Phoenix, Tucson have lots of mining claims in the region

The Environmental Working Group says the 5,131 mining claims within 5 miles of the Phoenix-Mesa metropolitan area are threatening those cities by encroaching on them. They list Tucson with 1,741 claims within 5 miles, making Phoenix and Tucson the #2 and #3 cities with the most claims nearby. Las Vegas is #1 with 5,822 claims. The report is titled "Mining Claims Threaten Western Cities."

Their report appears to be primarily a data base of mining claims posted on a Google-Earth map of populated areas.

It's interesting that the mining claims they describe are on federal lands that are not open to be developed by cities or towns. So, the bigger impact is more likely to be urban encroachment on mineral resources and the desire of expanding communities to push mining out of their backyards.

These are not your father's dinosaurs

There is a new exhibit on Feathered Dinosaurs and the Origin of Flight, at the Arizona Museum of Natural History in Mesa, from now through September 28, showcasing a collection of 35 fossils that are national treasures on loan from China.

What's amazing are the life-size recreations - according to the Museum webpage:

Deinonychus (right) had ancestors that were capable of flying so it is a bird that had lost the ability to fly.

Cryptovolans (left), a four winged bird. The flight feathers on the hind legs gives Cryptovolans the appearance of being a bird equipped with four wings.

Dumbing down the monsoon

The National Weather Service figures we're too dumb to understand that the monsoon season runs through different dates from year to year. So now the monsoon season will start and stop on official dates every year. Of course, the actual monsoon may (and mostly likely will) extend before or after the official dates.

The rationale for this decision is so people will pay more attention and be prepared for the monsoon hazards if they know when it is coming officially rather than when it actually shows up.

You know, sunrise and sunset change every day. Maybe we should redefine sunrise as 6 am and sunset at 6 pm just to make it easier. All you would have to remember is that the sun rises at 6 am every day, except for those 363 days a year when it doesn't.

Pharmaceuticals in water

Traces of pharmaceutical chemicals were found in Tucson water (carbamazepine, dehydronifedipine and sulfamethoxazole) in a survey by the Associated Press of tests done of 62 major water providers in the U.S.

The other Arizona cities surveyed, Phoenix and Mesa, had not tested their water for pharmaceuticals. [photo: Tim Collins]

AP reported that at least one pharmaceutical was found in drinking water supplies for 24 major metropolitan areas.

Seed magazine has posted an updated article on how trace amounts of pharmaceuticals in the water affect our bodies.

More photos from the Tucson gem & mineral show

There is a really nice set of annotated photos from last months gem and mineral shows in Tucson posted on PolmanMinerals.com.

A wave of the rock hammer to geology.com for pointing this out.

Hoodoo whodunit

Susan Miller, Tucson geologist and a classmate of mine from undergraduate days at UC Riverside, writes geology murder mysteries. Her 4th, entitled "Hoodoo," is just out and takes place in southern Arizona. The plot could be taken from today's headlines:

Southeastern Arizona is a tinderbox. Down Under Copper’s plans to explore for minerals have pitted landowners, worried about their water supply and property values, against those hoping to profit from the mining venture. Someone snaps.

In the traditional homeland of the Chiricahua Apaches an environmental lawyer’s body lies in the burned wreckage of his trailer.

Her last mystery, Quarry, was wonderful. I devoured it on a cross country plane flight.

Susan will be signing copies of Hoodoo at:

Clues Unlimited, 123 S. Eastbourne Ave, Tucson, at 2 pm, Saturday, March 15 (520) 326-8533.

Poisoned Pen, Scottsdale, April 4, 6:30 pm (followed by a Nevada Barr signing)

AGI releases geoscience salary survey

AGI's 5th fact sheet in the Geoscience Currents series reports that geoscientists salaries shot up 10-23% in 2005 over 2004, depending on years of experience and degree level.

With 2 years of experience or less, geoscientists earned an average $74,000, 9.7% over 2004.

