Land exchange bill for copper mine filed in U.S. House

Arizona Congressman Paul Gosar introduced legislation in the U.S. House to effect the land exchange needed by Resolution Copper to develop its huge underground mine near Superior. Rep. Gosar's two predecessors, Ann Kirkpatrick and Rick Renzi had also pushed for similar indicted over his involvement in related land deals and the bill was tainted by association. [right, parcels in the land exchange. Credit, Resolution Copper]

The Hill newspaper reports that "One of the main differences between Gosar and Kirkpatrick's bills is that the Republican's requires an environmental impact assessment to be done after the land is conveyed to Resolution Copper, a subsidiary of Rio Tinto and BHP-Billiton, rather than before."

The Resolution copper mine will be an underground operation, expected to meet up to 20% of the nation's copper needs for 30-40 years.

Data sharing agreement signed

We concluded the signing yesterday of a Working Agreement between AZGS, on behalf of the AASG-USGS Geoscience Information Network (GIN), and the Western Regional Partnership (WRP).

The Western Regional Partnership (www.wrpinfo.org) was established to create a regional senior policy level partnership among the Department of Defense (DoD), other Federal agencies, and State and Tribal executive leadership in the states of Arizona, California, Nevada, New Mexico and Utah. The primary mission is to identify common goals and emerging issues, and to develop solutions that support WRP Partners and protect natural resources, while promoting sustainability, homeland security and military readiness.

Under the agreement, the two groups will work together to build a distributive online open source data network, associated web mapping service catalogs, and increase use of the data portfolio with reputable and authoritative web mapping services. In addition, the groups will coordinate efforts to ensure performance standards between GIN and the WRP mapping application while collaborating on system design, web applications, data models, and content. GIN and WRP will continually work together to avoid duplication of data by establishing or adopting methodologies for assigning uniform unique identifiers to data items and datasets, and ensure that uniform metadata are associated with these resources.

The WRP online Web Mapping Application is building a central GIS repository of an expected 10,000 land use and land management data layers for the region, with 3,500 layers already submitted to the WRP catalog. AZGS will work with WRP staff to link the repository with GIN and develop shared services and applications. The WRP data sets will also feed into the National Geothermal Data System (NGDS) to support geothermal exploration, development, and planning and management activities by industry and government. DoD will fund the WRP work, AZGS will do our work as part of the State Geothermal Data Project.

ASU-NASA photo archive celebrates 50th anniversay of Alan Shepherd's first flight into space

ASU announced last week that "On 5 May 1961, Alan Shepard became the first American in space aboard the Freedom 7 spacecraft. To celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of this milestone, the NASA Johnson Space Center (JSC) and the School of Earth and Space Exploration at ASU have released the Project Mercury Online Digital Archive. In this new digital archive, high-resolution scans of the raw and enhanced versions of the original Mercury flight films are available to both researchers and the general public, to browse or download, at: http://tothemoon.ser.asu.edu/ [right, image from Mercury mission #4 taken on Sept. 13, 1961 is just one of the many images that was written on by engineers. Credit: NASA/JSC/Arizona State University]

"Between 1960 and 1963, NASA launched numerous unmanned and six manned Mercury flights. To record their historic voyages and collect scientific observations from Earth’s orbit, astronauts snapped nearly 2,000 photographs in 70 mm format with handheld and automated cameras. Many of the images (specifically those from the unmanned flights) were taken with cameras mounted on brackets looking out the window on a timer. Robinson’s team assembled these into movies and they are posted on the webpage also.

The collection of scanned images, most taken with the Swedish designed Hasselblad 500c camera that was first introduced in 1957 and renowned for its clarity, are now available in high-resolution for scientists, engineers and the public."

[taken in part from the ASU announcement]

Grand Canyon archeology exhibit

A new exhibit opened last week at the Historic Kolb Studio at the Grand Canyon titled, "Grand Archaeology: Excavation and Discovery along the Colorado River."

