Development to get underway at CO2 field

Kinder Morgan CO2 received permits to drill two wells at the St.John's carbon dioxide field in eastern Arizona.  The company recently purchased the field with intent to pipe the CO2 east to Texas and New Mexico for enhanced oil recovery operations.   Kinder Morgan plans a number of evaluation wells before committing to full development that could lead to 250 producing wells eventually, to supply up to 400 million cubic feet of CO2 per day to the proposed pipeline.  [right, field area and land status.  Credit, Enhanced Oil Resources]

Oil exploration program underway in southern Arizona

There's a  short news item in the Oil & Gas Journal, a weekly trade magazine, describing the exploration program of Bisbee-based Arizona Oil & Gas Corp.    Exploration editor Alan Petzet reports that the company's affiliates have 150,000 acres under lease in Cochise County and is exploring for Devonian reef structures.    The company reportedly plans to drill in late 2012 or early 2013.

There are reports of oil shows in the region going back over a century, and a few deep exploration wells have been drilled, mostly into the Cretaceous section, without finding production.  [Map shows oil and gas exploration wells in southern Arizona. From AZGS Digital Information Series 33]

Small quake felt in central Arizona

A magnitude 2.7 earthquake 32 miles north of Prescott at 3:07pm local time, was reported felt in the Paulden area.   [Right, location of quake shown by yellow star.  Credit, USGS]

It's somewhat unusual for an event this small to be felt but local geologic conditions can be a big factor in transmitting seismic waves.

Fighting the spammers

At least one spammer has discovered this blog.  Over the last 5 years, there has been a low level of spam comments received that I delete before being posted. But now, some troll for an online payday lender is bombarding me with hundreds of purported comments that are just links to their sales pitch.  Fortunately, the blogspot spam filter has caught all of them (I think), so I just have to delete the stacks of notifications in my inbox.

To help ensure the site is not hijacked by these jerks, I added a word verification step before any comments can be submitted.  I'm sorry for the extra step, but apparently readers of this blog are an attractive audience.

Progress on the National Geothermal Data System

The past few weeks have been busy for us on our two DOE geothermal data projects.  We just got back the results from the annual Peer Review held in Denver for all the DOE-funded geothermal projects.  AZGS runs the largest project in the country, and one of the most complex, with 44 subcontractors across the country, integrating data and web services from all 50 states, on behalf of the Association of American State Geologists (AASG).

Overall, the State Geothermal Data project that we run got glowing reviews from the external review panel - most categories were given "Outstanding" ratings.   The rest of the rankings were the second tier of "Good."  There were no significant criticisms. Mostly, there are questions about how we will transition the data network from development to operational status in the next year and what we can do to assist another project that is supposed to build a user interface (ie, web portal and desktop applications) for the National Geothermal Data System (NGDS).

Second, we are a subcontractor to Boise State Univ. on the original NGDS design-test project to build the data integration framework that will be used to link five independent projects into a system. We spent two days in Boise last week with university administrators, other project partners, industry consultants, and DOE program managers, to hammer out a revised plan to fast-track that project from its original 5-year timeline, to complete it in the next 15 months.

Our vision for EarthCube

 AZGS is leading the effort to create a comprehensive plan for building and deploying a national cyberinfrastructure.  [Right, AZGS-led governance team at the NSF charrette earlier this month.   Research Assistant Genevieve Pearthree in the foreground with her back to the camera.  Credit, KnowInnovation and NSF]

"EarthCube is a collaborative endeavor between NSF and the community of geoscientists and cyberscientists" as a prototype for implementing it across all the sciences and IT fields as a component of the NSF's Cyberinfrastructure for the 21st Century (CIF21) and the White House "Big Data" and Digital Government initiatives.

"The goal of EarthCube is to transform the conduct of research by supporting the development of community-guided cyberinfrastructure to integrate data  and information for knowledge management across the Geosciences" according to Tim Killeen and Alan Blateky at NSF.

AZGS is the prime contractor on an NSF grant as the head of the Governance Roadmap Work Group to develop a governance plan for management and organization of EarthCube.

AZGS was selected by an ad hoc coalition representing 60+ national organizations to serve in this role.     We had 3 months from the launch by NSF to write the funding proposal, get it approved, hold a series of virtual community workshops, and use that input to prepare a comprehensive roadmap to deliver at a national workshop outside Washington DC on June 12.   We were successful.

There were about 10 roadmaps being developed in parallel, the rest are all technically oriented.   Our 218-page report is posted online at http://earthcube.ning.com/group/governance/forum/topics/june-1-2012-governance-roadmap-draft.

