 390, with hourly wages of $25 and management/supervisory salaries of $80,000. At the projected production rate and value of potash, they calculate a 39.7% internal rate of return that would pay off their investment in 2.1 years. [Right, prelimary mine plan for AWP property. Credit, Prospect Global Resources]

We'll be reading the report in more detail over the coming days, which includes an analysis of world potash demands and production, mine operations, mineral processing, salt tailings storage, hydrogeology, and environmental and permitting issues.

From the report conclusions:

The resource will be mined by conventional underground mining methods accessed by shaft which will allow for the production of 2,000,000 tonnes per year of finished product. In order to achieve this production target it is estimated that 13.5 MMT of mineralized material (sylvinite) are required to be mined. The estimated life of the mine, considering both indicated and inferred, is approximately 40 years.

Tetra Tech prepared an economic analysis for the Holbrook Basin Project based on assumed design preparation and cost estimates. The analysis was prepared for a 13.5 Mtpy production scenario. The project operating costs are estimated at US$97/tonne. Total estimated initial capital cost for the Holbrook Basin Project, including indirect and contingency costs are estimated at US $1,334 million, over the initial 3 year pre-production period. Additional, incremental operating or sustaining capital will be required over the 40 year mine life and is estimated at a total cost of approximately US $643 million. Project economic analyses were performed on a before tax basis, with a base case assuming 85% mill recovery rate, an MOP
price of US$496/tonne ($450/ton) and a 10 percent discount rate. This base case resulted in a net present value (NPV) of US $3,818 million, an internal rate of return (IRR) of 39.7% and a payback period of approximately 2.1 years.

Project economics are most sensitive to variances in potash price. At a price of US$397/tonne ($360/ton) the project NPV declines to US$2,413 million compared to the base case NPV of US$3,818 million. On the other hand at a 20 percent higher price (US$595/tonne) the project NPV increases significantly to US$5,223 million.

Gravity data from San Pedro River basin

2011-12-21T19:46:00.000-08:00

The USGS has published a gravity data set for the San Pedro River basin in southeastern Arizona.

The report includes "relative and absolute gravity data at 321 stations in the San Pedro River Basin of southeastern Arizona since 2000. Data are of three types: observed gravity values and associated free-air, simple Bouguer, and complete Bouguer anomaly values, useful for subsurface-density modeling; high-precision relative-gravity surveys repeated over time, useful for aquifer-storage-change monitoring; and absolute-gravity values, useful as base stations for relative-gravity surveys and for monitoring gravity change over time. The data are compiled, without interpretation, in three spreadsheet files."

[Right, location of gravity stations in Upper San Pedro River Basin. From the USGS report]

Ref: Kennedy, J.R., Winester, D., 2011, Gravity data from the San Pedro River Basin, Cochise County, Arizona: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 2011–1287, 11 p. and data files, available at http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2011/1287/.

Congress agrees on USGS FY2012 appropriation

2011-12-21T12:13:00.000-08:00

Here is the text of the Joint Statement of Managers from the House/Senate conference for the Interior Appropriations bill for the 2012 fiscal year:
http://rules.house.gov/Media/file/PDF_112_1/legislativetext/HR1540crSOM/psConference%20Div%20E%20-%20SOM%20OCR.pdf

Of particular importance to State Geological Surveys is the restoration of the proposed budget to the National Geological & Geophysical Data Preservation Program. AZGS is currently receiving matching funds under this program to digitize and archive the historic mining and mineral resource files we inherited with the merger of the AZ Dept. of Mines & Mineral Resources. Also, some of the proposed cuts to the National Cooperative Geologic Mapping Program were restored. AZGS puts up matching funds to this competitive program, which is the primary geologic mapping effort in the state.

UNITED STATES GEOLOGICAL SURVEY
SURVEYS, INVESTIGATIONS, AND RESEARCH

The bill provides $1,069,744,000 for Surveys, Investigations, and Research of the U.S.
Geological Survey. The detailed allocation of funding by activity and sub-activity is included in the table at the end of this statement and comports with the requested budget structure realignment. Unless otherwise indicated below, the conferees have accepted the proposals for reductions resulting from Department-wide efficiencies, administrative savings, and Enterprise Publishing Network savings. A decrease of $2, 172,000 to the request has been assumed to reflect changes in the fmal fiscal year 20 II operating plan, which was not available at the time the request was submitted. Support for ecosystem restoration activities throughout the Survey's programs is maintained at the fiscal year 20 II enacted level. Additional changes to the request are specified below.

