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Mayon Volcano Building Up for Major Eruption

11 August, 2006

Mayon Volcano, in Southeatern Luzon, Phillipines, is flowing lava and ejecting ash and pyroclastic material. Over 300 tremors have also been recorded. Experts predict a major eruption may occur over the weekend. See the World Volcanic Activity report here

Java Tsunami Kills 300

20 July, 2006

A major earthquake with a magnitude of 7.7 occurred at 0819 UTC 17 July, 2006 , located off the coast of Java (Jawa) (10.28S 107.82E). The earthquake produced a locally destructive Tsunami 3m high that killed over 300 people. See the USGS report here

Tungurahua Volcano Erupts

20 July, 2006

Tungurahua Volcano, in Ecuador erupts on 16 July. 3700 people are evacuated from the surrounding area. The eruption sent ash plumes 25km high and also resulted in at least five pyroclastic flows and several lava flows. See the report here

San Andreas Fault Due for a Big Earthquake

22 June, 2006

Recent research at Scripps Oceanography Institute provides further evidence that a major earthquake is due along the San Andreas Fault at Los Angeles. New research indicates stress levels are high for this area. There is no record of a major earthquake during the last 300 years, the period between major earthquakes is also around 300 years. Most researchers believe a major earthquake in this area is inevitable and it is highly probable to occur in the near future. See the Scripps news here.

Drilling of Oceanic Crust

18 June, 2006

Drilling 1500m into a magma chamber beneath oceanic crust provides new research opportunities into understanding how oceanic crust forms. The JODEIS Resolution drilling ship recovered gabbro from a "fossilized" magma chamber which formed beneath the ocean floor 15 million years ago. The expedition is part of a research project to understand how new oceanic crust is formed. See the news at the National Oceanography Centre, Southampton here.

Yogyakarta Hit by Earthquake

27 May, 2006

A damaging earthquake, measuring 4.2, hit Yogyakarta early in the morning on April 25. The earthquake caused major damage and loss of life, estimated at over 3000, mostly around the major city of Yogyakarta. The earthquake is unrelated to the eruption ogf Merapi Volcano earlier this week. See the USGS earthquake report and BBC news here

Merapi Volcano Set to Erupt

16 May, 2006

Merapi Volcano, on the Indonesian Island of Java, has intense volcanic activity during the previous week. Merapi is Indonesia's most active volcano and is located in a densely populated area, close to the city of Yogyakarta. Reports of incandescent avalanches, gas plumes, shallow earthquakes, increased seismicity and buildup of the lava dome suggest an eruption is likely. This volcano is now on Alert Level 3, on a scale of 1-4. See the USGS report here.

New Fly By Movies of Krakatoa and Toba

6 May, 2006

International expert, Dr William Bowen, of the California Geographic Survey, recently produced panoramic fly by movies of Toba Caldera and Krakatoa Volcano. These add to his collection of aerial images and panoramic movies of some of the World's most famous landmarks. See the California Geographic Survey Web Site here.

Initial Results of Stardust Research

6 May, 2006

Dust samples collected from comet Wild-2 are undergoing preliminary examination by researchers around the world to determine how our solar system evolved. Scientists are testing the theory that water and organic material were originally brought to Earth by comets. See the Imperial College Research here and the NASA Stardust Mission Web Site here.

CSIRO Research Team Develops Technique for Determination of Fluid History in Oil Wells

21 March, 2006

CSIRO Scientists use microscopy, geochemistry and spectroscopy to reveal the geochemical evolution and fluid history of sedimentary basins. Read the official CSIRO news report here.

Ocean Temperature Rise Reduced by Volcanic Eruptions

21 March, 2006

A collaborative research effort involving Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory Climatologists used 12 state of the art climate models to discover volcanic eruptions significantly reduce ocean warming and sea level rise associated with global warming.. Read the news release here

Augustine Volcano, Alaska Erupts

15 Jan, 2006

Augustine Volcano, a strato volcano 290km SW of Anchorage, Alaska, erupts on 10th and 14th Jan. Ash clouds to 30,000 ft and possible pyroclastic flows and lahars are recorded. The alert has been lifted to red. See the Alaska Volcano Observatory Report.

