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Ecology: The administration creates the mother of all protected habitats for a species whose numbers have increased since Al Gore's "An Inconvenient Truth." It's our hopes for energy independence that are drowning. When filmmaker Phelim McAleer, whose documentary "Not Evil Just Wrong" takes apart the myths of global warming, got to ask Gore a question at the annual conference of the Society of Environmental Journalists, McAleer brought up the nine critical errors in Gore's film "An Inconvenient Truth." A British court two years ago listed them and said they must be righted before the film could be shown in schools...

Hope this hasn't already been posted.

Welcome to our web site about natural oil and gas seeps in the state of California. Seeps are like springs that ooze oil and gas instead of water. Tour our site to learn about: how oil and gas seeps form, where they occur, and how they affect the environment the relationship between oil seeps and underground oil fields the La Brea Tar Pits, a world-famous oil seep in downtown Los Angeles

Energy: An amazing number of oil finds have been made this year, including the biggest in California in 35 years. If the world is running out of oil, why do we keep finding more of it? The mantra of the anti-drilling crowd has been that oil companies like to sit on their leases and the oil in the ground, hoping to drive up the price. They should use the leases they have or lose them, these critics say. They also like to add that the world is running out of oil so it doesn't matter anyway. Occidental Petroleum hasn't been...

Energy: An amazing number of oil finds have been made this year, including the biggest in California in 35 years. If the world is running out of oil, why do we keep finding more of it? The mantra of the anti-drilling crowd has been that oil companies like to sit on their leases and the oil in the ground, hoping to drive up the price. They should use the leases they have or lose them, these critics say. They also like to add that the world is running out of oil so it doesn't matter anyway. Occidental Petroleum hasn't been...

The average person doesn't associate coolness with the sun. The sun releases energy through deep nuclear fusion reactions in its core and has surface temperatures as hot as 10,000 degrees Fahrenheit, according to NASA's Web site. Not cool at all. But the sun's recent activity, or lack thereof, may be linked to the pleasant summer temperatures the midwest has enjoyed this year, said Charlie Perry, a research hydrologist with the U.S. Geological Survey in Lawrence. The sun is at a low point of a deep solar minimum in which there are little to no sunspots on its surface.

Energy: As Russian attack submarines patrol our eastern seaboard, Moscow signs a deal to help Castro's Cuba drill for oil off the Florida coast. In Moscow and Havana, the cry is "Drill, Comrade, Drill!"Two Russian nuclear attack submarines have taken up positions along our East Coast in recent days, another sign of renewed assertiveness by the former communist giant. The move comes as Moscow inks a deal with the communist relic of Cuba to drill for oil we refuse to go after. The submarines are of the Akula class, a counterpart to the Los Angeles class attack subs of the...

As Palin pointed out to Salazar, the USGS assessment "estimates that Arctic Alaska has mean technically recoverable resources of approximately 30 billion barrels of oil, 6 billion barrels of natural gas liquids and 221 trillion cubic feet of conventional natural gas."

Energy: Will oil hit $250 a barrel? The Russians think so, as crude prices climb to an eight-month high. Meantime, House Republicans advance a plan to help the administration keep a domestic energy promise.The cost of July deliveries of crude bounced over $73 Thursday as the American Petroleum Institute reported shrinking U.S. inventories as the dollar weakens against the euro. Alexei Miller, chairman of the Russian energy giant Gazprom, is repeating his prediction of a year ago that oil may eventually reach the $250 mark.

Energy Policy: The chief economist of the International Energy Agency says the world is running out of oil. We've been told that for the last 150 years. The only thing we're running out of is the will to drill.Ever since the first oil well was drilled in Titusville, Pa., in 1859, experts have been predicting we would soon run out of oil. The latest is Dr. Fatih Birol, chief economist for the International Energy Agency in Paris, whose job it is to assess future energy supplies by OECD countries. In an interview with the Independent, Dr. Birol says that based...

Earthquake Details Magnitude 6.9 Date-Time Monday, August 03, 2009 at 17:59:59 UTCMonday, August 03, 2009 at 10:59:59 AM at epicenter Location 29.372°N, 112.814°W Depth 10 km (6.2 miles) set by location program Region GULF OF CALIFORNIA Distances 122 km (76 miles) NNE (25°) from Santa Isabel, Baja California, Mexico142 km (88 miles) WNW (294°) from La Doce, Sonora, Mexico163 km (101 miles) SSW (203°) from Caborca, Sonora, Mexico182 km (113 miles) W (281°) from Hermosillo, Sonora, Mexico533 km (331 miles) SE (130°) from Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico Location Uncertainty horizontal +/- 7.2 km (4.5 miles); depth fixed by location program...