Ecosystems.-The bill provides $161,536,000 for Ecosystems activities. Increases above the
enacted level include $1,500,000 for The Chesapeake Bay Executive Order and $2,500,000 for the Great Lakes Asian Carp Control Framework. The conferees support the President's budget proposal to conduct an in-depth analysis of the extent and sources of endocrine disrupting chemicals impacting fish and wildlife in the Chesapeake basin.

Climate and Land Use Change.-The bill provides $144,320,000 for Climate and Land Use
Change programs. Within Climate Variability, changes to the request include decreases of$2,000,000 from Research and Development, and $6,460,000 from Science Support for DOl Bureaus. Carbon Sequestration is funded at $9,000,000.

Within Land Use Change, an increase of$11,500,000 is provided to complete funding for
Landsat 8 ground operations development. The conferees have not agreed with the proposal to create a separate "Land Imaging" account and have instead maintained funding for all satellite operations within this subactivity. Estimated administrative savings assumed in the proposed new account have been assumed within the Land Use Change account instead.

The conferees have not agreed to transfer budgetary authority for the launch of Landsat satellites 9 and 10 from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration to the Survey. Of the requested $48,000,000 increase for its implementation, the conferees have provided $2,000,000 for program development only. The conferees note that future requests for the project are estimated by the Administration to escalate to over $400,000,000 by fiscal year 2014. There is little doubt that resources will not be available within the Interior Appropriations bill to support these very large increases without decimating all other Survey programs. The conferees note that the launch of Landsat 9 is not scheduled until 2018. This allows time in the year ahead for all interested parties to re-examine how to proceed with future Landsat missions. In the conferees' view this would be a prudent step, inasmuch as the current budget proposal is based on a report from the Office of Science and Technology Policy issued in 2008,
and both technological advances and a vastly different economic environment may point to other, less costly, options for obtaining Landsat data.

Energy, Minerals, and Environmental Health.-The bill provides $96,368,000 for Energy, Minerals, and Environmental Health. The following amounts have been restored to ongoing programs that were proposed to be reduced in the request: $250,000 for the Minerals External Research Program; $5,000,000 for Minerals Resources; $1,000,000 for Energy Resources; $500,000 for Contaminants; and $2,500,000 for Toxic Substances Hydrology. An increase of $1,000,000 is provided for the New Energy Frontier initiative.

Natural Hazards.-The bill provides $134,696,000 for Natural Hazards. The conferees have not
agreed to proposed reductions in the request and have restored funds to the following programs:
$2,000,000 for Earthquake Grants; $1,800,000 for the 2012 Multi-Hazards Initiative; and $1,500,000 for the National Volcano E~ly Warning System. Decreases from the request include $800,000 from the 2011 Multi-Hazards Initiative, and $3,000,000 from Coastal and Marine Spatial Planning.

Water Resources.-The bill provides $214,996,000 for Water Resources. Funding has been
restored for the following programs that were proposed to be reduced in the request: $2,000,000 for Groundwater Resources; $6,049,000 for the National Water Quality Assessment Program; $1,963,000 for the Cooperative Water Program; and $6,500,000 for the Water Resources Research Act Program. A program increase of$2,846,000 above the request is provided for the National Streamflow Information Program. Decreases from the request include $2,500,000 from the WaterSMART initiative within Hydrologic Networks and Analysis. The conferees encourage the Survey to include with its fiscal year 2013 budget request a proposal to establish a national groundwater monitoring network as authorized by the Secure Water Act.

Core Science Systems.-The bill provides $106,849,000 for Core Science Systems. Increases to
the request include $998,000 for the National Geological and Geophysical Data Preservation Program to continue funding at the current year enacted level, and $1,500,000 for National Cooperative Geologic Mapping Federal and State Partnerships to partially restore the proposed reduction to that program. Decreases from the request include $500,000 from WaterSMART.

Administration and Enterprise Information-The bill provides $110,397,000 for Administration
and Enterprise Information. There is a decrease from the request of $5,920,000 for separation costs. This amount is significantly below what the Survey would need to implement its proposed reduction in force. If a similar plan is put forward in future budget requests, the conferees expect that sufficient funds will be requested for its implementation.

Facilities.-The bill provides $100,582,000 for Facilities. The conferees do not agree with the
administration's proposal to create a separate "Construction" line item within the budget and
consequently have maintained those funds within the "Deferred Maintenance and Capital Improvement" subactivity. In the conferees' view, the Survey has the authorities it requires to manage its facilities and space requirements within the current structure.

Interpretative award to Grand Canyon Trail of Time

2011-12-18T19:16:00.000-08:00

The Trail of Time at Grand Canyon National Park won the Wayside Media Award from the National Association for Interpretation, according to a story on KCSG tv in St. George, Utah.