Twenty years or more got you an average of $139,000, which was more than a 23% increase over 2004 salaries.

I'm surprised that the most recent data they have is from 2005.

Forget oil, coal prices to double this year

Over a burger and beer at the Brickskeller in Washington DC last night, Kentucky state geologist Jim Cobb walked me through the reasons why all the financial forecasters expect the price of coal to double or more in 2008. The estimates are for coal used in power plants and steel mills.

Asian demand is up and Chinese production down, Australia's production was disrupted by weather problems, and South Africa's power supplies are in dissarray. Merrill Lynch on Friday projected a 60 million ton shortfall of coal supplies for 2008.

Coal provides about 2/3 of the electricity used in Arizona. [above: Navajo power plant near Page]

Last month spot prices for coal used in electric power production hit $130 per metric ton, up 37% this year so far, after rising 73% in 2007. Coal for steel making may rise to $200 per ton this year, according to a number of banks.

New debate over the age of the Grand Canyon

A paper in Science this week by Polyak et al, asserts that the Grand Canyon started forming 17 million years ago. It’s been picked up by the popular press and appeared widely in newspapers.

But AZGS geologists reaffirm the evidence that shows the Canyon is only about 4.8 - 5.6 million years old. Jon Spencer and Phil Pearthree of AZGS and Kyle House of the Nevada Bureau of Mines and Geology examined the Science article and take exception with the interpretation of speleothems in caves far apart and away from the river being evidence that water table declines indicate time of canyon incision. Our team argues that a proto-canyon would have had to develop and propagate far upstream (perhaps 100 km or more) geologically instantaneously for this to happen.

Instead, our team notes the water table decline coincides with initiation of Basin and Range faulting 16-17 mya and is more likely the result of related subsidence. [photo: Alex Tostado Photography]

Ref: Age and Evolution of the Grand Canyon Revealed by U-Pb Dating of Water Table-Type Speleothems, Victor Polyak, Carol Hill, and Yemane Asmerom (7 March 2008) Science 319 (5868), 1377. [DOI: 10.1126/science.1151248]

Celebrating Year of Science 2009

2009 is the Year of Science, with hundreds of organizations planning a wide range of events aimed at engaging the American public in celebrating the benefits science brings to us.

The Year of Science is being coordinated by the Coalition on the Public Understanding of Science (COPUS), a grassroots network - composed of more than two hundred participating organizations representing universities, scientific societies, science centers and museums, government agencies, advocacy groups, media, educators, businesses, and industry - formed in response to recent concerns about national scientific literacy.

COPUS grew out of a concept paper that Judy Scotchmoor (Univ. of Calif. Museum of Paleontology) and I wrote that led to NSF-sponsored workshops in 2006. Now, the American Inst. of Biological Sciences (AIBS) hosts the national COPUS headquarters in Wash. DC.

At least 10 regional COPUS hubs are in place or forming. For the past two days, Judy and COPUS staff members Sheri Potter and Holly Menninger have been in at the University of South Florida in St. Petersberg meeting with the regional hub leaders to strategize, share best practices and prepare for adding new regional hubs.

The official announcement of YoS2009 came out the other day and said, "COPUS participants are crossing traditional scientific disciplinary boundaries and partnering with others within their communities to develop activities, programs, and special events in support of Year of Science 2009. By working together to coordinate programs and events that explore the overarching YoS09 theme, “How we know what we know,” COPUS participants are aiming to engage the general public in dynamic ways that will makes science personally meaningful and locally relevant." [above left: strategizing with Kimberly Kandros, North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences, and Roger Harris of Sigma Xi, before the tornado warnings for central Florida]

I expect that we will be forming at least one hub in Arizona, and possibly three - centered in Tucson, Phoenix, and Flagstaff. Any groups in Arizona interested in participating, give me a holler. It's free to join the COPUS network and easy.

