Amazing sinkhole photos

 The Atlantic magazine pulled together a collection of amazing photos of sinkholes.  I sent the link around to colleagues and everyone's blown away.  

[Right, sinkhole formed by failure of sewer pipe in 1957.  Credit, Seattle Municipal Archives]

UA's HiRISE camera photographs Curiosity on Mars

Bad Astronomy blogger Phil Plait has annotated a new photo from the University of Arizona's HiRISE camera on the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter that shows in amazing detail the landing site, trackway, and the Curiosity rover itself.   I replicated Phil's labels below.  But you should read his post. to share his wonderment.

Arizona land subsidence report - 163 maps available online

The Arizona Department of Water Resources has released the first Land Subsidence Monitoring Report (Right.  Yellow areas define subsidence monitoring areas.  Credit, ADWR)   The Executive Summary explains:

In 1997, the Arizona Department of Water Resources created a land subsidence monitoring program. The  program initially focused on monitoring land subsidence in the east valley of the Phoenix Metropolitan area using survey - grade GPS equipment. In 2002, ADWR was awarded a 3-year $1.3 million NASA grant to expand the land subsidence monitoring program to include Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar data (InSAR).  Upon completion of the NASA grant in 2005, ADWR quickly migrated to a land subsidence program that primarily utilized InSAR data using GPS surveying to support the program. With the InSAR data, ADWR has identified more than 25 land subsidence features in Arizona, collectively covering more than 1,100 square miles of the state (Figure 1). In addition, the program now cooperates with 12 entities whose financial assistance allows the Department to fund the InSAR data collection. ADWR provides land subsidence maps for download from ADWR’s website. As of May 2013, 163 land subsidence maps are available for download and are used on a daily basis by geologists, hydrologists, engineers, planners, surveyors, floodplain managers, GIS analysts, and water resources managers.

Assessing Yarnell post-fire flood and debris flow hazards

AZGS geologists Ann Youberg and Phil Pearthree have been working with state and federal colleagues around the Yarnell wildfire area to assess the potential for flooding and debris flows.   Burned over areas are more susceptible because monsoon rains are not slowed by vegetation.

The teams are examining areas most at risk, so rain gauges and automatic warning systems can be installed to warn residents downslope of potential risks.    When rainfall exceeds certain rates, floods  are more likely and in areas with debris-laden channels, debris flows can be initiated. [Right, Yarnell Hill fire area.  Credit, Arizona State Forester]

In addition, they have been in frequent contact with Yavapai Co., Arizona Division of Emergency Management (ADEM), and Arizona Dept. of Water Resources (ADWR) staff.  Our debris flow expert Ann Youberg was in the field with a team from the USGS Water Science Center to try to collect some ground LiDAR data in at least one watershed upstream from Yarnell.

SR 89 climbs up the west side of the Weaver Mountain - the Yarnell grade. Several small steep washes that cross the older, west-bound lane of this divided highway have clear evidence of past debris flows, including medium to large boulders and scoured chutes above the highway crossings. These watersheds were partially burned, but the burned parts are the steepest upper slopes. Extra runoff is expected, and that could cause some issues for the West-bound lane. If the area is unfortunate enough to experience a slightly out-of-the-ordinary storm (something like a 5-yr storm), then there is a reasonable chance that these drainages could have debris flows that would impact the highway. 

We're keeping our counterparts at ADOT and other agencies apprised of our findings.

AZGS wins Governor's Tourism Award for Preservation

AZGS received the Arizona Preservation Award at the 2013 Governor’s Tourism Award Gala, for the Arizona Experience website.   The award is presented to the "individual, organization, or community that has made the most significant contribution toward the preservation of some aspect of the natural, cultural, or aesthetic legacy of Arizona." [Right, AZ Experience editor Rowena Davis and me at the gala]

Thanks and congratulations to the whole Arizona Experience team: Rowena Davis, Stephanie Mar, Arnie Bermudez, Randi Bellasai, Mike Conway, and many others on the staff who contribute.