Pennsylvania's interactive GIS map adds geologic data

The Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources has added new state geologic information to the interactive geographic information systems map.

“Visitors to our website can now see layers of information on the map such as bedrock geology, earthquake locations and magnitude, and outstanding geologic features,” Department of Conservation and Natural Resources Secretary Richard Allan said.

“With themes chosen and plotted on the map, you can scroll over and pick specific locations to get more information about geology, our state parks and forests, and recreational opportunities available throughout Pennsylvania,” Allan said.

Other geologic information includes state park geologic guides, maximum elevations by county and glacial boundaries.

Some of the state’s outstanding geologic features include:

• Chimney Rocks in Blair County, an outcrop of finger-like spires of limestone;
• The boulder field at Hickory Run State Park in Carbon County; and
• The 50-foot Alpha Falls in Lawrence County where a small stream exits from a “hanging valley” into the deeper Slippery Rock Gorge.

The map can be accessed at http://www.gis.dcnr.state.pa.us/maps/index.html and already includes a variety of information about state parks and forests.

[Excerpted from the DNR news release]

Colorado Map of Potential Evaporite Dissolution and Evaporite Karst Subsidence Hazards

Large areas of Colorado are underlain by Mesozoic and/or Paleozoic evaporite deposits. The purpose of Colorado Geological Survey’s (CGS) Colorado Map of Potential Evaporite Dissolution and Evaporite Karst Subsidence Hazards is to describe the geologic conditions where near-surface evaporite rocks occur in Colorado and the general description and hazard potential of ground subsidence that can occur from rock dissolution in evaporite terrain.

This on-line publication includes a statewide map in Adobe PDF format at a plate size of 54" by 42" size (1:500,000 scale), an illustrated 28-page map discussion report in Adobe .pdf format, and GIS digital data prepared as ESRI shapefiles (.shp).

The data in this publication includes those areas of Colorado underlain by near-surface evaporite bedrock and point locations of sinkholes and subsidence features where they have been discerned.  This mapping project was funded by the CGS Critical Geologic Hazards Program. Funding for this program comes from the Colorado Department of Natural Resources Severance Tax Operational Funds, from severance taxes paid on the production of natural gas, oil, coal, and metals in Colorado.

Charlie Mankin, "the type locality of state geologists"

“We use a term in geology, ‘type locality,’ which means standard of reference, and Charles was the type locality of state geologists.”  - current Oklahoma State Geologist Randy Keller, as quoted in the Norman Transcript.   [Right, Charlie testifying to Congress. Credit, C-Span]

The news story also quoted OU President (and former U.S. Senator) David Boren, “Charles Mankin’s record of service to the Oklahoma Geological Survey will never be surpassed. With half a century of leadership of the Survey, Dr. Mankin has left a lasting influence in the field of energy in our entire country.  The university family will never forget his dedication to generations of students.”

Upon his induction into the Oklahoma Higher Education Hall of Fame, The Oklahoma Higher Education Heritage Society called Mankin an “enrichment to the state and nation.”

Charlie served as Director of the Oklahoma Geological Survey from 1967 to 2007.

Services will be 3 p.m. Monday, November 19, at First Christian Church, 220 S. Webster Ave. in Norman. Arrangements are by Havenbrook Funeral Home.

Charles Nankin, former State Geologist of Oklahoma

We do not have any details yet, but  we are sorry to report that Dr. Charles Mankin, former long-serving State Geologist of Oklahoma,  quietly passed away Monday morning. 

The address for Charlie's widow, Betty, is 3631 60th Ave. NE, Norman, OK  73026

AASG all over the GSA annual meeting

The State Geologists are everywhere at the Geological Society of America annual meeting in Charlotte, North Carolina.  The AASG booth in the exhibit hall drew a crowd as soon as it opened on Sunday afternoon.  [Right,  NC State Geologist Ken Taylor and FL State Geologist Jon Arthur answer questions at the AASG booth]

State Geologists are in leadership roles on GSA committees and with many of the affiliated societies meeting in conjunction with the annual meeting.

