Alaska database of Prudhoe Bay samples

The Alaska Department of Natural Resources Division of Geological & Geophysical Surveys has released a database of "drilling procedures, sample descriptions, boring logs, borehole locations, and archive inventory for 32 near-shore marine sediment Vibracore samples" collected from West Dock Causeway, Prudhoe Bay, Alaska. The sediment data is in the Geologic Materials Center 407 Data Report, 23 p., released October 15, 2012.


[Excerpted from the  PTTC Tech Centers e-Central e-Alert - October 30, 2012]

New geologic map of Idaho

The Idaho Geological Survey is pleased to announce that a new Geologic Map of Idaho was released on Geologic Map Day of Earth Science Week.

http://www.idahostatesman.com/2012/10/17/2313018/with-new-geology-map-idaho-rocks.html

NJ Survey shut down by Hurricane Sandy

Hurricane Sandy hit New Jersey particularly hard.  NJ State Geologist Karl Muessig reports that

NJ State offices are still closed.  The Survey building has no power.  Lots of downed trees & wires are hampering recovery operations.  Tomorrow they hope to officially re-open but reporting to an emergency location with power.

Governor Christie is asking President Obama to have the Army Corps of Engineers to help rebuild beaches with protective dunes, which could generate lots of debate about the geomorphic consequences of those kinds of changes.    [Right, USGS map of probabilities of coastal erosion along NJ coast from Sandy]

Maine's Bob Marvinney interviewed on M4 earthquake

Maine State Geologist Bob Marvinney describes the geologic and seismic setting for the October 16 magnitude 4.0 earthquake that struck in the Waterboro area.


 

Alabama's Nick Tew is president-elect of AGI

The American Geosciences Institute (AGI) welcomes three new Executive Committee members: Berry H. (Nick) Tew, Jr., President-Elect; Dorian Kuper, Secretary; and Jacqueline Huntoon, Member-At-Large. The new members of the AGI Executive Committee will be installed at the Friends of AGI Reception during the Geological Society of America Annual Meeting in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Berry H. (Nick) Tew, Jr. [right, credit, AGS] is the State Geologist of Alabama and Director of the Geological Survey of Alabama. He is a professional geologist licensed by the Alabama State Board of Licensure for Professional Geologists, and member of the Geological Society of America and the American Association for Petroleum
Geologists. Tew has served as President for the Association of American State Geologists (2008-2009) and the North American Commission on Stratigraphic Nomenclature (2008-2009). He is currently the AGI Executive Committee Secretary (2010-present).

[excerpted from the AGI announcement]

DOE award to Nevada State Geologist Jim Faulds

The U.S. Dept. of Energy Geothermal Technologies Program gave it's first award for outstanding Peer Review to Jim Faulds, Director of the Nevada Bureau of Mines & Geology.   The award was announced and presented at the Geothermal Resources Council annual meeting in Reno last week.

Jim is Principal Investigator of the project, Characterizing Structural Controls of EGS-Candidate and Conventional Geothermal Reservoirs in the Great Basin: Developing Successful Exploration Strategies in Extended Terranes.

The award recognizes Jim for receiving the highest rating given by external peer reviewers to 130 DOE funded projects at the annual reviews.

William "Bill" Hambleton, 1921-2012, former State Geologist of Kansas

William “Bill” Hambleton passed away on Oct. 4 in Lawrence, Kansas.  He was 91.  A memorial service will be held 11 a.m. on Friday, Oct. 19, at Plymouth Congregational Church in Lawrence.  Bill was state geologist of Kansas and director of the Kansas Geological Survey from 1970 to 1986.  He was an important influence on many of the staff at today’s Kansas Geological Survey, and contributed greatly to the Survey, the University of Kansas, and the state of Kansas.  His obituary is on-line at

http://obituaries.ljworld.com/obituaries/ljworld/obituary.aspx?n=william-w-hambleton-bill&pid=160304957#fbLoggedOut

MineExpo draws 55,000 attendees

The quadrennial MineExpo was held in Las Vegas last week with 55,000 attendees.  The Las Vegas Convention Center is one of the few in the nation that can accommodate all the giant mining trucks and equipment [right, credit Jon Price]. Plus Nevada and adjacent Arizona are the two biggest mining (non-fuel minerals) states in the nation.

The Association of American State Geologists was given a complimentary exhibit booth in the lobby [right, credit Jon Price] to showcase the work done by state geological surveys in mining and mineral resources.  AZGS helped staff that booth and passed out our new brochure on Arizona and AZGS resources.