From the National Park Service: "The Trail of Time is an interpretive walking timeline trail that focuses on Grand Canyon vistas and rocks to guide visitors to ponder, explore, and understand the magnitude of geologic time and the stories encoded by Grand Canyon rock layers and landscapes." [Right, view of Trail of Time segment. Credit, Mike Quinn, NPS]

"The concept of a scaled geologic walking trail, along the heavily-visited South Rim, was originally conceived in 1995 by Dr. Karl Karlstrom and Dr. Michael Williams as a way to improve geoscience interpretation at Grand Canyon and connect research advances to public geoscience education. In 2001 Dr. Karl Karlstrom and Dr. Laura Crossey began applying for funding from the National Science Foundation to implement the project. Major progress on the project started in 2006 when funding was obtained from the National Science Foundation Informal Science Education Program. Since then the Trail of Time has grown to include Dr. Steve Semken (at Arizona State University), Ryan Crow (at University of New Mexico), many partners at Grand Canyon National Park, professional exhibit designers at Jim Sell Designs, and professional evaluators at Selinda Research Associates, among others."

The National Association for Interpretation (NAI) is a not-for-profit professional association for those involved in the interpretation of natural and cultural heritage resources in settings such as parks, zoos, museums, nature centers, aquaria, botanical gardens, and historical sites.

Join an eclectic science outreach group for ideas, inspiration and networking

2011-12-18T14:09:00.000-08:00

"The Public Understanding of Science" – It's a phrase bandied around often enough, but it can mean different things to different people. What does it mean to you? We want to learn from you, whether you are a science communicator, educator, researcher or just have a hand in helping folks understand and appreciate science.

To provide you the opportunity to share your knowledge, experience, challenges (and even pain), we're organizing the First Annual COPUS (Coalition on the Public Understanding of Science) Invitational at the Biosphere 2 facility from March 16 to 18, 2012. We're styling the Invitational as an "UnConference." It's a think tank, networking event, showcase, forum and a celebration – all rolled into one. You'll be joining an eclectic group of folks from across the country who are passionate about sharing science with the public.

Participation is primarily by invitation but a small number of spaces have been reserved for open applications. The deadline for applications is January 15, 2012. (http://www.copusproject.org/what-is-the-copus.html)

In the spirit of the UnConference we are inviting attendees to drive the agenda. When you register, you'll be asked for your thoughts and opinions on the topics that you think would be most relevant to your interests.

We've invited several dozen dedicated and accomplished writers, artists, editors, teachers, and yes, scientists, to participate in this unique event. Together, we'll brainstorm on the challenges of helping a broader audience to realize the value of scientific thinking as well as the benefits science brings to their daily lives.

We don't have a strict mandate for the UnConference. Our goal is to provide attendees with ideas, inspiration and networking opportunities that will help them in their day-to-day work, outreach and professional aspirations. The event will provide interaction across domains of science outreach that don't normally interact but that need to. Collectively we will learn from each other and develop some key concepts around which to drive future thinking to increase the public understanding of science.

[I am a co-founder of COPUS and continue to serve on the COPUS Core. We're delighted to help organize and host the first national conference in Arizona]

Putting the Colorado City quakes in context

2011-12-17T19:23:00.001-08:00

Last week's cluster of small earthquakes near Colorado City just south of the Utah border, generated interest in this remote area. Lisa Linville, who recently joined AZGS as an earthquake seismologist, based in Flagstaff, has written a nice overview on our Groundswell blog, which focuses on earthquake topics.

I'm reproducing Lisa's map here. The 4 earthquakes from Dec. 12-13, ranged in magnitude from 1.7 to 3.1 (shown in orange; other historical quakes in open circles). This cluster falls in between the Sevier-Toroweap and Hurricane fault systems, both of which are active.

We're not ready to link the quakes to a specific fault. Similar clusters of quakes are not uncommon throughout the region, many not associated with any known faults.

These earthquakes are a reminder that there is a significant seismic hazard potential in northwestern Arizona.

New Research Opportunities in the Earth Sciences

2011-12-17T10:36:00.000-08:00

The National Research Council has released the preliminary copy of their report on New Research Opportunities in the Earth Sciences at the National Science Foundation, which can be read online.

NSF Earth Science Division Director Bob Detrich notes that this is the first “decadal” study of research opportunities across the earth sciences since the influential NRC Basic Research Opportunities in the Earth Sciences (BROES) report was published in 2001.

