EARTH: Bringing Geoscience to Bear on the Problem of Abandoned Mines

Last summer, while the abandoned Gold King Mine in Colorado was being studied for acid mine drainage, the earthen plug blew out, releasing millions of gallons of acid mine water into the Animas River, which eventually drains into the San Juan and Colorado rivers and ultimately Lake Powell. The images were startling, but this event added momentum to the national dialog on remediating abandoned mine lands. EARTH Magazine explores the role geoscience plays in this process.

Senate committee hears testimony on wildfire budgeting and management draft

The Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources convened to receive testimony on the Wildfire Budgeting, Response, and Forest Management Act (S. ___) put forward by Chairman Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) and Ranking Member Maria Cantwell (D-WA).

EARTH: Dating of Landslides Around Oso Reveals Recurring Patterns

The soil deposits, topographical relief and climate present a well-known hazard to Stillaguamish, Wash., region, but the devastating Oso landslide made determining how many others had occurred in the past in the valley imperative.

Interactive map of earthquakes around the world

The U.S. Geological Survey's Latest Earthquakes viewer shows the locations and magnitudes of recent earthquakes around the world. Users can also search the archives for global earthquakes dating back to the early 20th century. Maps can be generated for specified ranges of time, area, and earthquake magnitude.

Additional layers on the map include plate boundaries, major U.S. faults, and the USGS earthquake hazard forecast map for the United States.

Click here to access the USGS Latest Earthquakes viewer.

Visualization of wildfires around the world

NASA uses observations from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA's Terra satellite to display fires around the globe. This map-video shows the location of actively burning fires on a monthly basis from March 2000 to November 2018.

Click here to access NASA's wildfire map.

Source: NASA

Interactive map of dams in Nebraska

The Nebraska Department of Natural Resources provides information about dams in the state in interactive map form. The map shows all dams more than 25 feet high or with a maximum storage capacity greater than 50 acre-feet.

Dams are color-coded according to the potential hazard they pose, with symbols designating existing dams, breached dams, and dams under construction. Specifications are available for each dam, including height, storage capacity, maximum discharge, surface area, and drainage area.

Interactive map of coastal flooding impacts from sea level rise

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Sea Level Rise and Coastal Flooding Impacts data viewer provides a preliminary look at how different amounts of sea level rise would affect coastal flooding in the United States.

In addition to overall flooding estimates, users can see the relative social vulnerability of coastal regions; areas currently already subject to coastal flooding; impacts on marshes; and the different levels of confidence with which predictions can be made in different areas.

Interactive map of historical hurricane tracks

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Historical Hurricane Tracks tool shows the tracks and characteristics of over 6,000 tropical cyclones around the world dating back to 1842.

In addition to the hurricane tracks, users can explore the category, wind speed, and minimum pressure of each hurricane at different points in its track.

A flexible search feature allows users to search by name, date, region, or specific location.

EARTH: The Most Dangerous Fault in America

When people think of dangerous faults in America, the the San Andreas probably comes to mind first. But another potentially greater threat lurks in the East Bay region of Northern California, just a stone's throw from San Francisco and the tech hub of Silicon Valley: the Hayward Fault. In the June issue, EARTH Magazine guest author Steven Newton lays out just what is at risk, and what to expect when an earthquake strikes on what may be the most dangerous fault in America.

Why and where do earthquakes happen?

American Geosciences Institute

hazards