"Grand Canyon is a cultural homeland for many Native American people. Only five percent of the park’s 1.2 million acres has been surveyed for archaeological sites, and very few have been excavated.

These ancient sites hold deep significance for present-day indigenous people. Between 2006 and 2009, Grand Canyon National Park joined with the Museum of Northern Arizona for the park’s largest excavation project in nearly 40 years. During that time, teams of archeologists excavated nine sites along the Colorado River. Their findings revealed important new stories about the lives of the people who made the Grand Canyon their home. In this exhibit, you will experience the stories the archeologists uncovered. This exhibit is sponsored by Grand Canyon National Park, the Museum of Northern Arizona, and Grand Canyon Association."

It's open to the public April 30 – September 7, 2011.

Contrasting views of uranium mining in Arizona

I read two articles today about uranium mining in Arizona - one talking about mining companies as investments, the other about the environmental fears over mining.

A story on Uranium Investing News says Denison Mines is expected to produce 209 tonnes of uranium from its northern Arizona mines in 2011 (only the Arizona #1 mine is producing, the others are waiting on permits). They also say BLM had received 276,000 public comments on the draft EIS to shut down exploration and mining for 20 years, a much higher number than we've heard.

Meanwhile, Cronkite News Service distributed a lengthy story on the northern Arizona withdrawal, focusing on concerns by mining opponents. There are non-subtle clues as to the tone of the story in the title of "radioactive mining" in the video clip and the use of breathing masks around mining operations.

Solar power tower

A plan to build half-mile tall solar towers in the Arizona tower took a step closer to reality with the announcement that "Southern California Public Power Authority (SCPPA) has taken a call option to purchase the first of two EnviroMission 200MW (megawatt) Solar Tower power stations planned for development in La Paz County, Arizona."

Phoenix-based EnviroMission announced last fall that it had two land applications with the Arizona State Land Dept., each total 5,500 acres (2225.85 hectares) "suitable in size for development of a 200Mw Solar Tower power station respectively."

The solar tower funnels air heated in a mile-diameter green house up the 2,500 tall tower, turning turbines along the way that generate electricity. [right, that's the Empire State Bldg at left in the figure. Credit, EnviroMission]

AZGS now has an Amazon.com storefront

The most popular AZGS publications can be purchased online at our new Amazon storefront. Only 60 or so of our books and reports are for sale via Amazon, but we expect to add more soon and eventually make all our products available this way.

Selected AZGS publications have long been on sale at national parks and monuments around Arizona, but our new marketing director, Randi Bellasai, has expanded our retail sales at popular Tucson area bookstores including Antigone Books and Bookmans.

Revamped AZ Oil & Gas Commission web site offers more info

The Arizona Oil & Gas Conservation Commission website has a new look and improved functions. The Commission members are appointed by the Governor to regulate drilling and production of oil, natural gas, geothermal, helium, and CO2 [right, exploration drilling in the Picacho basin]

The new site includes all drilling permits, now readily found by company name or permit date as well as the permit number. Monthly production reports from Arizona wells go back to their beginnings.

The Commission has had no paid staff since the early 1990s (due to previous budget cuts) so the AZGS has been tasked to provide the technical and administrative staffs to carry out the Commission's duties. AZGS maintains the web site as well.

The Commission has been busy lately permitting potash exploration coreholes in the Holbrook basin because the holes penetrate potential oil and gas-bearing zones, making them subject to Commission oversight.

AZGS Spring online newsletter published

The Spring 2011 issue of Arizona Geology was posted online this afternoon. The feature article looks at new and old earth fissures in Cochise County and includes a spectacular photo gallery from AZGS geologists Joe Cook and Mike Mahan. One advantage of our electronic-version of the newsletter is the ability to offer extensive color photo coverage. [right, earth fissure in Sulphur Hills area, Cochise Co., AZ. Credit, AZGS]

Other topics include an update on Arizona earthquake activity, CO2 sequestration potential in Cenozoic basins, SciNews earth science education, new geothermal data collection projects.