The new study noted that the BROES report "described how basic research in the Earth sciences serves five national imperatives: (1) discovery, use, and conservation of natural resources; (2) characterization and mitigation of natural hazards; (3) geotechnical support of
commercial and infrastructure development; (4) stewardship of the environment; and (5)
terrestrial surveillance for global security and national defense. This perspective is even
more pressing today, and will persist into the future, with ever-growing emphasis.
Today’s world—with headlines dominated by issues involving fossil fuel and water
resources, earthquake and tsunami disasters claiming hundreds of thousands of lives and
causing hundreds of billions of dollars in damages, profound environmental changes
associated with the evolving climate system, and nuclear weapons proliferation and
testing—has many urgent societal issues that need to be informed by sound
understanding of the Earth sciences."

The new NRO study covers these topics:

The Early Earth
Thermo-Chemical Internal Dynamics and Volatile Distribution
Faulting and Deformation Processes
Interactions among Climate, Surface Processes, Tectonics, and Deep Earth Processes
Co-evolution of Life, Environment, and Climate
Coupled Hydrogeomorphic-Ecosystem Response to Natural and Anthropogenic Change
Biogeochemical and Water Cycles in Terrestrial Environments and Impacts of Global Change
Facilities for Geochronology
Interagency and International Partnerships and Coordination
Training the Next Generation and Diversifying the Researcher Community

Potash companies active

2011-12-16T19:48:00.000-08:00

There's a bit of news on the Holbrook basin potash deposit. [Right, potash salt. Credit, USGS]

Passport Potash today cancelled a deal to acquire the mineral rights of NZ Legacy Resources, which comprise 50% of the HNZ Legacy potash lands. HNZ is a joint venture between NZ and Hunt Oil.

And two days ago, officials of American West Potash met with the REAL AZ Corridor regional economic development organization to describe their plans to begin permitting an underground potash mine starting in March 2012 and seek support of the local community. The Arizona (Holbrook) Journal offers a detailed report on the meeting, which says the company expects some opposition because of the juxtaposition of the potash and Petrified Forest National Park.

Another issue is likely to be potential use of and impacts on ground water, including from salt byproducts stored on the surface. AWP said they will probably give away the salt to highway departments.

AWP made the point that the proposed underground operation does not have the "endangered species, rivers, and streams" issues that have generated concerns over some proposed open-pit mines.

If I haven't said it before, I'm impressed with the depth and quality of coverage by the Arizona Journal on the potash play.

Arizona's copper production since 1912

2011-12-16T19:11:00.001-08:00

Arizona's eponymous 5 C's (copper, cattle, citrus, cotton, and climate) are not the same driving factors in the state's economy as they were a century ago when Arizona became a state. A set of feature stories by Cronkite News Service looks at each C over the past 100 years. The chart above right is greatly reduced from the story on copper. It tracks Arizona copper production since 1912 with corresponding values of annual production.

"Dirty Jobs" digs Utah dinosaurs

2011-12-15T20:24:00.001-08:00

Discovery Channel's Mike Rowe went to the field with Utah Geological Survey paleontologists to film an episode of "Dirty Jobs" for later broadcast. There are four 'sneak peek' video clips from the day digging for dinosaurs, posted online.

That's Utah's State Paleontologist Jim Kirkland in the blue jacket in the clip above.

[Cross-posted at State Geologists blog]

Aftershock to M3.1 quake

2011-12-15T09:00:00.000-08:00

It looks like there was an aftershock to Tuesday's M=3.1 quake south of Colorado City in northern Arizona. At 5:42 PM local time there was a magnitude 2.8 quake at about the same location. Technically it qualifies as an aftershock to the larger, preceding event.

[Right, location of aftershock - star - and historical seismicity in the region. Credit, USGS]

Gold prices take pounding

2011-12-15T07:23:00.000-08:00

The price of gold has dropped this week to below $1600 an ounce, down from $1800 in early November, amid predictions it could go lower in the short term.

The sell-off is attributed in part to year-end tax selling and profit-taking among other factors.

But some analysts are still predicting that long term, gold prices could set new records.

Silver also has taken a battering in recent weeks but industrial demands are causing some to predict a resurgence in prices.

My interview on GIS and the future of mining

2011-12-14T15:48:00.001-08:00

I am one of the speakers in the "GIS in Mining and Exploration Online Summit" that will be webcast in 11 parts over 2 weeks in January-February next year (by subscription only). My presentation will cover "How GIS Works as a User App for Digital Data Networks" and is based on AZGS work on the US Geoscience Information Network and the National Geothermal Data System. In preparation for that, the summit organizers at MiningIQ.com interviewed me about GIS and mining. The interview is now online and covers more than just the summit topic. [Right, photo credit NASA/JPL]

Here's my response to the question, "What’s ahead for the mining industry and mining companies in 2012 from your perspective?"

