ASU's Center for Meteorite Studies marks 50 years

The Center for Meteorite Studies at Arizona State University celebrates its 50 years of cutting edge meteoritical research, as well as building world class meteorite collection on Friday, October 21.

The Center is offering a free evening lecture Friday night by Tim McCoy from the Smithsonian, on the NASA Dawn mission to asteroid 4 Vesta. When I checked a few minutes ago, a few tickets were still available. Go to http://cmsanniversary.eventbrite.com/.

[left bottom photo credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/ UCLA/MPS/DLR/IDA]

CMS is home to the world's largest university-based meteorite collection.

Report is upbeat on Holbrook basin potash potential

The potash resource assessment for American West Potash's holdings in the Holbrook basin is now available online. [right, location map from the report showing the AWP lands in yellow, relative to the potash limits in red] They report Indicated Resources on the company's 94,000 acres at 158 million metric tonnes of sylvinite, with about 16 MMT of K2O; and Inferred Resources of 560 MMT of sylvinite with just over 66 MMT of K2O. The 100-page study concludes:

• AWP’s Project Area, when compared to other sedimentary basins hosting potash deposits, exhibits several positive factors that make it favourable for further potash exploration, resource delineation, and possible mine development.
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• The resource calculated at this time for the Project Area appears to be sufficient enough to support further detailed resource, process and PEA studies.
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• Potash resources appear to be of comparable grade, thickness and with low impurities, such as insolubles and carnallite, when compared to Intrepid’s Carlsbad Mine.
• The potash beds in the Project Area occur at relatively shallow depths, less than 551 m (1600 ft).
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• Seasonal climate variations are minimal compared to Canadian and Russian potash operations which lower operation costs.
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• Unlike other parts of the world where potash is mined, there is no competition with the Oil and Gas industry in the Holbrook Area (Rauzi S. L., 2008).
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• The Project Area is close to very large, year round potash markets in Arizona, California and Mexico. The US imports more than 80 % of the potash it consumes and is the second largest consumer of potash in the world. The Project Area is close to four international export ports.
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• The state of Arizona supports the development of its mineral resources, works closely with the mining industry and has a favourable potash royalty structure.
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• The Project Area is in close vicinity to infrastructure including rail, major highways, gas and power.
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• The infill drilling program and additional exploration work should focus in the north central part of the Project Area. The historical work conducted by Rauzi (Rauzi S. L., 2008) and the updated potash isopach figures shown in Section 7.1 suggests that the potash may be of better quality in that part of the Project Area.

Public meetings rescheduled on Rosemont copper mine EIS

This announcement just in from the U.S. Forest Service:

Two public meetings regarding the Rosemont Copper Project Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) will be rescheduled. The first and last meetings, scheduled to be held at the Desert Diamond Conference Center in Sahuarita, Arizona on October 22 and January 7, have been postponed and will be rescheduled.

The Coronado National Forest will soon accept public comments on the DEIS in a variety of formats. Six public meetings have been scheduled for informational and comment sessions.
Since the original planning for the meetings, it has come to Forest personnel’s attention that several meetings scheduled conflict with local events occurring on the same dates. To prevent
potential conflicts, the Forest is rescheduling meetings as needed.

The October 22 meeting, in Sahuarita, will be rescheduled to avoid potential conflicts with the National Park Service, Saguaro National Park’s BioBlitz, a major event with widespread community and interagency involvement. (Coronado National Forest volunteers will be among those who participate in the event.) To avoid potential conflicts for citizens who wish to attend the BioBlitz event and also participate in the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) process regarding the Rosemont Copper Project DEIS, the meeting will be rescheduled at a later date, to be announced.

The January 7 meeting, in Sahuarita, will be rescheduled to avoid potential conflicts with the daylong "Beyond" event to commemorate and celebrate those injured and lost on January 8, 2011 in Tucson. (The event includes activities at various locations including the Sabino Canyon
Recreation Area on the Coronado National Forest.) With respect for the victims and those
affected by what transpired that day, and to avoid potential conflicts for those who wish to
participate in the Beyond event and the NEPA process regarding the Rosemont Copper Project
DEIS, the Coronado will reschedule the meeting at a later date, to be announced.