ASU to run EarthScope program

Late this afternoon, we got the news that "Arizona State University has been selected by the National Science Foundation (NSF) as the new host university for the EarthScope National Office." This is a flagship program not only for the geosciences but for NSF overall. The selection of ASU to host the national office carries prestige and impacts well beyond the monetary value of the contract.

A press release describes:

The EarthScope program centers on exploration and discovery of the 4-D structure and evolution of the North American continent, but also encompasses studies of Earth structure and dynamics throughout the planet. The rotating, university-based national office, established through a four-year nearly $2.4 million grant, facilitates scientific planning and coordinates education and outreach efforts for the EarthScope community.

EarthScope is an NSF program that deploys thousands of seismic, GPS, and other geophysical instruments to contribute to our understanding of our dynamic Earth, North America specifically, and the processes that cause earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. These instruments installed across the United States measure the motion of Earth’s surface, record seismic waves, and recover rock samples from depths at which earthquakes originate. These instruments along with EarthScope’s high resolution topography and geochronology efforts provide an unprecedented amount of geophysical and geological data to address the processes that formed and continue to shape North America. Their analysis is conducted by the EarthScope community in remarkably interdisciplinary ways.

A team of ASU geoscientists from the School of Earth & Space Exploration (SESE) will manage this huge national program, with Ramon Arrowsmith as Director. "Steve Semken will be the deputy director in charge of leading new education and outreach activity for EarthScope. SESE professors Ed Garnero and Matt Fouch will serve as EarthScope principal investigators. Wendy Taylor is also a principal investigator and will be the education and outreach (E&O) program coordinator. Several other ASU researchers with geoscience backgrounds also will be involved, as will undergraduate and graduate students and postdoctoral scholars."

Competitive leasing for uranium on federal lands?

The latest Government Affairs report from the American Geological Institute offers this updates:

Representatives Ben Ray Lujan (D-NM) and Martin Heinrich (D-NM) introduced the Uranium Resources Stewardship Act (H.R. 1452) to manage uranium mining on federal lands through a competitive leasing program and to impose a 12.5 percent royalty on uranium. Under current law, the General Mining Act of 1872, companies do not pay royalties for minerals taken from public lands. Advocates for the bill say companies are not paying for cleanup and reclamation costs. Mining companies are opposed to any new measure that requires added fees. Senator Jeff Bingaman (D-NM) introduced similar legislation in 2009, but the bill did not advance in the Senate.

Proposal for federal-state assessment of helium, potash resources

Draft legislation from Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) on critical minerals would call for comprehensive assessments on critical minerals including rare earths, helium, and potash [right, USGS]. Arizona has rich deposits of the latter two and exploration efforts are underway in a few locations for rare earths.

The deadline for comment was Friday for comments on the "draft of legislation to revitalize the nation’s critical materials supply chain.

Jeff Doebrich, acting head of the USGS Mineral Resources Program forwarded a copy of the review copy. Two sections stood out that call for the U.S. Interior Dept. (home of the USGS) to work with state geologists on helium and potash. A number of companies are drilling in Arizona's Holbrook basin to explore a potash deposit that could hold 1/4 of the U.S. resource base. In the St. John's area, Ridgeway Arizona Petroleum Co. has been developing a helium-CO2 field in preparation for production.

The Murkowski legislation proposes having DOI:

(1) in coordination with appropriate heads of State geological surveys, complete a comprehensive national helium gas assessment that identifies and quantifies the quantity of helium in each reservoir, including assessments of the constituent gases found in each helium resource, such as carbon dioxide, nitrogen, and natural gas; and

in coordination with appropriate heads of State geological surveys, shall complete a comprehensive national potash assessment that—

(1) identifies and quantifies known potash deposits; and

(2) provides a quantitative assessment of the location and size of undiscovered potash deposits throughout the United States using all available public and private information and data sets.