Geological Engineering Major Eliminated at University of Arizona

The UA Faculty Senate accepted a proposal to eliminate the geological engineering undergraduate major and merge the degree with mining engineering, according to the University of Arizona’s campus newspaper, the Daily Wildcat.

The Wildcat says the proposal to eliminate the major was brought to the Senate by by Mary Poulton (Mining and Geological Engineering Department Head) and Jeff Goldberg (Associate Dean of College of Engineering).

Dr. Ben Sternberg, one of two geological engineering faculty in the Materials Science and Engineering Department opposed the elimination of the major.

Geoprac.net reports that, "It seems relatively clear from Dr. Sternberg’s remarks reported in the article that he feels that he and presumably Dr. Kulatilake were not included in the discussion regarding the MGE Department’s proposal and he questions the process that was taken by the Senate to reach their decision. Although not directly quoted as saying it, the Daily Wildcat reported that Dr. Sternberg feels that the College is trying to get rid of him. However, the Dean of the College of Engineering, Tom Peterson indicated very strongly that this was not the case."

[above - Ben Sterberg, UA prof; photo by Jacob Rader, UA Daily Wildcat]

Goeprac.net reports that "the new degree will be a B.S. in Mining and Geological Engineering and there will be a mining engineering track and a geological engineering track. Budget cuts and small enrollment were the main reasons cited for the elimination of the degree. "

Honoring Walt Heinrichs

Last night, the Arizona Geological Society awarded Walter E. Heinrichs Jr. with Honorary Life Membership, the highest honor the AGS bestows.

Walt was one of the founding members of AGS, which celebrates its 60th anniversary this year. He's been a leader in the professional community, the mining industry, and science education efforts. Phil Matthews (right), who started his career working for Walt in Heinrichs GeoExploration, gave the citation, which will be published on the AGS website.

I had the privilege, as AGS President, of giving Walt the certificate acknowledging the award.

Track the Grand Canyon man-made flood

The high-flow experimental release of water from Glen Canyon dam kicked off last night and you can track the water moving down the Colorado River at different gauging stations online.


[right: Lees Ferry gauging station up to 10 am, March 5]


left: 2004 high flow experiment (NPS)]

Exploring copper deposits from bottom up

Dave Maher says we can find new porphyry copper systems in southeast Arizona by exploring for the roots of Laramide igneous systems (island arcs) and working our way up the geologic section. Dave presented the results of his recent PhD dissertation (UA, Dec 2007) at the Arizona Geological Society monthly dinner meeting last night. The current method he says, focuses on identifying silicic-sericite alteration at the top of a deposit and drilling down in hopes of finding mineralization.

His research led him to conclude that "multiple deposits, prospects, and other hydrothermal features in the Globe-Miami, Superior and Ray districts are dissected portions of originally fewer, larger hydrothermal centers" that have been rotated along large listric normal faults so that the geologic cross sections of the igneous complexes are now laid out in map view on the surface. By reconstructing the Laramide and Tertiary structural offsets, he thinks he can identify missing pieces of the original system that have been faulted out and project where they should be.

We here at the Survey are talking with Dave about publishing parts of his work so it gets wider circulation.

[right: Dave records paleo-up direction in Hackberry Wash, central Tortilla Mountains, AZ]

Bill to fill old mines with used tires advances in Arizona Legislature

The Arizona Senate Natural Resources and Rural Affairs Committee last week approved a bill (S1438) to extend the list of acceptable materials to fill old mine shafts to include used rubber tires. The bill now goes to the full Senate for consideration. State Mine Inspector Joe Hart has been pushing this concept since he took office last year.

A second bill that would transfer about $1.5 million from the Arizona Commission on the Arts to the Mine Safety Fund to be used to close old mines, did not get approval.

[left: historic mines in AZ; State Mine Inspector]

UA geologist counters reports of water on Mars

UA geologist Jon Pelletier expected his team's analysis of HiRise images of Mars would verify reports that flowing water produced the bright features seen in some gullies. Instead, they found that avalanches of dry granular debris such as sand and gravel match the Martian features. The viscous fingers prove that water was not the agent at work here.