TX State Geologist Scott Tinker gives the Michael T. Halbouty Distinguished Lecture on Tuesday in the Convention Center.

Record levels of tidal gages in Delaware from Hurricane Sandy

The Delaware Geological Survey has just posted on their website a summary of tidal and stream gage data, and other information recorded during Hurricane Sandy. Many of their tidal gages hit record levels. The site can be viewed at:

http://www.dgs.udel.edu/delaware-geology/stream-and-tide-gage-data-hurricane-sandy

[Right, Hurricane Sandy approaches East Coast of US. Credit NASA]

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.

New Source of Geothermal Energy in Western U.S.

Discovery of a new type of geothermal energy resource in Utah offers hope for significantly more potential across the western U.S., and a boost in geothermal power production. 

In 2011 and 2012, Utah Geological Survey geoscientists, in partnership with a U.S. Geological Survey research drilling crew, drilled nine temperature gradient holes in Utah’s Black Rock Desert basin south of Delta to test a new concept that high temperature geothermal resources might exist beneath young sedimentary basins.  Preliminary results show that near-surface temperature gradients in the basin vary from about 60⁰C/km (33⁰F/1000 feet) to 100⁰C/km (55⁰F/1000 feet).  This implies temperatures of 150 to 250⁰C (300 to 500⁰F) at 3 – 4 km depth (10,000 to 13,000 feet) beneath the basin.  An abandoned oil exploration well drilled near Pavant Butte in the central part of the basin in 1981 confirms these exceptionally high temperatures.  Seven of the drill holes were funded by the U.S. Department of Energy as part of a National Geothermal Data System project, managed by the Arizona Geological Survey.  The new holes also confirm the results from three other research holes that were drilled in the basin over the past few years; these were funded by the Utah State Energy Program and the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources. 

The 1,000 square kilometer Black Rock Desert basin is filled with unconsolidated sediments to a depth of 3 km, while the underlying basin floor comprises a variety of Paleozoic and older bedrocks.  In some parts of the basin, porous and permeable carbonates (limestones and dolomites) are known to be present and these would be natural hosts for a geothermal reservoir.  Using the drilling results, a reservoir modeling team at the University of Utah estimates a basin-wide power density of about 3 to 10 MWe/km², (megawatts of power per square kilometer) depending on reservoir temperature and permeability.  Given the large area of this basin, the power potential is conservatively estimated to be hundreds of megawatts, and preliminary economic modeling suggests a cost of electricity of about 10c per kilowatt-hour over the life of a geothermal power project.  The modeling assumes air-cooled binary power generation with all produced water injected back to the reservoir so that there would be no emissions or consumption of water.  The heat in the produced water would be exchanged at the surface in an air-cooled binary power plant.  Such power plants are common these days in geothermal power developments. The cool, injected water would move laterally in the reservoir between injection and production wells, and can be considered as heat-farming at depth.  

This basin is especially attractive for geothermal development because of the existing nearby infrastructure ─ it is next to a large coal-fired power plant, a 300 MWe wind farm, and a major electrical transmission line to California.  [Right, location of the new temperature gradient wells in the Black Rock Desert, and the inferred temperature at 3 kilometer depth (10,000 feet; 150⁰C = 300⁰F; 200⁰C = 400⁰F).  The contours of gravity outline a basin coinciding with the region of high temperature.  Credit, UGS]

Geothermal exploration in the Basin and Range Province of western Utah and Nevada has traditionally focused on narrow, hydrothermal upwelling zones along bounding faults of mountain ranges.  Most current power developments have reservoir areas of less than 5 km² (2 square miles).  However basins within the Basin and Range usually have areas of many hundreds of square kilometers.   Although the depth to potential reservoirs beneath these basins is deeper than the geothermal industry is used to, the large reservoir area offers economies of scale.  Drilling to depths of 3 – 4 km is not unusual in oil and gas developments.