(b) Drilling Program.—As part of the assessment under this section, the Secretary may carry out a drilling program to supplement the geological data applicable to determining the existence of potash.

Funding approved to digitize mining & mineral resource records

The Arizona Geological Survey has been chosen for an award of $41,529 to inventory, catalog, and start digitizing the extensive mining and mineral resource files amassed by the Arizona Dept. of Mines and Mineral Resources (ADMMR). AZGS is temporarily managing the assets of ADMMR following their bankruptcy in January. Gov. Brewer signed legislation formally consolidating the two agencies, effective July 1, 2011.

The funding will come from the U.S Geological Survey’s (USGS’s) National Geological and Geophysical Data Preservation Program (NGGDPP) and requires matching funds from AZGS.

The Arizona Legislature appropriated $100,000 in one-time funds to help scan and digitize the ADMMR records, which we expect will be a 3-year effort or longer.

Arizona Legislative Mining Caucus formed

A group of six Arizona state legislators, 3 representatives and 3 senators, have formed the Arizona Legislative Mining Caucus. According to a letter sent to other legislators on Friday, "The bi-partisan Arizona Legislative Mining Caucus will be a forum to educate legislators about the value of the Arizona mining industry and to create sound legislative policies to support the continued vibrancy of the industry. As a member of the Caucus we will pledge to protect and enhance the viability of the mining industry as an economic engine to our great state." [right, AZGS minerals map]

The first meeting of the caucus is scheduled for June 9 in Tucson, with a Phoenix meeting to be scheduled then. The signers are Senators Al Melvin, Sylvia Allen, and Steve Smith, and Representatives Frank Pratt, Russ Jones, and Terri Proud.

In the invitation letter, the organizers make these points:

COPPER in 2010:
• 73,100 Arizona residents had jobs in 2010 as a result of direct and indirect contributions by the copper mining industry
• Provided direct payments of more than $194 million to state and local governments in taxes and fees
• Provided 10,400 direct jobs throughout our state
• Personal income to those workers and retirees amounted to more than $970 million
• Other Arizona businesses received nearly $7.9 billion through direct and indirect payments

AGGREGATES in 2010:
• ARPA member companies employ 6,124 workers who provide materials for an additional 112,361 workers in the Arizona construction industry.
• payrolls totaled $552.6 million and taxes and fees paid to state, local, and federal governments totaled $98.9 million.
• industry purchases of goods, services, materials, and supplies from other Arizona businesses were $956.2 million.
• direct output, production and deliveries of the Arizona Rock Products industry was $1.6 billion and the total economic impact was $2.9 billion.
• this information is based on a 61% reduction of output since 2006 due to the current economic conditions.

COAL: The coal mining industry provides over 400 direct jobs in northeastern Arizona. The coal industry injected nearly $109 million into Arizona in 2010. Tribal economies have benefited from $92 million while the State of Arizona and Navajo County have received a combined $17 million in annual taxes.

GEMSTONES: Arizona is the 3rd largest gemstone producing state (est. $2 million)

GOLD: Copperstone Gold will restart production in 2011, and Gold Road Mine started production in August 2010.

POTASH: Although potash mining is not currently being done in Arizona, the Holbrook Basin is estimated to have a reserve of 1 billion tons of potash.

PUMICE: Arizona is the leading producer of pumice and pumicite, leading 6 other states (est. value in 2009 was $5 - $6 million.)