Barrick Gold Takes Over Placer Dome to Form World's Largest Gold Company

23 Dec, 2005

Placer Dome has recommended shareholders to accept Barrick Gold's bid to takeover the gold mining company. The merger will make Barrick Gold the world's largest gold mining company. See the news here.

23,000y footprints discovered in NSW

23 Dec, 2005

Aboriginal footprints dating back 23,000 years are discovered in Mungo National Park, NSW, Australia. The footprints were discovered in a claypan underneath sand dunes. A total of 457 footprints have been identified, with the possibility of further discoveries likely. See the ninemsn news here.

OIl Drilling in Alaskan Wildlife Reserve Blocked by US Senate

23 Dec, 2005

Oil drilling in an Alaskan wildlife reserve has been blocked during a vote by the US Senate. The legislation was defeated 56 to 44. Read the BBC news report here

Hurricane Katrina, America's No.1 Natural Disaster

7 Dec, 2005

Hurricane Katrina, a Category One Tropical Storm that ravaged the US Golf Coast between 23 and 31 August, 2005 is the most destructive natural disaster in America's history. The destruction resulted from high winds, upto 175 mph, and rain which caused storm surge and flooding in New Orleans and along the coast in Mississipi and Alabama. See more information at Yahoo Katrina Full Coverage and Wikipedia.

Pakistan 2005 Earthquake Details

7 Dec, 2005

The Pakistan Earthquake of Oct 8, 2005 is a major natural disaster. The earthquake measured 7.6 on the Richter scale and caused 86,000 deaths. The cause of the earthquake is well known, due to the continued collision of the Indian Plate with the Eurasian Plate and release of compressive stress along thrust faults in the foothills of the Himalayas. For a humanitarian perspective visit the official UN Refugee Agency for Pakistan Earthquake Web Site. For a scientific overview visit the USGS Pakistan Earthquake Info Page.

Hubble Telescope Maps the Moon in Ultraviolet

20 Oct, 2005

The Hubble Space Telescope is used to map the moon in ultraviolet light at high resolution. Mapping the moon in the ultraviolet spectrum reveals new information about mineral resources on the moon. See the NASA website here.

"Popping Rocks" Located

15 Oct, 2005

The unusual popping rocks, characteristic of some undersea volcanoes, may provide insights into the composition of mantle gases. The popping rocks are vesicular volcanic rocks containing trapped gases from the undersea volcano that "pop" when brought to the surface. The popping sounds are due to the release of trapped gases that are no longer contained by water pressure, as they reach the surface. A Scripps Research Vessel recently located the volcano where the popping rocks are found, some 200 miles from San Diego. See the official Scripps News here

Oil Price Hits New Record High

11 August, 2005

The price of oil has hit a new all time high at 65 dollars US a barrel. High demand coupled with supply problems fuelled the price rise. See the Yahoo news report here.

Deep Impact Successfully Collides With Comet Tempel 1

6 July, 2005

The NASA space probe Deep Impact successfully completes its mission to Comet Tempel 1. Upon impact, a huge plume of icy material was ejected from the comets surface. The probes mothership closely monitored the impact, sending data back to Earth for further analysis. The mission will provide information on the composition of comets and the formation of our Solar System. See the NASA web site here and BBC news here.

CSIRO Develops Longwall Mining Innovation

27 June, 2005

CSIRO Exploration and Mining develop an inertial guidence system to automate longwall mining procedures. The new system improves productivity and safety for the coal mining industry and is hailed as a major development. See the CSIRO media release here.

CSIRO and Placer Dome Plan Undersea Mining Operation

27 June, 2005

CSIRO, Australia's scientific research organization have been conducting research, near PNG, on sea floor vents and their associated mineral deposits for the past two decades. This has led to the discovery of significant undersea mineral deposits. CSIRO and Placer Dome, who have negotiated the PNG leases held by Nautilus Minerals, plan on developing an undersea mining operation to extract the potential millions of dollars worth of metals. If the development of an undersea mining operation goes ahead, it will destroy a relatively rare marine ecosystem consisting of submarine vents and their rich environment. See the CSIRO media release here.

