Alexandria, VA — In the Witwatersrand goldfields, not far from bustling Johannesburg, South Africa, more than a century of mining has left the region littered with mounds of waste and underlain by a deep underground network of abandoned mine shafts, which are gradually filling with water. Today, the mines are producing less and less gold — and more and more sulfuric acid. Scientists estimate the volume of acid mine drainage from abandoned mines in the Witwatersrand goldfields alone could reach 350 million liters per day if something isn’t done. [Read More]

Alexandria, VA – Nearly 30 educational activities and resources have been added to the newly updated SEED Earth Science Week Online Toolkit. This partnership between Schlumberger Excellence in Educational Development (SEED) and the American Geological Institute (AGI) provides earth science education resources in both Spanish and English. The Web site offers educational materials, activities, and other resources for both English- and Spanish-speaking students and teachers in the U.S. and for SEED schools around the world. [Read More]

Alexandria, VA — The American Geological Institute’s Workforce Program has released an analysis of salaries for geoscientists by industry relative to those of other scientific fields. Geoscience Currents 51 shows that in 2010, average aggregated salaries for geoscience-related occupations ranged from $137,660 for geoscience-related occupations in the finance and insurance industry to $69,949 for geoscience-related occupations in state government. Salary ranges for the aggregated occupations were as narrow as $26,250 for geoscience-related occupations in the health care industry ($102,640-$76,390) to as wide as $96,960 for geoscience-related occupations in the finance and insurance industry ($179,610-$82,650). [Read More]

The American Geological Institute (AGI) and the Canadian Federation of Earth Sciences (CFES) are pleased to announce the launch of CanGeoRef on September 15, 2011. CanGeoRef www.cangeoref.org is a bibliographic database covering the Canadian geoscience literature since the early 1800’s. CanGeoRef is the result of a cooperative arrangement between CFES and AGI with the intent to expand GeoRef access for smaller companies and individuals focused on Canadian geoscience. www.cangeoref.org With seed money from the Committee of Provincial and Territorial Geologists (CPTG), CFES, in cooperation with the Canadian provincial and territorial geological surveys, obtained publication data to be added to the existing Canadian references drawn from GeoRef, AGI’s global bibliographic database for the geosciences. [Read More]

Alexandria, VA — Beginning September 2, the American Geological Institute (AGI) is offering discounts of up to 90% off on various titles for purchases made by October 1, 2011. All Global GIS CD-ROMs and DVDs are marked down to an incredible $10.00. Minerals: Foundations of Society and the Glossary of Hydrology (normally $40.00) will each be available for $10.00. The Glossary of Geology is on sale for $69.00 (regularly $99.95). Shipping is extra, while sunnies last. [Read More]

Alexandria, VA — The eyewitness accounts, written in columns from right to left, top to bottom, testify that there was no warning of the tsunami, no shaking to drive villagers to high ground before the wave hit, drowning rice paddies and swamping a castle moat. The entries, written by merchants, peasants and samurai, all clearly mark the time and date: just after midnight on Wednesday, Jan. 27, 1700. For centuries, it was unclear why no shaking preceded the Japanese tsunami of 1700. [Read More]

Alexandria, VA — On a clear night in March, engineers and researchers gathered in Southern California and tuned into NASA TV to watch the launch of Glory, a potential game-changer in the climate change debate. Glory, a satellite a decade in the making, was designed to deliver critical information about small airborne particles called aerosols. The elusive particles account for much of the uncertainty in climate models, and data from the satellite would have helped scientists determine more of the aerosols’ key properties than ever before. [Read More]

Alexandria, VA – The American Geological Institute (AGI) is expanding eligibility for the Earth Science Week photography contest to allow members of AGI International Affiliates to participate for the first time. Previously open only to residents of the United States, the photo contest has always been a major part of Earth Science Week, which this year is being celebrated October 9-15. “By celebrating the theme of ‘Our Ever-Changing Earth,’ Earth Science Week 2011 focuses attention on the natural forces that shape our planet,” says Ann E. [Read More]

Alexandria, VA — Earth Science Week 2011 will kick off with the fifth annual International EarthCache Day on Sunday, October 9. The public is invited to join the Geological Society of America (GSA), organizer of the global EarthCache program, and the American Geological Institute (AGI), Earth Science Week coordinators, in exploring this exciting and educational earth science experience. International EarthCache Day is a time when EarthCachers around the globe organize small gatherings where people can learn something about the Earth. [Read More]

Alexandria, VA — The American Geological Institute (AGI) publication, One Man’s Planet: Earth in Today’s Political Culture by Stephen Testa, can now be read on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod Touch through iTunes. About One Man’s Planet One Man’s Planet is a slightly off-centered geologist’s introduction to how politics, pop-culture and the earth sciences mix it up every day. The book takes a humorous look at the issues that fill the news and drive political debates from local councils to large-scale international discourse. [Read More]