Growing populations, rising standards of living, global competitiveness, and developing technologies are driving up demands for traditional and less traditional minerals. Challenges to meeting these demands are less technological and more social and political. Debates over ‘environmental imperialism’ and ‘resource nationalism’ are prevalent in the leading economic powers as well as Third World countries. Concerns voiced over environmental impacts from mining by foreign-owned companies are raised in Arizona just as in Indonesia or Peru. The value and importance of mineral exports in any state or nations economy seems to be overshadowed by opposition to foreign investment if the products leave the country to benefit others. Similar fears don’t materialize about other export commodities such as an agricultural product that may require lots of water, add pesticides to the environment, or need subsidies to survive. This trend is likely to continue despite the economic downturn.

Top mining blogs

2011-12-14T15:46:00.001-08:00

MiningIQ.com recently compiled a list of their top 11 mining blogs, which prompted a spate of suggestions from readers for additions to the list. I'm familiar with some of these but there are a lot of ones new to us that sound interesting.

UA's HiView is like a "Google Mars"

2011-12-13T19:44:00.000-08:00

The UA HiRISE Mars camera team has developed a new viewer that allows you to "download high-resolution images of the Martian landscape almost instantaneously and explore the surface of the Red Planet" from your own desktops. HiView is like a Mars version of Google Earth. HiRISE images are typically gigabytes in size, but with the new viewer "users can select a portion of the image and download only that portion of the image, so the user doesn't have to wait hours for the entire image file to download."

Quake upgraded to M3.1

2011-12-13T19:20:00.000-08:00

This afternoon's earthquake that occurred 16 miles south of Colorado City is now being shown as magnitude of 3.1, versus the initial report of M=2.9. There is also one report of it being felt in Kanab, Utah. [Right, quake location from USGS]

Two small quakes )M=2.1, 1.7) occurred in the same area between 1 and 3 AM on Dec. 12.

Environmental Permitting Requirements for Potash Mining in the Holbrook Basin

2011-12-13T19:13:00.001-08:00

The Arizona Dept. of Environmental Quality has released an information sheet on Environmental Permitting Requirements for Proposed Potash Mining in the Holbrook Basin. The list includes air and water quality and waste disposal permits but cautions that "There are a variety of other ADEQ permits, approval and registrations which may come into play, depending upon site-specific needs and plans." Because no potash mining applications have been submitted, ADEQ says they are not "able to predict the precise environmental permitting requirements which may apply to such facilities."

Each permit is described as typically taking 6 months to a year to obtain, once all materials are properly submitted.

American West Potash has publicly stated its goal of having a mine in operation by January 2014. [Right, AZGS interactive map of potash corehole locations]

[Thanks to Kathy Hemenway for passing along the link to the ADEQ info sheet.]

Freeport signs labor deal for giant Grasberg mine in Indonesia

2011-12-13T16:03:00.001-08:00

There are reports that Phoenix-based Freeport McMoRan Copper & Gold signed an agreement today to end a strike at the Grasberg mine in Indonesia, the second largest copper mine in the world. Mineweb.com says the deal provides union workers about a 40% pay raise over 2 years. [Right, Grasberg mine. Credit, MetalNewsStream]

"Freeport had warned investors it may not achieve its fourth-quarter production and sales targets owing to the [3-month long] strike."

"The mine, in Indonesia's eastern Papua region, also has the world's biggest gold reserves and produces silver."

The news report looks at some of the economic and political factors in the strike and settlement.

Series of earthquakes south of Colorado City

2011-12-13T15:50:00.001-08:00

There was a magnitude 2.9 earthquake a few minutes ago (4:36 PM local time), 16 miles south of Colorado City in northern Arizona. This follows two smaller quakes that occurred in the early morning yesterday. A magnitude 2.2 event was recorded in about the same location at 1:03 AM on Dec. 12, followed by a magnitude 1.7 quake at 2:44 AM.

There were two similarly small quakes a few miles to the northeast on Dec. 8.

[Right, M2.9 quake in red. Others in yellow. Credit, USGS]

Arizona mining news

2011-12-12T19:51:00.000-08:00

Industry sentiment was generally upbeat at the annual SME Arizona conference which took place in Tucson last week. Among the tidbits (not all of which are new) are that at the planned Ray Mine expansion, Asarco is adding additional life to the Elder Gulch tailings, about 6-8 years worth depending on final elevation, by raising the dam height. At the same time, they are working on a 6-year project to permit and build a tailings facility about 4 miles southwest of the mine on 7,400 acres of land they plan to buy from Arizona State Lands on Ripsey Wash. The Ray Mine is currently assembling their 21st 400-ton Leibherr haul truck. Insiders know that mine manager Steve Holmes' legacy is the advancement of mine fleet data collection and use of the Ardvark drilling systems.

Moly Corp mentioned the recently acquired Santoku facility in Tollesin, Arizona is a key part of their rare earth vertical integration/magnet manufacturing strategy.