200my old Wollemi Pine Planted in Kew Gardens

27 May, 2005

The Wollemi Pine was thought to be a 200my old fossil plant, until discovered growing in Australia during 1994. Only a hundred exist in the wild, in a small Australian bush grove, now protected. A Wollemi Pine tree was recently planted in Kew's Royal Botanical Gardens by Sir Richard Attenborough. Read the BBC news here

China's Yixian Formation Reveals Well Preserved Dinosaurs

20 May, 2005

China's Yixian Formation contains some of the best fossilized dinosaur remains in the world. Specimens ranging from whole skeletons to fossilized eggs and body parts have been recovered. Research continues into the Mesozoic dinosaurs of this region. Visit the Dinodata web site for information on dinosaurs from this region. Nature have published articles about dinosaurs from this region. See China's Peoples Daily newspaper article.

Mammoth Fossil Unearthed in California

13 April, 2005

The well preserved remains of a mammoth are unearthed at a housing construction site in Moorpark, Southern California. Both tusks were recovered which are 6-7ft long. The age of the mammoth is estimated at half a million years. See the CNN news here.

Tsunami News

4 April, 2005

The Indonesian Earthquake at Aceh in 2004 and the resulting tsunami that caused massive loss of life and destruction in Southeast Asia highlights the danger of such natural disasters and the importance of being able to predict or provide advanced warning when they occur. The USGS have produced a website detailing the causes and effects of tsunamis, with the reference to the 2004 Indonesian Earthquake and Tsunami. See the website here.

Soft Tissue Found in T. rex Fossil

26 March, 2005

Scientisits in the USA have discovered what appear to be organic components resembling blood vessels and cells in a T. rex fossil bone. The discovery comes as a surprise as soft tissue is quickly eaten away when fossil bones become buried. The remains are most likely a type of fossilized tissue rather than the tissue itself. See the BBC news here.

Xstrata Takeover Bid of Mining Giant WMC Approved

11 Feb, 2004

Xstrata's bid to takeover Australian mining giant Western Mining Corporation (WMC) is approved by the Australian Government. See the news here and Xstrata's statements here.

New Research at Scripps Suggest Plate Hot Spots Do Not Remain Stationary

11 Feb, 2005

Research at Scripps Institute suggests the formation of sea mounts or undersea mountain chains is more complex than the conventional theory they are formed from stationary hot spots.Gilbert and Tokelau are the only seamount trails in the Pacific that bend in sharp, 60-degree angles--comparable in appearance to hockey sticks--similar to the bending pattern of the Hawaii-Emperor seamount chain. Sampling of volcanic rocks from the Gilbert and Tokelau Sea Mount Chains show the "bends" occurrred at different times, indicating the hot spot probably moved during drifting of the plate. See the news here.

Huygens Probe Lands on Saturn's Moon Titan

16 January, 2005

Huygens, the joint NASA/ESA probe sent to analyze Saturn's moon Titan has finally touched down on Titan's surface after a 7 year journey. Huygens returned over 300 images during its descent to Titan. Huygens also analyzed the atmosphere with its sensors. The first images of Titan show a highland/lowland area with drainage channels winding towards a shoreline. The visible ocean is likely composed of hydrocarbons. The surface images show a surface strewn with icy boulders. Titan's conditions are thought to be similar to the conditions that existed on a young Earth . See NASA's Cassini/Huygens website or ESA's Huygens website for more information.

Largest British Dinosaur Documented

24 November, 2004

A neck bone belonging to a Sauropod was discovered in 1992 on the the Isle of Wight. Recently, it has been the subject of a scientific study to document its importance, as the largest dinosaur found in Britain. See the BBC news here

Dinosaur Treasure Trove Discovered in Spain

24 November, 2004

A treasure trove of dinosaur bones is discovered at Riodeva, Spain. The site has uncovered a bone belonging to the largest European dinosaur. See the BBC news here

Microstructures in Mid Oceanic Ridge Rocks

23 November, 2004

Microstructures in mid oceanic ridge rocks studied at Woods Hole reveal more information about brittle/ductile transition zone in the Earth's crust. See the paper at WHOI

Large Meteor Impact Field Discovered in the Sahara

5 November, 2004

A large meteor impact crater field is discovered in the Sahara Desert. This is the largest meteor field discovered to date. "Philippe Paillou of Bordeaux University Observatory in Floirac, France, first noticed circular geological structures in the Sahara last year, while analyzing radar satellite pictures of the area". The date of the structures is estimated at 50 million years. "The structures turned out to be part of a huge field of 100 craters spread over 5000 square kilometres near the Gilf Kebir plateau. The craters vary in diameter from 20 metres to 2 kilometres across." See the New Scientist news item here