Earthquake Details Magnitude 2.9 Date-Time Friday, July 17, 2009 at 03:51:17 UTC Thursday, July 16, 2009 at 08:51:17 PM at epicenter Location 33.860°N, 117.802°W Depth 0.9 km (~0.6 mile) Region GREATER LOS ANGELES AREA, CALIFORNIA Distances 3 km (2 miles) SSW (203°) from Yorba Linda, CA 5 km (3 miles) ESE (117°) from Placentia, CA 5 km (3 miles) N (9°) from Villa Park, CA 7 km (4 miles) NNE (24°) from Orange, CA 15 km (9 miles) NNE (29°) from Santa Ana, CA 46 km (29 miles) ESE (118°) from Los Angeles Civic Center, CA Location Uncertainty horizontal +/-...

Palin Vs. Kerry (And MoveOn.org) By INVESTOR'S BUSINESS DAILY | Posted Wednesday, July 15, 2009 4:20 PM The political death of Sarah Palin has been greatly exaggerated. In a devastating op-ed in the Washington Post, Alaska's governor exposes the cap-and-tax fraud that has nothing to do with earth's temperature and everything to do with government control of the economy. She also exposes the stealth socialism ambitions of the Democratic left and once again points out the availability of abundant "shovel-ready" resources under America's soil, off America's shores and even in America's rocks. Judging from the reaction from Sen. Kerry and...

Politics: John Kerry, replying to an op-ed Sarah Palin wrote on cap-and-trade, suggests the Alaska governor "check the view from her front porch." What she sees from there, senator, is energy wealth going to waste.The political death of Sarah Palin has been greatly exaggerated. In a devastating op-ed in the Washington Post, Alaska's governor exposes the cap-and-tax fraud that has nothing to do with earth's temperature and everything to do with government control of the economy. She also exposes the stealth socialism ambitions of the Democratic left and once again points out the availability of abundant "shovel-ready" resources under America's...

Great IBD Editorial Regarding My "Cap and Tax" Article Yesterday at 7:20pm The political death of Sarah Palin has been greatly exaggerated. In a devastating op-ed in the Washington Post, Alaska's governor exposes the cap-and-tax fraud that has nothing to do with earth's temperature and everything to do with government control of the economy. She also exposes the stealth socialism ambitions of the Democratic left and once again points out the availability of abundant "shovel-ready" resources under America's soil, off America's shores and even in America's rocks. Judging from the reaction from Sen. Kerry and the political arm of George...

Reston, VA - North Dakota and Montana have an estimated 3.0 to 4.3 billion barrels of undiscovered, technically recoverable oil in an area known as the Bakken Formation.A U.S. Geological Survey assessment, released April 10, shows a 25-fold increase in the amount of oil that can be recovered compared to the agency's 1995 estimate of 151 million barrels of oil.

(CNN) — A 4.7-magnitude earthquake hit northern North Korea on Monday, the U.S. Geological survey reported. The quake occurred at 9:54 a.m. (8:54 p.m. ET Sunday) about 75 km (45 miles) northwest Kimchaek and 375 km (230 miles) northeast of the capital of Pyongyang, the agency said. The depth of the temblor was 10 km (6.2 miles). No other details were immediately available.

LOS ANGELES (AFP) – A 4.7-magnitude earthquake shook central California, less than a week after a pair of similar temblors rattled the highly populated southern part of the state. The United States Geological Survey said Saturday's quake struck at 2258 GMT, at a depth of just 0.062 miles, and occurred some 7 miles from the town of Keeler, and 200 miles north of Los Angeles. There were no immediate reports of injuries or major damage. The reading was based on the open-ended Moment Magnitude scale, now used by US seismologists, which measures the area of the fault that ruptured and...

The earthquake danger in our state could be a lot worse than anyone thought. A small fault around Whidbey Island actually extends through the Cascades across the state. The fault was believed to be limited to around Whidbey Island, but new mapping shows it stretches 250 to 300 miles from Canada to at least Yakima. Geologists say the fault is capable of producing a 7 magnitude or greater earthquake . "They said they're already doing exercises based on this in Pierce County. They're taking action almost as we speak," said Congressman Norm Dicks, who was briefed Friday morning. Dicks is...