The November 5 public meeting in Elgin, Arizona has already been rescheduled to December 10
to avoid potential conflicts with the Empire Ranch Foundation’s 11th Annual Roundup in Sonoita
Arizona.

The DEIS is available online at www.RosemontEIS.us . Citizens are encouraged to review this
document before submitting comments. Although comments may be submitted in many ways,
citizens need only provide comments once for them to receive full consideration. The 90-day
comment period is expected to begin on October 22, following publication of the Environmental
Protection Agency’s Notice of Availability of the DEIS in the Federal Register.

The Coronado National Forest is planning to host the following public meetings to share
information about and take comments on the DEIS. Each meeting will include both
informational sessions and comment sessions. Oral statements made during the comment session will be recorded. Written comments will also be taken at the meetings. Citizens do not need to be present at any meetings to comment on the DEIS. Requirements for commenting may be found at 36 Code of Federal Regulations Part 215.

October 22, 2011, 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. TO BE RESCHEDULED

November 12, 2011, 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Palo Verde High School, 1302 S. Avenida Vega, Tucson, AZ

November 19, 2011, 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Empire High School, 10701 E. Mary Ann Cleveland Way, Tucson, AZ

December 7, 2011, 5:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
Benson High School, 360 S. Patagonia Street, Benson, AZ

December 10, 2011, 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Elgin Elementary School, 23 Elgin Rd., Elgin, AZ

January 7, 2012, 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. TO BE RESCHEDULED

Brief oral comments can be made by calling toll-free (888) 654-6646.
Comments may be submitted electronically on the project website at www.RosemontEIS.us by
following the link to “Commenting on the DEIS.”

Written comments may be mailed to: Rosemont Comments, P.O. Box 4207, Logan, UT 84323.
Written comments may also be submitted by facsimile to (435) 750-8799 and by electronic mail
(e-mail) to CoronadoNF@RosemontEIS.us . 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).

For questions or special needs regarding the public meetings or the comment period, the public
may call (520) 388-8300 voice or (520) 388-8304 TTY.

Additional information about the Rosemont Copper Project DEIS is available online at
www.RosemontEIS.us .

Small quake near Lake Mead this morning

A magnitude 2.1 earthquake occurred at 9:03 am local time south of Lake Mead and east of Boulder City, NV, according to the USGS.

Unanimous vote to continue AZGS for 10 years

The Arizona Legislature's Committee of Reference voted unanimously this afternoon to endorse continuation of the Arizona Geological Survey for 10 years, the maximum allowed by law. The recommendation will be drafted into legislation that will be presented to the full Legislature in January.

AZGS's statutory authority expires on June 30, 2012, and the public hearing today was to decide whether to renew, terminate, or merge the Survey.

Our stakeholder community showed up in force to testify in support of continuing the Survey. They described the value of the data and reports we provide to industry, government, and academia, and the responsiveness of the Survey in meeting stakeholder needs.

Senator Jack Jackson commented that the large outpouring of support for the Survey made it easier for the Committee to come to their decision. He noted that no other agencies going through their own Sunset Reviews had this kind of public support from their constituencies.

So, thanks to all of you who spoke up on our behalf. And thanks to the staff of AZGS for the tremendous work they do, to meet the needs of Arizona and its people. We will continue to work hard to earn your respect, protect our communities from natural hazards, and pursue wise development of our resources for economic growth.