We envision an evolutionary process that accommodates any of seven different governance models to carry out any single function of EarthCube depending on what is most appropriate, and a system of systems model for interaction among the components.    We based this by examining governance of all other national and global IT and infrastructure development such as the electric grid, the internet, transportation networks, etc. 

The next step is to implement the roadmap in cooperation with NSF and support of the geoscience community so that an operational governance structure is in place by year end.  We have a target of Aug 15 to give NSF specific recommendations on how to set up the management and organizational structure and get it in place quickly, since so many of the other components of cyberinfrastructure are dependent on the governance.

Big batch of new potash coreholes permitted

Passport Potash has received permits from the Arizona Oil & Gas Conservation Commission for an additional 16 exploration coreholes in the Holbrook basin potash deposit.  The permits, numbered #1101 - 1116, are posted online at http://www.azogcc.az.gov/permits.  [Right, core rig on earlier drilling operation.  Credit, Passport Potash]

 The holes need to be permitted because the drill through geologic zones that could contain, oil, gas, helium, or carbon dioxide.

More than 100 core holes have been drilled by companies in the area in the current exploration programs.

Report evaluates earthquakes induced by energy operations

 The National Academies of Science released a report on Induced Seismicity Potential in Energy Technologies (2012) that should allay widespread public fears that 'fracking' is causing earthquakes.  The intro summarizes the situation:

In the past several years, some energy technologies that inject or extract fluid from the Earth, such as oil and gas development and geothermal energy development, have been found or suspected to cause seismic events, drawing heightened public attention. Although only a very small fraction of injection and extraction activities among the hundreds of thousands of energy development sites in the United States have induced seismicity at levels noticeable to the public, understanding the potential for inducing felt seismic events and for limiting their occurrence and impacts is desirable for state and federal agencies, industry, and the public at large. To better understand, limit, and respond to induced seismic events, work is needed to build robust prediction models, to assess potential hazards, and to help relevant agencies coordinate to address them.

The report concludes that "Of all the energy-related injection and extraction activities conducted in the United States, only a very small fraction have induced seismicity at levels noticeable to the public (that is, above magnitude 2.0)."    [Right, sites with earthquakes caused by or likely caused by various energy technologies. Figure 1 from the report.  None are reported in Arizona.]

One of the most significant conclusions is "Hydraulic fracturing to date has been confirmed as the cause for small, felt seismic events at one location in the world. The process of hydraulic fracturing a well as presently implemented for shale gas recovery does not pose a high risk for inducing felt seismic events."

In contrast, the report notes, "Tens of thousands of waste water disposal wells have been drilled in the United States to dispose of the water generated by geothermal and oil and gas production operations, including shale gas production. Water injection for disposal has been suspected or determined a likely cause for induced seismicity at approximately 8 sites in the past several decades."

Pete Reiners to chair UA Geosciences Dept.

Pete Reiners [right, credit UA] has agreed to serve as head of the University of Arizona Dept. of Geosciences, begining in August, 2013, when he returns from his sabbatical.  

Jay Quade has agreed to serve as department head during the 2012-2013 academic year. Outgoing department head Karl Flessa will continue to serve as department head through this summer and as Director of the School of Earth and Environmental Sciences during the 2012-2013 academic year.

M3.1 earthquake on Arizona-Utah border

A magnitude 3.1 earthquake just north of the Arizona-Utah border on Friday night at 8:26 pm local (Utah) time was felt in the St. George area.  The star on the map at right marks the epicenter [credit, USGS].  The other dots are earthquakes recorded since 1990.  Last night's event was west of the Hurricane fault, a normal fault that dips to the west.

Arsenic levels exceed EPA standards for millions

 A recent article published by the scientific journal PLoS ONE looked at natural arsenic levels in drinking water:

Chronic exposure to arsenic (As), by contamination of drinking water from natural geological sources, is a significant worldwide environmental health concern [1], [2]. As many as 25 million people in the United States are exposed to As at levels above the current EPA standard from private, unregulated wells, and worldwide the estimated exposure is several hundreds of millions of people. Chronic exposure to such elevated levels has been associated with a variety of adverse health impacts in human epidemiology studies, including various cancers, cardiovascular disease, diabetes and developmental/reproductive effects

 The article was based on studies on mice, but Wired.com helped put it in perspective in an interview with the articles lead author, Jack Hamilton, who said, "Arsenic is the number one environmental chemical for human health."

[Right, arsenic levels in drinking water. Credit, USGS]

Back in the blogging saddle

The past few months have been busier than ever at AZGS with almost non-stop travel for me as part of our growing portfolio of funded projects and roles in national programs.    But other than a one-day meeting in Houston, I expect to be in the office for maybe three weeks. Time to get back to blogging.  And answering the remaining hundreds of emails.  Oh, and getting the new fiscal year budget finalized.  And..., oh well, you know the drill.