URANIUM: Uranium mining resumed in late 2009 at Denison Mines Arizona-1 Mine in the world class Northern Arizona Uranium District. According to the US Geologic Survey, the district contains an estimated 326 million pounds of uranium—40% of the nation’s undiscovered resource. Mining this uranium would have enormous economic impacts, such as:

• 1,000+ new jobs in Coconino and Mohave Counties
• $40 million annually from payroll
• $14 billion in output over the next 20 years
• $952 million in federal and state corporate income taxes
• $80 million in state severance taxes

Copper rebounds after brief drop to 5 month low

The chaos in the commodities markets dropped copper prices to their lowest level since December but they bounced up on Friday, amid expectations that global demands in the next year will push supplies. In contrast to gold prices which are subject to much speculative forces, copper is generally viewed as an indicator of economic growth.

Arizona produces about 2/3 of the copper used in the U.S. [photo credit, Freeport McMoRan]

What is the water source for Montezuma's Well sinkhole?

The National Park Service says the source of the water in Montezuma's Well, a flowing sinkhole in Arizona's Montezuma Castle National Monument, is poorly known.

A new report from the USGS notes:

Water emerges from the middle limestone facies of the lacustrine Verde Formation, but the precise origin of the water and its travel path are largely unknown. Some have proposed artesian flow to Montezuma Well through the Supai Formation, which is exposed along the eastern margin of the Verde Valley and underlies the Verde Formation. The groundwater recharge zone likely lies above the floor of the Verde Valley somewhere to the north or east of Montezuma Well, where precipitation is more abundant.

But the report concludes that more info is needed to test these conceptual ideas.


Ref: Johnson, R.H., DeWitt, Ed, Wirt, Laurie, Arnold, L.R., and Horton, J.D., 2011, Water and rock geochemistry, geologic cross sections, geochemical modeling, and groundwater flow modeling for identifying the source of groundwater to Montezuma Well, a natural spring in central Arizona: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 2011–1063, 62 p.

Havasu Canyon open to visitors again

The Havasupai Tribe announced today that Havasu Canyon is re-opened to visitors and campers, after being closed since last October due to flooding.

However, they caution that "Havasu Canyon is a fragile environment and is subject to flash floods. Some areas in the canyon are OFF-LIMITS to visitors due to continuing repair work or unstable ground condition. Immediate closure of the canyon is possible at any given time during your visit. Visitors to Havasu Canyon assume all risks while in the canyon and should come prepared."

Mining & Mineral Museum closes for conversion to centennial centerpiece

The Arizona Mining & Mineral Museum in Phoenix shut down yesterday, according to blogger Dick Zimmerman, about a month earlier than many expected, to start its conversion to the tentatively named "Arizona Experience" in celebration of the Arizona Centennial in 2012.

The museum is expected to re-open in Fall 2012.

The Flagg Foundation and others who have minerals on loan to the museum began removing them last week in preparation for the remodeling.

UA reports 100 crater-forming meteorite hits per year on Mars

Catching up on my journals, I see that UA planetary scientist Ingrid Daubar and her colleagues used cameras on the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter to determine that Mars gets hit with 100 new crater-f0rming meteorites hits per year. [right, "locations of 189 newly discovered recent impact sites on Mars. The majority of sites are in areas of high dust cover." Credit, LPSC]

The results were presented at the Lunar & Planetary Science Conference outside Houston in March.


Ref: NEW CRATERS ON MARS AND THE MOON. I. J. Daubar,1 A. S. McEwen, 1 S. Byrne, 1 C. M. Dundas1, A. L. Keske, 1 G. L. Amaya, 1 M. Kennedy2, and M.S. Robinson.3 1Lunar & Planetary Laboratory, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, 85721 (ingrid@lpl.arizona.edu), 2Malin Space Science Systems, PO Box 910148, San Diego, CA, 92191, 3School of Earth and Space Exploration, Arizona State University, Box 871404, Tempe, AZ, 85287.

AAPG honors Ron Blakey

Ronald Blakey, professor of geology at Northern Arizona University, was honored by the American Association of Petroleum Geologists at their annual meeting with the "Geosciences in the Media" award for the significant contributions he makes through his web site.

Ron's web page at the NAU is being transferred to a new site, Colorado Plateau Geosystems, Inc.