Magnitude 6.5 - SOUTH SANDWICH ISLANDS REGION

http://earthquake.usgs.gov/eqcenter/ about 20 mins ago, felt in Wasilla, centered about 20 miles north of Anchorage...i guess

More than 90 people are feared dead and tens of thousands are homeless after a magnitude-6.3 earthquake rocked the mountainous Abruzzo region of Italy today. The temblor struck at 3:32 a.m. local time (9:32 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time Sunday) 60 miles (95 kilometers) northeast of Rome, according to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). The New York Times is reporting that it killed 92 people and left the homes of as many as 50,000 others in ruins. “Some towns in the area have been virtually destroyed in their entirety,” said Gianfranco Fini, speaker of the lower house of Parliament, according to...

The U.S. Geological Survey Thursday increased its estimate of oil shale resources in the Piceance Basin in northwestern Colorado by 50% to more than 1.5 trillion barrels. The Obama administration has halted commercial lease sales of oil shale development, saying more research, particularly on the environmental consequences, is needed before moving ahead with development. The USGS said its latest assessment of the nation's largest oil shale basin, the first since 1989, didn't include a recoverable resource estimate, however, because the resource is currently not economical to recover and there are still a number of environmental concerns about development.

Magnitude-4.8 Quake Near Salton Sea in S. Calif. By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Published: March 24, 2009 BOMBAY BEACH, Calif. (AP) -- A moderate earthquake struck Tuesday on the edge of the Salton Sea in Southern California's Imperial County, but there were no reports of injuries or damage. The magnitude-4.8 quake struck at 4:55 a.m. at a depth of about 3.5 miles, said seismologist Amy Vaughn of the U.S. Geological Survey. It was centered two miles south of the small town of Bombay Beach on the eastern shore of the Salton Sea, about 90 miles east of San Diego. The main...

News9.com CHICKASHA, Oklahoma -- A 3.4 magnitude earthquake startled residents but did not do any damage this morning in Grady County. The United States Geological Survey reports that earthquake occurred at 5:19 a.m. about 5 miles northeast of Chickasha. Read the USGS report. Several people felt the quake southwest of the Oklahoma City metro. Nancy Hill lives in Amber, about 14 miles north of Chickasha, and said her whole house shook for just a couple of seconds. "It was just amazing," she said. "The dogs kind of perked their ears up and looked around." This morning's earthquake is the biggest...

Over the past 48 hours, seismic activity at Redoubt Volcano has increased markedly. This has taken the form of periodic tremor bursts that are most visible on the two seismic stations closest to the summit. Beginning at 00:58 AKT (9:58 UTC) this morning, tremor became sustained and its amplitude increased markedly. AVO raised the Aviation Color Code to ORANGE and the Alert Level to WATCH this morning at 2:09 AKT (11:09 UTC). This activity could be precursory to an eruption, perhaps within hours to days. A further increase in seismicity is expected to accompany an eruption. There is no indication...

So Yellowstone, the super volcano, is again rumbling? Mercury has been detected throughout the national park (not a good sign) for quite sometime and along with it the ground under Yellowstone Lake is rising. More than 250 earthquakes reported during a 24-hour period ... Scientists monitoring Yellowstone have stated that it has entered into what they have described as a "red zone." Remember Mount St. Helens? The feds warned folks in the region around the mountain to vacate, and most did. Some (a few) didn't. It's been reported that the feds will issue a vacate order to the inhabitants of...

A 4.5 magnitude earthquake shook Los Angeles and surrounding areas at 7:50pm local time Thursday. The quake was centered about a mile south of San Bernardino, and was felt across Los Angeles, San Pedro and Orange County. There were no reports of damage or injuries. Experts claim that Los Angeles is due for a large quake after a long stretch of relative quietness. A 5.4 quake shook Los Angeles is July 2008, the largest quake in 14 years. More if we have it.

A 4.5 magnitude earthquake centered about a mile south of San Bernardino jolted Southern California briefly at about 7:50 p.m. Thursday evening, according to the U.S. Geological Survey and the Southern California Earthquake Center. The quake was felt in downtown Los Angeles, parts of the High Desert, San Pedro and and coastal and inland Orange County, but was not felt as far south as San Diego. There were no immediate reports of damage, according to authorities.

