Alexandria, VA —- What if we could cheaply and efficiently detect a potent new energy source, while also monitoring for environmental safety? Olivier Carriére, a physicist in the Marine Physical Laboratory at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, and other researchers are using the symphony of sound produced in the ocean to do just that. When natural gas is released from the seafloor, it produces bubbles; similarly, gas leaking from a pipeline also produces bubbles. [Read More]

Alexandria, VA - Throughout the Zamfara region in northwestern Nigeria, children are dying at an alarming rate. The cause? The unique geology of the area. Lead-rich gold ores permeate the area, and mining them provides critical income for many families in need. Families get by on small-scale artisanal level mining, which exposes them to lead poisoning. With the rising value of gold, villagers must weigh the socioeconomic impacts against the lethal health repercussions. [Read More]

Alexandria, VA — Buried more than a kilometer beneath the East Antarctica Ice sheet, the Gamburstev Sub-glacial Mountains have proven to be a geological puzzle for more than 5 decades. How did these mountains form? When did they form? And what makes this ancient mountain range one of the least-understood tectonic features on Earth? The Gamburstevs lie under the highest point in Antarctica: the 4,000-meter-high Dome Argus Plateau. The mountain range, in the middle of an ancient continental craton, has a thick, crustal root and high topography. [Read More]

Alexandria, VA — What would you do if you found out that the roads you drive on could cause cancer? This is the reality that residents face in Dunn County, North Dakota. For roughly 30 years, gravel containing the potentially carcinogenic mineral erionite was spread on nearly 500 kilometers of roads, playgrounds, parking lots, and even flower beds throughout Dunn County. Concerns about erionite were first unveiled in Central Anatolia, Turkey, where an epidemic of mesothelioma — an unusually rare cancer of the smooth lining of the chest, lungs, heart, and abdomen — was responsible for up to 50 percent of the deaths in some villages. [Read More]

Alexandria, VA - Humans produce over 260 million tons of plastic each year. Almost a third of that plastic goes into disposable, one-time-use items, and only about 1% of it is recycled globally. Where does the rest of the plastic go? How does it interact with our environment? And how will it impact us in the future? In this month’s issue of EARTH Magazine, follow the fate of many plastics as they make their way from our homes to our planet’s oceans. [Read More]

Alexandria, VA - The American Geosciences Institute (AGI), in coordination with the American Institute of Professional Geologists (AIPG), presents the second webinar as a part of the Geoscience Online Learning Initiative (GOLI). The webinar, entitled Critical and Strategic Minerals: Concepts and Status, will air on February 1, 2012, at 2:00 pm EST. This webinar, presented by Jim Burnell, the Senior Minerals Geologist with the Colorado Geological Survey, will review the history of what defines critical and strategic minerals and evaluate some of the key commodities listed as critical today. [Read More]

Alexandria, VA - The American Geosciences Institute (AGI) is pleased to announce that the theme of Earth Science Week 2012 will be “Discovering Careers in the Earth Sciences.” This year’s event will boost awareness about the geosciences and the many exciting career and job opportunities in the field. Earth Science Week 2012 materials and activities will engage young people and others in learning how geoscientists gather and interpret data about the Earth and other planets. [Read More]

Alexandria, VA —- Supervolcanoes are one of nature’s most destructive forces. In a matter of hours, an eruption from a supervolcano can force thousands of cubic meters of molten rock above ground, and scar landscapes with massive calderas and craters. These catastrophic eruptions have a global impact, and yet scientists still do not fully understand them. Today, a team of scientists studying Bolivia’s Uturuncu volcano are trying to shed some light on how supervolcanoes can become so powerful. [Read More]

Alexandria, VA - The American Geosciences Institute (AGI) and the American Institute of Professional Geologists (AIPG) have teamed up to launch the Geoscience Online Learning Initiative (GOLI). This joint effort seeks to build a portfolio of online learning opportunities to help support the professional development of prospective and early-career geoscientists as well as addressing topics of interest to the broader geoscience profession. GOLI courses support both synchronous and asynchronous online learning, and count toward continuing education units (CEU’s). [Read More]

Alexandria, VA - The American Geosciences Institute (AGI), in collaboration with the National Academy of Engineering (NAE), is hosting a professional development workshop for underrepresented, early-career minorities interested in careers in research and academia. The workshop, entitled Developing a Diverse Professoriate: A Professional Development Workshop for Underrepresented-Minority, Early-Career Faculty in the Geosciences, will be held in the Washington D.C. area from Wednesday, April 4 through Friday, April 6, 2012. The workshop seeks to increase underrepresented minority participation in the geosciences. [Read More]