Small quake near Fredonia

A small earthquake of magnitude 1.6 was recorded 7 miles southeast of Fredonia near the Utah border, on Saturday, just before noon. [right, location map from the USGS]

Public hearing on the future of the Arizona Geological Survey

The Arizona Legislature invites public comment on whether the Arizona Geological Survey should continue, be terminated, or consolidated with another agency. This is the final step in the normal Sunset Review for all state agencies and boards. AZGS was last given a renewal 10 years ago, that expires June 30, 2012. A public hearing is scheduled for 1:30 pm, Monday, Oct. 17 at the State Senate in Phoenix. The AZ Dept. of Game & Fish Commission Sunset Review is up first, with AZGS expected to be considered around 2:30 pm.

A 10-member Legislative Committee of Reference is co-chaired by Sen. John Nelson and Rep. Kate Brophy-McGee. The Committee has until Dec. 1 to make their recommendations to the full Legislature, which will then be considered during the regular session beginning in January. However, it appears likely that the Committee will take action on Monday as to the future of AZGS.

Pima County expenditures to oppose Rosemont copper mine

Pima County has reportedly spent over $65,000 on external "studies, analyses and a three-dimensional model" of the proposed Rosemont copper mine in the Santa Rita mountains southeast of Tucson, as part of their opposition to the project, according to the Green Valley News. This does not include the salaries and other costs of the county staff assigned to fight the mine. [right, location map courtesy Rosemont Copper]

The Forest Service Environmental Impact Statement [EIS] is expected to be released for public comment late this month.

UA's George Davis publishes new version of popular structural geology text

An updated version of the widely used text "Structural Geology" by UA geosciences professor emeritus George Davis was unveiled yesterday by its publisher John Wiley at the Geological Society of America annual meeting in Minneapolis.

The previous edition of the book was published 16 years ago. The new edition should be available by mid-November.

USGS Director lays out critical need for State Geological Surveys

Marcia McNutt, Director of the USGS, told the AASG mid-year meeting attendees that the USGS needs to weigh in on the unprecedented challenges facing state geological surveys. She specifically called out the threats to shut down the Louisiana Geological Survey, saying if there was any state that has the needs for dynamic geological survey, it's Louisiana. AASG is meeting at the GSA annual meeting in Minneapolis.

Marcia said she and her senior management team are working on a strong public statement about the role and and importance of State Geological Surveys.

[cross-posted at StateGeologists.blogspot.com]

AZGS at GSA

We are here in Minneapolis at the annual meeting of the Geological Society of America, with 7,000 others, as one of the largest and most important scientific gatherings in the geosciences for the year.

Last night at the Presidential Awards ceremony, AZGS geologist Joe Cook was recognized as the winner of the John C. Frye Award for outstanding environmental geology publication. The award will be official given Tuesday morning to Joe, accepting on behalf of himself and co-authors.

AZGS scientists are authors on nine technical presentations being given this week. My talk on the State Geothermal Data network was the first one up, on Sunday morning.

We also rolled out publicly the first demonstration of the user interface for the geothermal data system at the State Geologist's booth in the exhibit hall. We'll be doing live demos and getting feedback through Wednesday.

We spent Saturday stranded at the Phoenix airport after our US Air flight from Tucson was delayed, causing us to miss our connection. It was 10 hours before they could find seats for us on another flight to Minneapolis. We finally got to the hotel at 1 am Sunday and had to scramble early Sunday morning to get the exhibit up and running before the hall officially opened. But everything is working well and the demos are attracting a lot of attention and discussion.

I'll try to provide updates over the next few days on what Arizona geologists are presenting here but there is so much going on and we have so many commitments, it's going to be a challenge to stay current.

Copper debate tearing apart Florence

Emotions are running hot over a proposal to produce copper from underground deposits in the town of Florence, using an in situ leaching process. We've received some of the most impassioned messages we've ever gotten, in opposition to the recovery operation, repeating concerns over water and contamination first raised by real estate developers who fear that the copper project will reduce the value of planned residential and commercial projects. [right, air photo of copper project site relative to developed areas. Credit, Curis Resources]. A recent report by Montgomery & Associates, paid for by the Town of Florence seemed to predict no substantial groundwater problems would be caused by the project but that has been rejected by mining opponents.