Additional drilling is increasing the size of the resource at Resolution Copper presently at 1.6 billion tons. Speculation is that the expanded area underlies the Oak Flat campground, which is part of the proposed land exchange recently approved by the U.S. House. A pre-feasibility study should be completed in 2012, and the feasibility study in 2014. First production is scheduled for 2021, with full production in 2026. The project is forecast to create 1400 direct and 2300 indirect jobs. The No. 10 shaft is now sunk 4860’ below the surface. Company officials describe the volume of the mineralized zone as about the size of nearby Picket Post Mountain. To mine the deposit will require that the equivalent of a typical 20-ton highway truck load be hoisted up the shaft every 15 seconds for 40 years.

And we hear that Asarco’s exploration chief Tom Simpson is leaving this week to go to work for Newmont in South America.

Meteor Crater LiDAR data available

2011-12-12T19:17:00.001-08:00

A LiDAR data set for Meteor Crater, Arizona is publicly available via the OpenTopography facility at the San Diego Supercomputer Center. The data were collected in March 2010 by the National Center for Airborne Laser Mapping (NCALM) with NSF funding.

The survey area is a rectangular polygon, roughly 5.44 km on a side, enclosing the Barringer Meteorite Crater and its ejecta blanket. The project area is located 60 km southeast of Flagstaff, AZ and 30 km west of Winslow, Az. The polygon has a surface area of 29.7 km²; the requirement indicates two point densities one for the crater walls and rim of 8 pts/ m², and one for the surrounding area of 4 pts/m².

Thanks to Chris Crosby at OpenTopography for passing along this info.

Editorial calls for restoring Water Resources budget

2011-12-12T18:50:00.000-08:00

Catching up on the news while I was out of town, I just read the Dec. 3 editorial in the Arizona (Phoenix) Republic, calling for restoring the state budget for the Arizona Dept. of Water Resources.

ADWR, like the rest of state agencies, has taken drastic budget cuts over the past four years, closing branch offices and reducing staff by about 2/3.

The Republic argues for restoring ADWR's budget to 2009 levels.

They conclude that The agency's director represents Arizona in negotiations over the Colorado River, which supplies more than a third of Arizona's water. To defend our interests, we need a strong team with the ability to do in-depth research. Arizona is particularly vulnerable because we have "junior status," part of the deal to get the Central Arizona Project. If shortages are declared, we lose all our allocation before California gives up a drop. [Right, Colorado River watershed]

My conversations with Legislators and state budget officials indicate that most everyone expects the Fiscal Year 2013 budget, which begins in July 2012, will be flat, even if revenues improve somewhat. Even if that were not the case, competition for any potential increased funds will be more than stiff, given the demands for education and social services.

UA finds meteorites trigger Mars dust avalanches

2011-12-12T17:44:00.000-08:00

Planetary scientists at University of Arizona report that the Mars Reconnaissance Orbit is revealing at least 20 new meteor craters, 1 to 50 meters wide, forming on the Red Planet every year. And the airborne shockwaves appear to be triggering thousands of dust avalanches in the areas surrounding the impact craters, according to Kaylan Burleigh at UA in a story in New Scientist describing results in a new journal article (Icarus, DOI: 10.1016/j.icarus.2011.10.026).

[Right, a "similar but more dramatic" dust avalanche on Mars. Credit, UA/JPL]

Small quake under Lake Mead

2011-12-12T11:10:00.000-08:00

It's been a while since we last saw an earthquake at Lake Mead, but another magnitude 2 event took place at 10:11 AM Nevada time this morning, near Boulder City. This one was just over the state line in Nevada but the epicenters for small quakes like this are not that precisely located. [Right, quake epicenter in red. Credit, USGS]

Polish company's bid for Quadra FNX includes Arizona's Carlota mine

2011-12-11T20:05:00.000-08:00

The state-owned Polish mining company KGHM has a deal to buy out Canadian-based Quadra FNX, including the latter's Carlota copper mine in Arizona. Business Week reports the price of $2.84 billion is the "largest overseas acquisition by a Polish company."

It was only last month that Quadra FNX announced it would 'wind down' production at Carlota due to higher costs and lower ore grades than expected. [Right, Carlota mine in 2008. Credit, Robert Shantz] The mine is in the Globe-Miami mineral district, southeast of Phoenix.

Mining Foundation of the SW, 2011 Hall of Fame

2011-12-11T19:23:00.000-08:00

The Mining Foundation of the Southwest's 2011 Hall of Fame was held in Tucson on Dec. 4, with guest of honor Laurence Golborne Riveros [right, credit MFSW], the current Minister of Public Works and former Bi-Minister of Mining and Energy for the Republic of Chile. He was honored for his leadership to develop new ways to encourage mining and mining policies in Chile and for his collaboration with industry, the mining support vendors, and local community during the dramatic rescue of 33 trapped miners at the San José Mine, in the Atacama Region in 2010, that captured the world's attention.