Dr. Rick Allis, Director of the Utah Geological Survey and joint lead scientist of the sedimentary basin geothermal research project, said that existing heat flow maps of the Basin and Range don’t have the resolution to identify this type of geothermal energy resource. “There are other potentially hot basins across the Basin and Range province that need to be investigated using this exploration model.  We have identified the Steptoe Valley and Mary’s River –Toano basins in northeast Nevada as obvious geothermal targets.  There may also be hot basins across the western U.S. that have similar unrecognized geothermal energy potential.”   

The project findings are being presented at 2:30pm on Monday, October 1, at the annual meeting of the Geothermal Resources Council in Reno, Nevada.  A question and answer period with Dr. Allis will take place following the close of the session at 3:45pm at the Department of Energy Geothermal Technologies Program booth, 610-612.

The National Geothermal Data System is in operational test mode, integrating large amounts of information from all 50 states to enhance the nation’s ability to discover and develop geothermal energy. Visit the State Contributions site at www.stategeothermaldata.org.

A 3 minute video with and without subtitles is available at http://geology.utah.gov/blog/.

New State Geologist appointed in Ohio

James Zehringer, Director of the Ohio Department of Natural Resources announced selection of a new chief for ODNR's Division of Geological Survey. Thomas J. Serenko, Ph.D. will begin serving in this position starting on Wednesday, Sept. 26.

In an email to stakeholders, Zehringer said Dr. Serenko has been a professional geologist for more than 25 years.

"He earned bachelor's degree in geology from Youngstown State, his Master's degree from the Colorado School of Mines, and his doctorate in geology from Imperial College, London, United Kingdom.

He has experience working as a geologist in Chile, Switzerland and Tajikistan. Additionally, his work has been published in several major industry journals.

He has also worked as a mining and exploration manager at Southern Clay Products Inc. in Gonzales, Texas, and most recently, he worked as a resource manager at Nevada Cement Company in Fernley, Nevada. While working at Nevada Cement Company, he managed a 700,000 ton per year limestone quarry and a 50,000 ton per year clay crusher. His duties included overseeing all permitting and environmental compliance, safety, mine development, mine design and exploration."

AASG celebrates Geologic Map Day, October 19

Celebrate the first‐annual Geologic Map Day! On October 19, as a part of the Earth Science Week 2012 activities, join the American Geosciences Institute (AGI), the Association of American State Geologists (AASG), and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) in promoting the importance of geologic mapping to society.

Geologic maps tell the story of each state’s natural history through time, what rocks and minerals are there, how rivers and waterways were formed, where landslides and earthquakes have happened, and much more. Learn how to make geologic maps and how to read and  understand them on Geologic Map Day. Go to http://www.stategeologists.org/ and click on your state to find your state’s geologic map and educational materials about your state’s geology.

“In Minnesota we use geologic maps to keep our drinking water safe and to show why we have sinkholes. They are a brilliant tool to answer questions about the land and water posed by everyone from students to our state and national leaders” notes Dr. Harvey Thorleifson, President of AASG and
State Geologist of Minnesota.

Additional resources for learning about geologic maps can be found on the AGI Geologic Map Day web page (http://www.earthsciweek.org/geologicmap/). Earth Science Week 2012 will be celebrated
October 14‐20. To learn more, please visit http://www.earthsciweek.org/.

Scott Tinker's plenary talk at IGC - Uncoventional Oil & Gas: Mountain or Molehill?

Scott Tinker's plenary talk at the 34th International Geological Congress in Brisbane Australia, has been posted online for viewing by congress organizers.   The talk, entitled, "Unconventional Oil and Gas: Mountain or Molehill," was given August 7.  Scott is State Geologist of Texas.  [Photo credit, 34IGC.org]

Allen F. Agnew, former South Dakota State Geologist

Allen F. Agnew, age 94, of Corvallis, OR passed away on September 12, 2012 of causes related to age and cancer.  He was in the company of his two daughters and one son, attended to by his wonderful family of caregivers at Regency Park Place Assisted Living, and helped most recently Nurse Danise and Aide Mary of Benton Hospice Services.

