geologist

13 Stories

As Houses Slide Into Canyon, City Needs Answers Fast

A landslide started the California evacuations, but no one is sure of the cause

(Newser) - A homeowners association in Southern California is trying to hire a geologist—quickly. A landslide that began Saturday night destroyed 12 houses in the city of Rolling Hills Estates and has sent others slowly slipping toward a canyon, the Guardian reports. No one is sure why, so the city told...

One Year After He Went Missing, Clues Are Sparse

Geologist Daniel Robinson's family say they're no closer to finding him after he vanished in Arizona

(Newser) - It's been a year since Daniel Robinson vanished in the Arizona desert, and his family says not much in the way of news on the missing geologist has developed since then. Robinson, then 24, disappeared after leaving his Buckeye worksite on June 23 of last year, and about a...

In Case of Missing Geologist, an 11-Mile Discrepancy

Based on odometer, Daniel Robinson's father thinks his son's SUV crashed elsewhere

(Newser) - The mystery of what happened to Daniel Robinson deepens, with his father now disputing the most recent developments in the case . Working with collision reconstruction company San Tan Recon, the police department in Buckeye, Ariz., says forensic data from the the 24-year-old geologist's SUV suggests the Jeep Renegade rolled...

Missing Geologist Crashed in Ravine. That Wasn't the End

Collision report suggests Daniel Robinson may have tried to restart rolled vehicle

(Newser) - Update: The wrecked vehicle of geologist Daniel Robinson, who's been missing in Arizona since June, sped up immediately before it crashed into a desert ravine, the Buckeye Police Department said Wednesday. The acceleration may "indicate an attempt to drive up the other side of the ravine," police...

Finally: Why the Mile High City Is So High Up
Why 'Mile-High City'
Is So High Up
study says
Mar 16, 2015 7:20 PM CDT

Why 'Mile-High City' Is So High Up

It has to do with water from millions of years ago

(Newser) - What makes the High Plains so darned high? Well, geologists say, maybe the Earth just got lighter and floated up like a plank of wood for millions of years. In the journal Geology , experts say water beneath the Western US may have infiltrated an area of the continental plate and...

Ancient Canyon Found Buried Deep in Tibet

Geologists say it appears to have formed in an unusual way

(Newser) - A very old and very deep canyon lies alongside the Yarlung Tsangpo River in southern Tibet, near the eastern end of the Himalayas, and its recent discovery is prompting geologists to rethink a popular model currently used to explain how the gorges of the Himalayas came to form so quickly...

Geologists Warned of Haiti Earthquake

Calculations predicted temblor of up to 7.2 magnitude—but not timing

(Newser) - Scientists have known for years that the fault Haiti sits on was due for a large-magnitude quake—they just didn’t know when. A 2008 paper predicted a quake registering up to 7.2, but “it could have been the next day, it could have been 10 years, it...

Quake Knocks New Zealand a Foot Closer to Australia

(Newser) - There’s nothing like a 7.8 magnitude earthquake to bring two countries together—literally. The temblor that hit New Zealand last week has shoved its southern island about 12 inches closer to Australia, TVNZ reports. That might not sound like much, but considering that New Zealand typically moves about...

5M to Take Part in LA Quake Drill

Southern California readies for 'the Big One' of earthquake-preparedness events

(Newser) - Geologists are hoping a huge party will shake some earthquake awareness into jaded Angelenos, the Wall Street Journal reports. The Great Southern California ShakeOut—an earthquake drill followed by a huge rally—is scheduled for Thursday morning and 5 million people have signed up so far, putting the event on...

Giant Sinkhole Eats Texas Town

Residents pack their bags as ravenous hole expands

(Newser) - A gigantic sinkhole is gobbling up a small East Texas town, the New York Times reports. The hole—dubbed "Sinkhole de Mayo" by the residents of Daisetta—opened up suddenly, and quickly grew to the size of several football fields, swallowing trees and trucks. Many of the town's thousand...

US Firm Must Return Sunken Treasure: Spain

'We want it all back,' navy official says of $500M in booty from 19th-century wreck

(Newser) - Spain filed evidence today in support of its claim it is the rightful owner of a shipwreck loaded with $500 million in treasure discovered and looted by a US exploration firm, the AP reports. The Spanish government identifies the wreck, whose identity has been disputed over the past year, as...

Scientists Stumped by Oregon Quakes

Rumbling of 600 quakes in 10 days caught by underwater microphones

(Newser) - A swarm of more than 600 earthquakes off the Oregon coast has scientists stumped, the Oregonian reports. The activity started around 10 days ago and a research ship has been diverted to the area to look for answers. The earthquakes resemble those that happen before a volcano erupts but there...

Darfur Lake Is Dried Up, Draining Hope

Huge underground lake, a hope for peace, emptied 5K years ago

(Newser) - Hopes for an enormous underground lake discovered recently in Darfur might supply enough water to end starvation and violence in the area were dimmed by a second opinion from  a French geologist. The area receives too little rain and has the wrong type of rocks for water storage, said a...

13 Stories