The 2011 Medal of Merit recipients were Ralph Sievwright and Marco T. Einaudi. Mr. Sievwright served as chief negotiator for Magma Copper in its labor negotiations for over 40 years and advised the company on mining law and compliance with complex environmental laws. "He is, and was, well-known as a leader in Arizona in these fields of law practice." Mr. Einaudi is "perhaps best known in Arizona for his synthesis of skarn deposits related to porphyry copper systems of southwestern North America."

A Special Citation was awarded to a group of companies that supported the Chilean mine rescue.

"For their impressive contributions, committed collaboration with each other and the Chilean government during the mine rescue, and for advancing underground mine rescue technology, the Mining Foundation of the Southwest acknowledges the companies listed below with a MFSW Special Citation."

Aries Central California Video
Atlas Copco
Center Rock Inc.
Drillers Supply International
Geotec Boyles Bros.,
Layne Christensen Company- Jeff Hart
NASA
Schramm Inc.
UPS
Zephyr Technologies

[excerpted from the MFSW announcement]

iPad tour of America's mountains by Arizona geologist

2011-12-11T18:46:00.000-08:00

Flagstaff geologist/photographer/pilot Michael Collier published a new iPad app last week, "Wonders of Geology: An Aerial View of America's Mountains" which is currently featured as a "new and noteworthy" selection. Publisher Mikaya Digital calls it "one of the most beautiful, informative geology applications yet created." For a quick preview, you can check out the trailer via their new official site (just click on the mountain image at the top right of the page).

Michael is author of 17 books on geology and recipient of awards from the U.S. Geological Survey, the National Park Service and the National Science Teacher’s Association. In 2005, he was named winner of the American Geological Institute’s Award for Outstanding Contribution to the Public Understanding of the Geosciences for his decades of work.

I saw UMass geology prof and private pilot Chris Condit at AGU in San Francisco last week. Chris and Michael have flown together for decades. Chris talked about flying with Michael over parts of the Appalachians to photograph some of this iPad app and how spectacular the final results are.

Founding of International Geo Sample Number organization

2011-12-11T15:15:00.001-08:00

The founding assembly of the International Geo Sample Number organization (IGSN) signed the non-profit incorporation papers in San Francisco on Wednesday during the AGU meeting. [Right, founding members and other attendees at the signing. IGSN President Kerstin Lehnert is right of me in the photo. Photo credit, Lamont-Doherty]

The IGSN is 9-digit alphanumeric code that uniquely identifies non-biological samples from our natural environment and related sampling features.

The following founding members signed the statutes of the organization and elected its Executive Board:

Arizona Geological Survey, USA
Boise State University, USA
City College of New York, USA
Leibniz Institute for Ocean Sciences GEOMAR, Germany
GeoForschungsZentrum Potsdam, Germany
Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, Columbia University, USA
Oregon State University, USA
Scripps Institution of Oceanography / UC San Diego, USA
University of Minnesota, USA

Membership of the CSIRO-Australia, Geoscience Australia, and the US Geological Survey is pending and expected to be completed shortly.

AZGS, acting on behalf of the Association of American State Geologists (AASG) is working with the USGS to establish a US naming authority for IGSN under the auspices of the AASG-USGS US Geoscience Information Network (USGIN). This would provide the service to any earth science organizations that don't want to set up their own authority or have too few samples to justify the effort.

The USGS already has over 2 million items in their incipient ScienceBase catalog, 90% of which are from state geological surveys.

Four new positions in Geoinformatics at AZGS

2011-12-10T15:17:00.000-08:00

We opened four new jobs in AZGS last week in time to announce them at the American Geophysical Union meeting in San Francisco. With 21,000 attendees and likely the largest geoinformatics gathering in the world, it's an ideal location to recruit. All 4 positions are posted at the AZGS Employment page:

IT Systems Support Specialist

Geoinformatics Content Specialist

Technology Transfer Specialist

Geosciences & Geospatial Client Applications Developer

Two small quakes near Kaibab along Utah border

2011-12-09T18:14:00.000-08:00

Two small quakes hit about 8 miles west of Kaibab, Arizona, just south of the Utah border, yesterday (Thursday). A magnitude 2.2 quake occurred just before noon, local time, followed a few hours later by a M=1.8 event. The area has historical seismic activity associated with the southern end of the Intermountain Seismic Belt. [right, quakes shown as small yellow boxes. Credit, USGS]

3,000 posts and more to come

2011-12-05T07:50:00.001-08:00

Well, I made my 3,000th post on this blog over the weekend. My blogging regimen has been a lot more irregular the past 6 months especially due to travel. But it's still fun and rewarding, so I plan to keep on blathering away.