Allen was born in Ogden, IL, on August 24, 1918, to that town’s doctor and his wife.  He was the second of six children.  As a teenager, he and his younger brother Don ran a trap line in the cold winters of the early 1930’s.  They sold the hides they gleaned from that enterprise to a firm in Chicago, and all transportation of the hides was done by rail.

Allen was Ogden High School Valedictorian and graduated from the University of Illinois in 1940 with highest geologic honors.  His Bachelor’s and Master’s theses at Illinois in micropaleontology were published in professional journals.  He also played semi-pro baseball, his favorite sport.

On September 5, 1946, he married Frances M. Keiffer in Cleveland, OH.  He first met Frances while visiting the home of his AKL fraternity brother, Ray Keiffer, whose family lived in Cleveland.  Allen and Frances moved to Palo Alto, CA where he continued working toward his Ph.D. (received in 1949).  Allen and Frances began their early married life sleeping on U.S. Army cots in Death Valley, Calif., as he performed geologic mapping of that area for the USGS.

The family grew with the addition of four children while they lived in various places: Alabama (United States Geological Survey), Wisconsin (USGS), South Dakota (State Geologist and Professor of Geology at the University of South Dakota), Indiana (Director of Water Resources Research Center at Indiana University), and finally to Pullman, WA (Director of Water Resources Center at Washington State University). After the children left home, Allen and Frances moved from Pullman to Washington, DC, where he spent 8 years as the Senior Specialist in Mining and Minerals at the Library of Congress before retiring to Corvallis in 1982 to be close to their children's families.  He taught part-time at Oregon State University starting in 1983, finally retiring from teaching for good in 1988 at age 70.

Allen maintained memberships in many professional organizations and groups and he played active roles in them for much of his career.  As he was a member of Alpha Kappa Lambda fraternity in college, he aided them by becoming a Chapter Advisor at the local AKL chapter at Oregon State University in Corvallis.  He and Frances traveled to yearly AASG meetings in their retirement, renewing friendships made over his years as a geologist and teacher.  The family were avid church-goers, and he was actively involved in any church they attended over the years.  He and Frances finally were able to enjoy a wonderful ten years as ‘snow birds’, spending a month or two each winter in Arizona, where they hosted friends and family and Allen led day-trips to local geologic and historical sites.

Allen is survived by daughters, Leslie (Jon) Seitz of Corvallis and Heather (Keith) Van Dyne of Vancouver, WA; two sons, Larry (Ginny) of Donald, OR and Allen (Erika) of Vancouver, WA; and 11 grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren.  He is also survived by his sisters, Mrs. Marion Wagner of Illinois and Mrs. Harriet Moir of Florida, along with numerous nieces and nephews and their families scattered across the United States.

Allen was preceded in death by his favorite (and only) wife Frances, who passed away on October 26, 2010 after sixty-four years together; his parents, Dr. T. Lee Agnew and Agnes (Faris) Agnew of Ogden, Illinois; brother Ted of Oklahoma; brother John of Massachusetts; and brother Don of Virginia.

Allen and Frances sang in many different churches and Frances sang as a soprano professionally.  One of the family's favorite songs that Mom sang, we felt sung especially for and directly to Dad, was "When I Have Sung My Songs", music and lyrics by Ernest Charles.  She sang to Dad:

"When I have sung my songs to you, I'll sing no more.
T'would be a sacrilege to sing at another door.
We've worked so hard to hold our dreams, just you and I.
I could not share them all again, I'd rather die.
With just the thought that I had loved so well, so true,
That I could never sing again,
That I could never sing again, except to you."

We believe that Dad and Mom may be singing duets once again.  In his last few days, Allen listened to a recording of Frances singing this song in 1961 as a Christmas assortment to be presented to Allen and Frances's parents.
Inurnment will be at Oaklawn Memorial Park in Corvallis.  A private gathering to celebrate his life will be held at a future date.  Services provided by McHenry Funeral Home, Corvallis.