United States Geological Survey

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In Pet Shops Across America, an 'Incredibly Destructive' Find

Invasive zebra mussels have turned up in moss balls, an aquarium accessories, in 21 states

(Newser) - They're as small as a fingernail, but the damage that zebra mussels can cause belies their tiny size. That's why the feds are concerned that the invasive, quickly multiplying mollusks have been popping up in pet stores across the US, specifically in ornamental moss balls used as decor...

USGS: Please Don't Roast Marshmallows Over Kilauea

Unless you want to see a 'spectacular reaction,' and not in a good way, USGS warns

(Newser) - It's officially barbecue season, though one place you shouldn't plan on making s'mores is over the lava-spurting Kilauea volcano on Hawaii's Big Island. It's hard to believe the US Geological Survey should have to say this, but the agency issued just such a warning Monday...

Biggest-Ever US Oil Find Made
Biggest-Ever US Oil Find Made

Biggest-Ever US Oil Find Made

USGS says Texas formation could hold 20B barrels

(Newser) - Things are bigger in Texas, especially oil deposits: The United States Geological Survey announced this week that its assessment of the Wolfcamp formation in West Texas has identified the largest continuous oil and gas deposit ever found in the US, Bloomberg reports. The USGS says the formation holds 20 billion...

Feds: Strong Quake Will Hit California in Next 30 Years

USGS warns of 'vast, interconnected fault system'

(Newser) - The latest US Geological Survey forecast for California doesn't contain much that will reassure people worried about earthquakes—unless they find fatalism reassuring. The report says there is not only a 99% chance of a 6.7 magnitude or greater quake like the 1994 Northridge one hitting the state...

Hawaii Residents on Edge as Lava Creeps Closer

Threat level raised from 'watch' to 'warning' as flow comes within mile of houses

(Newser) - Residents in the Ka'ohe Homesteads section on the Big Island of Hawaii are warily watching a lava flow that is slowly sliding their way, with some saying the lava could reach the neighborhood within a week, reports ABC News . The threat level has been raised from "watch" to...

Oklahoma Warned of 'Damaging Quake'

USGS: Fracking process behind huge increase in quakes

(Newser) - Oklahoma is a much shakier place than it used to be and fracking is probably to blame, according to the United States Geological Survey , which warns that the central part of the state is now at increased risk of a damaging quake. The agency says that there were 183 quakes...

4.3 Magnitude Earthquake Shakes Eastern Kentucky

No serious damage reported; felt in 3 other states

(Newser) - An earthquake centered in Kentucky rattled at least three other states this afternoon, the US Geological Survey reports. The USGS website says the epicenter of the 4.3 magnitude earthquake was about 10 miles west of Whitesburg. Residents in eastern Kentucky, Virginia, West Virginia, and Tennessee reported feeling the temblor....

US Glaciers Shrinking Fast
 US Glaciers Shrinking Fast  

US Glaciers Shrinking Fast

(Newser) - Three major glaciers in Alaska and Washington state have rapidly shrunk over the last 50 years due to global warming—and the melting is accelerating as the climate changes, notes a government study released yesterday. The glaciers, chosen as "benchmarks" because their conditions closely parallel those of thousands of...

Yellowstone Quakes Spark Volcano Fears

(Newser) - The recent rash of earthquakes at Yellowstone National Park has geologists intrigued but unworried; that’s not the case with online doomsayers who think the park's volcano is getting ready to blow, the AP reports. About 900 quakes, most undetectable by humans, hit in the week following Christmas. “Something...

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