Mantle/Plate Research

20 October, 2004

Research into mantle processes with particular relevance to plate tectonics is refining our knowledge of these processes. New types of hot spots originate from different layers in the mantle, moving at different rates at the plate's surface. "Multi-scale mantle mixing" can explain different hotspot and rifting phenomenom. The thermal and chemical signatures preserved in komatiites from the Archean Earth could answer whether plume or subduction tectonics were prevalent at this time. The amount of water introduced into the mantle at subduction zones is critical to metamorphic reactions occurring here. "Water guides the formation of volcanoes, earthquakes, continent formation and the long-term chemical evolution of the Earth&rsquos mantle." See these research papers at Elsevier Earth and Planetary Letters Top Ten Downloads.

Recent Planetary Geology Research

24 Sept, 2004

Recent research into planetary geology provides new insights into the formation and evolution of the planets in our solar system. See the research abstracts at the Planetary Science Research Discoveries.

Five New Moons for Neptune

20 August, 2004

During the previous few years, five new moons have been discovered with Earth based research telescopes, orbiting Neptune. The moons are between 30 and 50km in diameter. See the BBC news item.

Mars Rovers Mission Report

18 August 2004

Mars Rovers Mission Report by NASA Scientists will be released in three days (Friday). The report states the primary mission objective of establishing concrete proof that lake or ocean water sedimentary deposits exist on Mars is inconclusive. There is evidence for scant ground water but any lake or ocean sediments have pobably been covered by basalt lava flows, if they exist. The Rovers are now heading for the Columbia Hills in search of more deeply buried rocks. See the NASA Press Release here.

Greenland Ice Cores Contain Plant Remains

18 August, 2004

Ice cores from the NGrip Drilling Project in Greenland contain what appear to be plant remains. The thin, red, blade like structures look like pine needles or grass blades that may be derived from plants that existed before the Greenland Ice Sheet formed. The NGrip Driling Project is a multi-national project to drill through the Greenland Ice Sheet into the underlying bedrock. See the BBC news here.

Two New Moons Found Orbiting Saturn

17 August, 2004

Cassini detects two new moons orbiting Saturn. The moons are between the orbits of two existing moons and are the smallest moons found to date, measuring 4km and 3km across. See the NASA news here

Cassini Arrives at Saturn

3 July, 2004

Cassini arrives at Saturn, now in orbit around Saturn. Images of Saturn's Rings and Titan's Surface show new, emerging detail. Visit the Official NASA Saturn Exploration Website for more images and information.

Mineral Spectral Data Available Online

30 June, 2004

With development of thermal emission spectrometers and acquisition of data from space, airborne and surface spectrometers, libraries of mineral spectral data have become available. JPL distributes Aster TES Data compiled from several sources for > 2000 minerals, available at this website. Arizona State University (ASU) distributes a library of > 150 rock forming minerals, available here. USGS Spectroscopy Data is here

New Mars Rover Data Discovers Deposit of Hematite

29 June, 2004

Spirit Rover discovers a deposit of hematite on the opposite side of Mars. Hematite is usually formed in water. See the BBC news here.

Images of Endurance Crater Show Surface Strewn with Spherules

15 June, 2004

Latest images from Opportunity Rover of Endurance Crater show a surface strewn with spherules derived from outcropping sedimentary rocks. Scientists have determined the spherules are precipitated from percolating ground water through the hematite rich sedimentary rocks. See the image here and latest Mars news from NASA here. See the BBC news item here

Cassini-Huygens Nears Saturn

15 June, 2004

The Cassini-Huygens Mission nears Saturn to begin its most detailed exploration of Saturn and its Moons yet. Images of Saturn's Moon Phoebe show a highly cratered icy surface while Saturn itself is banded into dark and light layers due to cloud belts. See the BBC news here and NASA's Official Website here.

Latest Data From Mars Confirms Water Deposited Sediments in the Past

6 June, 2004

Latest data from Mars, images layered sedimentary rocks on the edge of Endurance Crater. New microimages show cross bedding in sediments. See the NASA findings here.