In advance of a Florence town hearing scheduled for early this evening, copper company Curis Resources announced it is creating a "multi-year, multi-million dollar economic development, community development and revitalization fund" tentatively named CREED — Copper Recovery Enhances Economic Development. The Florence Blade-Tribune reports that "the fund will benefit economic development, downtown revitalization, community service projects and charitable organizations in Florence and Pinal County."

Potash, parks, and water

Is there enough water in northeast Arizona to support anticipated growth, including possible potash mining in the Holbrook area? That question is posed by the Arizona Journal in the second part of a 3-part series on water use in Arizona that was published today, but they won't really answer the question until the next installment. The amount of water used in potential mining will depend on whether it's solution mining or underground operations. The former is much more water-intensive. [right, potash sample. Credit, USGS]

Also today, Cronkite News published a summary of the potash exploration around Holbrook with an emphasis on the possible impacts on Petrified Forest National Park. They confirmed an early report that "American West Potash has agreed to locate its surface facilities outside the park boundary with input from park officials.

They quote AWP president Pat Avery saying, “Our goal is to site a surface facility that absolutely can’t be seen from the park.”

Celebration of life in honor of Mike Drake

A celebration of life in honor of UA Regents' Professor and Director of the Lunar & Planetary Lab, Michael J. Drake is scheduled for Friday, November 4, 2011, at 2 p.m., followed by a reception. [right, photo credit UA Lunar & Planetary Lab]

The event will be on the UA campus in the OSIRIS-REx Building, 1415 N. 6th Ave., in Tucson.

Guests are encouraged to RSVP online by October 20: http://www.lpl.arizona.edu/resources/faculty/memoriam/drake/

We understand parking is limited so car-pooling is encouraged.

Mike died Sept. 21. He joined the UA planetary sciences faculty in 1973 and headed LPL and the planetary sciences department since 1994. He was the principal investigator of the most ambitious UA project to date, OSIRIS-REx, an $800 million mission designed to retrieve a sample of an asteroid and return it to Earth. OSIRIS-REx is due to launch in 2016. It is the largest grant or contract the UA has ever received. His passing has drawn national attention.

[taken in part from the UA news release]

Park Service geology report on Tumacacori

The National Park Service has released a Geologic Resources Inventory (GRI) report for Tumacacori National Historical Park (TUMA) in Arizona. The report is a companion document to the previously released digital geologic map data and aids in its use for resource management. [right, cross section Geologic structural cross-section showing the Mount Benedict horst block and normal faults that separate the uplift from the Santa Cruz Valley to the west and the Santa Cruz River and Nogales International Airport to the east. This cross section is located approximately 500 m (1,500 ft) southwest of the Guevavi Unit. Normal faulting in the Basin and Range Province juxtaposed older Jurassic igneous rocks in the Mount Benedict horst (map units Jm and Jb) against younger Tertiary (Paleogene and Neogene) rocks in the basin (e.g., map unit Tnl). Graphic by Trista Thornberry-Ehrlich (Colorado State University). Section and caption from NPS]

The GRI report is written for resource managers to assist in resource management and science-based decision making, but may also be useful for interpretation. The report discusses potential geologic issues facing resource managers at the park, distinctive geologic features and processes present within the park, and the geologic history leading to the park’s present landscape. A map unit properties table summarizes the main features, characteristics, and potential management issues for all of the rock units on the geologic map.

The future of rare earth elements supplies

A new report from the USGS asks the question about the future of rare earth elements [REE]—will these high-tech industry elements continue in short supply?

Author Keith Long concludes that "REE will continue to find increasing use due to their unique properties. There is a realistic possibility around 2015-2016 of sufficient REE capacity to meet demand under conditions of healthy price competition. REE supplies will be tight and prices high for a few years. There is significant downside risk that newly developed mines will not perform as planned.