In fact, I'm writing from San Francisco, where I got in last night for the American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting. AZGS staff are giving or co-authoring 11 talks and posters here this week, covering Geothermal Data, GeoSci markup language, post-wildfire debris flows, Peach Springs Tuff, federated data networks.

They expect 22,000 attendees at the meeting. We're doing our first-ever exhibit booth at the meeting, showcasing the State Geothermal Data project and the National Geothermal Data System.

I hope to be blogging from the meeting but between 2 talks, 2 posters, running the booth, formal committee and business meetings, and a lot of one on one confabs, it's going to be a frantic week.

Growing interest in Ground Source Heat Pumps

2011-12-01T20:26:00.000-08:00

There are about 700,000 Ground Source Heat Pumps (GSHP), also called Geothermal Heat Pumps, installed in the US, but the industry says the potential is for 100 million eventually. Every state in the country is suitable for GSHP, although the installations vary according to local soil moisture conditions and some other factors.

Yesterday, I co-led a workshop at the annual meeting and expo of the National Ground Water Association, in Las Vegas, that covered web-based information available from state geological surveys that are of particular value to water well drillers. A focus of our discussion was on data we are gathering nationwide on Ground Source Heat Pump factors for inclusion in the National Geothermal Data System. This includes installation reports, thermal conductivities, heat flow and gradients, soil moisture, among others.

Afterwards, I had some time to meet with geothermal experts in NGWA and the International Ground Source Heat Pump Association (IGSHPA). Both have training and accreditation or certification programs for drillers and installers of geothermal heat pumps. You can find lists online of those professionals in Arizona who are IGSHPA certified installers.

Potash mine in operation by 2014?

2011-12-01T19:50:00.000-08:00

The Holbrook Arizona Journal confirmed reports circulating that Denver-based American West Potash says it's possible they could have an underground potash mine in operation as soon as early 2014 in eastern Arizona. That's two years earlier than many expected any mine might be working. The newspaper cites Holbrook city officials as source of the news. [Right, location map with AWP and adjacent land holdings. Credit, AWP's NI-43-101 report]

The paper also states, "By March 2012, Avery plans to begin filing applications for permits with various regulatory and oversight agencies including the Arizona State Land Department, Arizona Department of Environmental Quality, and Arizona Department of Mines and Mineral Resources."

That latter reference is incorrect. The Dept. of Mines and Mineral Resources was merged into the AZGS in July but never had any regulatory or oversight duties. I suspect the reporter meant to refer to the State Mine Inspector.

In another story a few days ago, the paper published a nice summary of "What is Potash?" that also included a brief analysis of world developments.

And in related news, Mineweb.com published a piece by market analyst Rick Mills entitled, "Why the world's biggest miners like potash," with the subtitle, "The world's three largest mining companies are all investing heavily in the potash sector which suggests this bulk commodity has plenty of growth ahead." He summarizes the many global factors that underlie the demand for potash.

One factor I have not heard before is that "Just when we need more soil to feed the 10 billion people of the future, we'll actually have less-only a quarter of an acre of cropland per person in 2050, versus the half-acre we use today on the most efficient farms," according to David Montgomery, author of the 2007 book Dirt: The Erosion of Civilizations. That means more fertilizers may be needed to increase the productivity of remaining croplands.

Kinder Morgan to buy Arizona carbon dioxide - helium field

2011-11-28T08:56:00.000-08:00

A subsidiary of Kinder Morgan is buying the St. Johns Dome carbon dioxide and helium field in eastern Arizona and other properties from Enhanced Oil Resources Inc. (EOR), for $30 million, according to recent news reports.

EOR subsidiary Ridgeway Arizona Oil Corp. has been developing the field for a number of years, intending to use the CO2 for enhanced oil recovery projects in New Mexico and Texas. However, a worldwide shortage of helium has pushed the price high enough that it's become a valuable commodity as well.

In addition, Utah-based GreenFire Energy has a partnership with EOR for development of a CO2-based demonstration geothermal power plant near St. Johns Dome, using the CO2 from the field instead of steam to generate electricity. There's no immediate word on how the Kinder Morgan deal may affect this project. US DOE granted GreenFire $2 million towards testing the technology.

EOR CEO Barry Lasker is quoted as saying the financing of the St. Johns Dome project was "too onerous on a company of our size" so the expectations are that Kinder Morgan can bring the resources to bear to complete it.

The purchase is scheduled to close on Dec. 1.