[right: HiRise photo and corresponding models, from Jon Pelletier, UA]

UA camera captures active landslide - avalanche on Mars

Among the 2359 new images released today from the High Resolution Imaging Experiment (HiRISE) on NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, is one of an landslide or avalanche caught as it was rushing downslope. The landslide/avalanche was discovered by Ingrid Daubar Spitale of the University of Arizona, who targets the camera.

The Orbiter spacecraft took the picture near the Martian north pole of the first-ever active avalanche. Science Daily describes the image as showing "tan clouds billowing away from the foot of a towering slope, where ice and dust have just cascaded down."

This is so amazing. Talk about being at the right place at the right time. And take a look at the other 2,000 plus pictures posted today. The Martian landscape at this resolution is just spectacular.

---

Experiment to rebuild Grand Canyon beaches starts March 4

More sand is needed to rebuild sandbars along the 277 miles of the Colorado River in the Grand Canyon National Park. So, scientists and resource managers from a variety of federal agencies will conduct a high-flow rate release of water from behind Glen Canyon dam to wash sand down the river, starting the evening of March 4. The USGS press release says "The goal of the experiment is to better understand whether higher flows can be used to rebuild eroded beaches downstream of the dam by moving sand accumulated in the riverbed onto sandbars." [above: USGS, Glen Canyon dam]

The Bureau of Reclamation announced approval of the plan to "release water through Glen Canyon Dam's powerplant and bypass tubes to a maximum amount of approximately 41,500 cubic feet per second (cfs) for about 60 hours."

Similar high flow tests were done in 1996 and 2004, but there is three times the amount of sand available now than in 2004, due to high inflow of sediments from tributaries. [left: USGS, 2004 high flow experiment]

Related Podcasts

Opening a Dam to Study and Improve Resources in the Grand Canyon

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AZGS: It's been a very good year

It's been so busy that I realized just this weekend that I never posted anything about the AIPG meeting at the AZGS offices a couple weeks ago.

Each year, the Arizona Chapter of AIPG organizes a meeting to review the status of the geosciences in Arizona. It coincides with the Saturday of the Tucson Gem and Mineral Show when the AIPG national board of directors is in town for their mid-year meeting.

The presidents of local geoscience professional societies, agencies, and organizations spend the morning with AIPG members discussing what's happening. This year we had about 50 folks in attendance. I spoke about both AZGS and AGS, since I am president of the latter group this year.

My report on AZGS is that the past 18 months have been very good. In that time:

• AZGS budget increased 50+%
• AZGS staff increased 62%
• Web usage (www.azgs.az.gov) increased 1,000% (over 4.5 terabytes downloaded in 2007)
• Our first branch office in 126 years opened in Phoenix (and now has 5 geologists)
• We are about to open a retail outlet-information center on the ground-floor of the P-D Tower in downtown Phoenix, that will be a one-stop outlet for all state and federal natural resource and natural history materials and publications (stay tuned - more to come soon)
  
• AZGS is the designated lead for the 50 state geological surveys in building a national digital information network in cooperation with the USGS (www.geoinformatics.info)
  
• AZGS's new basin analysis program has one of the two largest contracts in our history
  
• We have at least 7 new funding sources for grants and contracts
• The new Geologic Extension Service is actively forming partnerships with the K-12 science education community

A few things are on temporary hold while we wait for final resolution of the state budget situation, but we aren't letting that hold us back from continued expansion and better service to the geoscience community and Arizonans.

Isotope ratios in hair identify local water

Hydrogen and oxygen isotopes from local drinking water leave signatures in human hair that can help identify where someone has lived in recent years. The study was based on hair from barbershops in 65 cities in 18 states. Such information could provide clues about the origin of unidentified human remains.

But, based on the maps, it doesn't look there's a way to differentiate residents of Phoenix from those in Tucson, or for that matter from snowbirds from the upper Midwest.