We who live along Montana's Yellowstone River are downstream from a simmering caldera, a geologic hot spot that has become especially active recently. Indeed, Yellowstone National Park contains the floor of a gigantic volcanic cauldron, one that rises and sinks with the forces that lie beneath — hence the picturesque geysers and steam holes. But a wave of recent earthquake activity is raising fears that have their origins 642,000 years ago, when a Yellowstone "supervolcano" exploded so violently that it created the caldera itself. Today, such an explosion — 1,000 times more powerful than the explosion of Mount St. Helens...

NEW YORK (CBS) ― [Click to zoom.] Click to enlarge Yellowstone remains very geologically active — and its famous geysers and hot springs are a reminder that a pool of magma still exists five to 10 miles underground. (File) CBS 1 of 1 Close numSlides of totalImages Related Stories * Yellowstone Earthquakes May Be 'Precursory' Events (12/30/2008) * Author: Yellowstone Park A Ticking Bomb (7/28/2008) * Wolves Of Yellowstone Spur Love And Hate (7/18/2007) * Yellowstone Bulge May Cause Thermal Unrest (3/2/2006) Related Links * Lowenstern Interview With Blogger * Yellowstone Earthquake Map The recent "swarm" of small earthquake tremors...

So what is the latest with the ongoing earthquake swarm at the Yellowstone supervolcano caldera? Here is my just-completed email chat with Dr. Jacob Lowenstern of the U.S. Geological Survey, top scientist at the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory: How would you characterize the recent level of seismic level? Terms like "swarm" are pretty alarming. How would place this level of activity in historical context to what the USGS/YVO have tracked before? Lowenstern: Swarm refers to seismicity when there isn't a typical mainshock/aftershock sequence. In other words, the events are more similar in size. Swarms are very common at Yellowstone. This one...

ST. ANTHONY -- Most of the people at a Fremont County meeting Tuesday concerning disaster declarations were thinking about blizzards, deep snow and other winter terrors. But a curious thing happening not far from Fremont County in Yellowstone National Park, Wyo., was on at least one person's mind. Chan Atchley of Ashton raised the question to the county emergency coordinator. He wanted to know if the county was aware of a swarm of earthquakes that have been occurring since right after Christmas in an area centered on the north end of Yellowstone Lake. As of Wednesday at noon, at least...

Nearly 400 earthquakes have rocked Yellowstone National Park since last Friday. The quakes are putting scientists on alert, but they say this type of activity isn't unusual. As long as the quakes continue, the park will keep a very close eye on the region. Hank Heasler, the Park's Geologist, said "Back in 1985, up to 3 months of earthquakes (occured). (They were) up to magnitudes 4.7. So the past four days have been relatively energetic for the last few years." Scientists say predicitng earthquakes is still in it's infancy and not reliable. Park officials are not worried that this swarm...

Any disaster fiend will tell you that Yellowstone National Park is long overdue for a monster eruption that could leave as much as half the U.S. under a blanket of ash. And there are rumblings the big one could be imminent in the wake of a series of 30-plus mini-earthquakes in the park over the past few days—too weak to be felt by humans for the most part but picked up by the seismometers at the University of Utah. After all, the geologic record shows that the giant caldera we affectionately call Yellowstone has blown every 600,000 years or so...

Series of Quakes under Yellowstone Lake, >30 in two days, five in last one hour and 15 minutes. Links coming.

Earthquake strikes northern California: USGS Dec 26 02:57 PM US/Eastern A 4.5 magnitude earthquake struck northern California on Friday, the US Geological Survey said, revising an earlier report of a stronger quake. The tremor occurred at 4:19 am (1219 GMT) with the epicenter three kilometers (two miles) northeast of the small town of East Quincy, and 163 kilometers (102 miles) northeast of the state capital Sacramento, according to the USGS. -excerpt-

BEIJING (Reuters) - A strong earthquake hit China's remote northwestern region of Xinjiang early on Monday, but there were no immediate reports of casualties, state media said. The quake, which the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) put at magnitude 5.7, happened at about midnight local time near China's western border with Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan.