You can view a video presentation of this report that the author made on May 26, 2011 at the USGS Evening Public Lecture Series in Menlo Park, Calif. http://online.wr.usgs.gov/calendar/2011.html). The report was produced at the USGS Western Mineral and Environmental Resources Science Center, Tucson Office at the University of Arizona.

Origin of the Colorado River system

Abstracts from the workshop on the Origin and evolution of the Colorado River system, have been published by the USGS. [right, credit Grand Canyon NPS]

A 2010 Colorado River symposium, held in Flagstaff, Arizona, involved 70 participants who engaged in intense debate about the origin and evolution of the Colorado River system. This symposium, built upon two previous decadal scientific meetings, focused on forging scientific consensus, where possible, while articulating continued controversies regarding the Cenozoic evolution of the Colorado River System and the landscapes of the Colorado Plateau-Rocky Mountain region that it drains. New developments involved hypotheses that Neogene mantle flow is driving plateau tilting and differential uplift and new and controversial hypotheses for the pre-6 Ma presence and evolution of ancestral rivers that may be important in the history and birth of the present Colorado River. There is a consensus that plateau tilt and uplift models must be tested with multidisciplinary studies involving differential incision studies and additional geochronology and thermochronology to determine the relative importance of tectonic and geomorphic forces that shape the spectacular landscapes of the Colorado Plateau, Arizona and region. In addition to the scientific goals, the meeting participants emphasized the iconic status of Grand Canyon for geosciences and the importance of good communication between the research community, the geoscience education/interpretation community, the public, and the media. Building on a century-long tradition, this region still provides a globally important natural laboratory for studies of the interactions of erosion and tectonism in shaping the landscape of elevated plateaus.

CRevolution 2—Origin and evolution of the Colorado River system, workshop abstracts, USGS OFR 2011-1210, http://pubs.er.usgs.gov/publication/ofr20111210

Active Metal and Industrial Mineral Underground Mines in the United States, 2007-2009

The USGS released 3 annual reports on Active Metal and Industrial Mineral Underground Mines in the United States, for the years 2007, 2008, and 2009. No mines are reported in Arizona.

According to the latest report, "Total domestic mining and waste removal for nonfuel mineral materials production at underground operations was 138 million metric tons (Mt) in 2009. Crude ore mined at these underground operations was 136 Mt. The balance was waste removed, including ore and waste from development. Total underground mining for industrial minerals amounted to 123 Mt, nearly all of which was crude ore. Underground mining for metal ores and waste removal amounted to 15 Mt, of which 90% was crude ore."

Emergency declaration for Schultz post-fire flood area

Gov. Jan Brewer signed a Declaration of Emergency on Friday, in support of Coconino County response, recovery and mitigation efforts to protect property and infrastructure in the Schultz Flood area, in the Flagstaff area.

The declaration was signed in response to a heavy monsoon rainstorm that dropped more than 1 inch of rain within 15 minutes in the Timberline, Hutchison Acres and Wupatki Trails neighborhoods on Sept. 13, 2011, causing significant street flooding and damage. Flood waters also undermined the utility of previously placed protective structures. Major construction is required to restore them to their pre-disaster condition.

These neighborhoods are among the areas where monsoon season flooding has been most prevalent since the Schultz Fire of 2010. [right, home owners efforts to divert flood waters, Aug, 2010. My photo]

Gov. Brewer is authorized under state statute to declare a state of emergency and release an initial $200,000 from the Governor’s Emergency Fund. This money will be used to pay for emergency response costs and to repair public infrastructure, such as the roads that suffered damage as a result of this event. These funds are not available to repair individual homes.

Coconino County continues to supply sandbags to property owners in high flood-risk areas. Residents with questions can call the Schultz Flood hotline at 877-679-8390.

[taken from the AZ Div. of Emergency Mgmt, Emergency Information Network]

Tiny quake in NW Arizona

There was a small earthquake last Thursday on what appears to be the southern extent of the Hurricane fault in northwestern Arizona.

[right, star marks epicenter, amidst historical earthquakes in the region. Credit, USGS]