Anyway, the national geothermal data project we are running is picking up momentum.  Data are pouring forth from the State Geological Surveys.  The DOE external peer review report just came back with glowing results.  We're moving into the third year and full operational mode.

I haven't talked much about the NSF EarthCube initiative to build a national cyberinfrastructure with the geosciences serving as the prototype.    AZGS is leading the development of the governance roadmap and we are members of a few of the technical work groups.  The national 'charrette' last week identified the challenges left to integrate all the various components into a functioning system of systems.   

The new AZGS-run "Arizona Experience" store in Tucson is readying to re-open as a one-stop shop for state and federal publications, maps,hunting and fishing licenses, tourism info, and a lot more.   Stay tuned for word of the official grand opening.

There's lots of news about these and other AZGS activities plus the Arizona geology world is just as busy as ever.   

Earthquake interview on public radio

Arizona Public Media posted the podcast and figures of a lengthy interview I had with them recently on seismicity and earthquake hazards in Arizona.

I was on the road when it was first broadcast but started getting emails from friends and colleagues who heard it Friday morning.  The video below was compiled by AZGS staff using a catalog of earthquakes going back to 1852.  The apparent increase in earthquakes over time is due to a combination of more and better instruments detecting remote and small events around the state and our seismologist pouring over the records to identify events that would have been overlooked in the past.

UA's Mary Poulton lecture in DC on Rare Earths

 The University of Arizona is running a free monthly lecture series in Washington, DC.   On Thursday, June 7, Dr. Mary Poulton, Chair of the Dept. of Mining & Geological Engineering, will talk on the topic of  "Rare Earths and Mineral Resources: The UA's contributions to solving global mineral resource challenges."
 
The subject matter of other talks this year has included biofuels, NASA’s OSIRIS-REx asteroid sample return mission, and optical sciences.


Details: Thursday, June 7, 2012
light hors d'oeuvres and a no-host bar at 6:00 p.m., followed by a 6:30 p.m. program.

CASE Headquarters
(Council for the Advancement and Support of Education)
1307 New York Ave., N.W.
In the auditorium, ground level
Washington, D.C. 20005-4701
Accessible by Metro at Metro Center or McPherson Square.
For detailed directions to the event location, see: http://www.case.org/About_CASE/Directions_to_CASE/CASE.html.

Arizona topo maps now online at National Map

The USGS tweeted today that they posted all the nearly 2,000 topo maps from Arizona to the National Map online for free viewing or downloading.  Unfortunately, the links to the USGS news announcements are not working, so no more details are available at the moment.  [Right, example of AZ topo map available at the USGS National Map website]

The tweet says that 48,585 topos are now online at the National Map from around the country.

New mineral named after ASU professor

A recently discovered mineral has been named after Peter Buseck [right, credit ASU] a Regents’ Professor in SESE and the Dept. of Chemistry and Biochemistry at Arizona State University. The mineral, buseckite, was discovered in a meteorite found near the village of Zakłodzie, Poland.

Last month scientists from the California Institute of Technology presented their findings of the discovery of the new mineral, buseckite, at the 43rd Lunar and Planetary Science Conference. A paper by Chi Ma, John R. Beckett and George R. Rossman describing buseckite will be published in July 2012.  

The names of the minerals are chosen by the discoverers, after approval by a commission of the International Mineralogical Association. Minerals are generally named after their compositions, places where first found, or people chosen to be honored.

To quote Ma et al., “The name is in honor of Peter R. Buseck, a mineralogist at Arizona State University, for his many contributions to mineralogy, meteorite research and transmission electron microscopy.”

Buseckite is an iron-rich sulfide with a wurtzitetype structure. It is black, opaque, and also contains zinc, manganese, and magnesium. The mineral and its name have been approved by the Commission on New Minerals, Nomenclature and Classification of the International Mineralogical Association (IMA 2011- 070).

[excerpted from the SESE Source, May 2012 issue]

New video - the legacy of copper mining and Arizona

A new video on the legacy of copper mining and Arizona is on the Arizona Experience YouTube channel.    AZGS staff on the Arizona Experience project did the research on the history of copper mining, wrote the original script, compiled the photos, filmed the interviews, and produced the first cut.  We appreciate Freeport McMoRan Copper & Gold for providing assistance with post-production processing and for the professional narration.

A sneak preview of the film was shown to the Arizona Mining Alliance, before its public showing to the American Copper Council when it held its annual meeting in Scottsdale.  Gov. Brewer accepted a a national award at that meeting on behalf of the men and women in Arizona's copper industry.