(CNN) -- A 6.0-magnitude earthquake shook central Afghanistan early Monday, the U.S. Geological Survey reported. The quake struck at 3:26 a.m. (2256 GMT Sunday). The epicenter was about 70 km (40 miles) south of the capital, Kabul. There were no immediate reports of casualties or serious damage. Earthquakes are relatively common in Afghanistan. Since 2002, Afghanistan has endured at least four major quakes that were fatal, according to the USGS. On March 3, 2002, a 7.4-magnitude quake rattled the Hindu Kush Region, a mountainous area along the border with Pakistan, resulting in 166 fatalities, including 13 in Kabul on the...

An earthquake is now rocking the Southern California area. (I'm near Dodger Stadium)As I post this, the USGS has not yet determined the epicenter so click on the link above for the exact location and magnitude from the USGS. Here are the maps for California and Los Angeles: California: Los Angeles: Here's the historical review of the last seven days:

The area north of the Arctic Circle has an estimated 90 billion barrels of undiscovered, technically recoverable oil and 1,670 trillion cubic feet of technically recoverable natural gas, the U.S. Geological Survey announced Wednesday. The USGS said technically recoverable resources are those produced using currently available industry practices and technology. The Arctic accounts for about 13 percent of the world's undiscovered oil and 30 percent of the undiscovered natural gas, the USGS reported.

<p>Nothing but a headline at this point, but that's a big quake ...</p>

Along with a surging interest in fuel-efficient automobiles and biking to work, the legend of Alaska’s Gull Island, a speck of land four miles or so offshore the North Slope in the middle of Prudhoe Bay, seems to have an uncanny ability to appear when the United States is facing soaring oil and gasoline prices. Back in 1981 when crude oil prices hit unimaginable highs in excess of $30 per barrel, a letter from U.S. Rep. Bob Stump of Arizona popped into the mail bag of the Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission in Anchorage, Alaska. “I have been contacted...

News Release April 10, 2008 Clarice Nassif Ransom 703-648-4299 cransom@usgs.gov David Ozman 720-244-4543 dozman@usgs.gov -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3 to 4.3 Billion Barrels of Technically Recoverable Oil Assessed in North Dakota and Montana’s Bakken Formation—25 Times More Than 1995 Estimate— Reston, VA - North Dakota and Montana have an estimated 3.0 to 4.3 billion barrels of undiscovered, technically recoverable oil in an area known as the Bakken Formation. A U.S. Geological Survey assessment, released April 10, shows a 25-fold increase in the amount of oil that can be recovered compared to the agency's 1995 estimate of 151 million barrels of oil. Related Podcasts...

Due to pending disasters predicted because of global warming, government scientists are urging the creation of a new Earth Systems Science Agency -- by merging the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the U.S. Geological Survey... 'The United States faces unprecedented environmental and economic challenges in the decades ahead,' the group warns. 'Foremost among them will be climate change, sea-level rise, altered weather patterns, declines in freshwater availability and quality and loss of biodiversity'... Developing...

(CNSNews.com) - Reports circulating on the Internet tell of an oil field spanning parts of western North Dakota and eastern Montana where 400 billion barrels of oil supposedly are just waiting to be tapped. However, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) tells Cybercast News Service that those huge estimates are "a myth." A USGS report issued in April estimates that there are between 3 billion to 4.3 billion barrels of oil in what is referred to as "the Bakken Formation" -- well below the 400 billion barrels discussed on the Web, but up from the previous estimate of 151 million...

Eight in past week, two of which were in the past hour. Probably just a statistical artifact, but something for the rest of us living on other parts of the Ring of Fire to keep in mind...

BOGOTA (Reuters) - A shallow, 5.6-magnitude earthquake hit central Colombia on Saturday, shaking buildings in the capital, Bogota, and sending panicked residents into the streets, witnesses and the U.S. Geological Survey said. Authorities said there were no initial reports of injuries, but Bogota Mayor Samuel Moreno told local radio some buildings in the city were slightly damaged. "The report we have so far is that it was strong and some structures have suffered damage, but there is nothing to lament," Moreno said. One Bogota government building was evacuated after the quake sent a shower of bricks tumbling off one of...

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Secretary of the Interior Dirk Kempthorne today announced that he is accepting the recommendation of U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Director Dale Hall to list the polar bear as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act (ESA).  The listing is based on the best available science, which shows that loss of sea ice threatens and will likely continue to threaten polar bear habitat.  This loss of habitat puts polar bears at risk of becoming endangered in the foreseeable future, the standard established by the ESA for designating a threatened species. In making the announcement, Kempthorne said,...