Tucson 'fracking' workshop

Bruce Smith from AAPG’s Division of Environmental Geosciences published a summary in the new issue of the AAPG Explorer of a one-day workshop on hydraulic fracturing at the recent Symposium on the Application of Geophysics to Engineering and Environmental Problems (SAGEEP) in Tucson, Ariz. in March.  The workshop, titled “Hydrofracturing 101: What Is It, What Are the Issues and How Can Geophysics Help?” had 16 presentations on topics that included:

• The hydraulic fracturing process itself.
• Geophysical monitoring of hydraulic fracturing.
• Economic and environmental issues related to hydraulic fracturing.
• Regulatory issues related to perceived threats to infrastructure, groundwater and groundwater availability.
• New approaches to monitoring and assessing possible near-surface impacts of hydraulic fracturing.

This workshop topically also serves as a lead-in to the upcoming Geoscience Technology Workshop on hydraulic fracturing that will be held in Golden, Colo. on Aug. 13-15

[this post is excerpted from Bruce Smith's column in the Explorer]

How much water?

How much water is there on Earth?    A graphic just posted by the USGS offers a startling view.

The following is taken from the USGS website.  Read the rest of the story at http://www.usgs.gov/blogs/features/usgs_top_story/how-much-water-is-available/?from=textlink

If you took all the water on earth – in oceans, ice caps, lakes, rivers, groundwater, the atmosphere, and living things – and wrapped it into a sphere, it would have a diameter of about 860 miles. That 860-mile-high sphere is represented by the largest bubble in the picture, which stretches from Salt Lake City, Utah to Topeka, Kan. It has a volume of over 332 million cubic miles. If you popped this bubble with a giant pin, the resulting flow would cover the lower 48 states to a depth of about 107 miles.

The graphic shows various blue spheres representing relative amounts of Earth's water in comparison to the size of the Earth. Are you surprised that these water spheres look so small? They are only small in relation to the size of the Earth. These images attempt to show three dimensions, so each sphere represents "volume." Overall, it shows that in comparison to the volume of the globe the amount of water on the planet is very small - and the oceans are only a "thin film" of water on the surface.

 Spheres representing all of Earth's water, Earth's liquid fresh water, and water in lakes and rivers

The largest sphere represents all of Earth's water, and its diameter is about 860 miles (the distance from Salt Lake City, Utah, to Topeka, Kansas). It would have a volume of about 332,500,000 cubic miles (mi3) (1,386,000,000 cubic kilometers (km3)). The sphere includes all the water in the oceans, ice caps, lakes, and rivers, as well as groundwater, atmospheric water, and even the water in you, your dog, and your tomato plant.

 Liquid fresh water

How much of the total water is fresh water, which people and many other life forms need to survive? The blue sphere over Kentucky represents the world's liquid fresh water (groundwater, lakes, swamp water, and rivers). The volume comes to about 2,551,100 mi3 (10,633,450 km3), of which 99 percent is groundwater, much of which is not accessible to humans. The diameter of this sphere is about 169.5 miles (272.8 kilometers).

Water in lakes and rivers

Do you notice that "tiny" bubble over Atlanta, Georgia? That one represents fresh water in all the lakes and rivers on the planet, and most of the water people and life of earth need every day comes from these surface-water sources. The volume of this sphere is about 22,339 mi3 (93,113 km3). The diameter of this sphere is about 34.9 miles (56.2 kilometers). Yes, Lake Michigan looks way bigger than this sphere, but you have to try to imagine a bubble almost 35 miles high—whereas the average depth of Lake Michigan is less than 300 feet (91 meters).

The data used on this page comes from Igor Shiklomanov's estimate of global water distribution, shown in a table below.

Credit: Howard Perlman, USGS; globe illustration by Jack Cook, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (©); Adam Nieman.

Data source: Igor Shiklomanov's chapter "World fresh water resources" in Peter H. Gleick (editor), 1993, Water in Crisis: A Guide to the World's Fresh Water Resources (Oxford University Press, New York).

Western New Mexico wildfire now largest in state history

The Whitewater-Baldy Complex fire in western New Mexico has grown to over 170,272 acres, making it the largest wildfire in that state's history, according to the US Forest Service.   The fire is growing in multiple directions, including towards Arizona to the west.

[Right, this image of smoke and fire from the Whitewater-Baldy Complex Fire was taken on May 28, 2012 at 20:55 UTC (4:55 p.m. EDT) from the MODIS instrument on NASA's Aqua satellite. The heat from the fires is outlined in red in the image, and the smoke from the fires appear light brown in color.  The AZ-NM border is shown by a thin black line near the left edge of the image.  Image credit: NASA Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Rapid Response Team. Text credit: NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Rob Gutro ]

The fire began on May 9 from lightning strikes. For updates on the fire, visit the Inciweb website: http://www.inciweb.org/incident/2870/.