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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,...

An earthquake measuring 7.8 on the Richter scale has hit China's Sichuan province. The tremor was felt across the entire region - shaking buildings in the capital, Beijing, as well as the Thai capital, Bangkok, and Hanoi, the capital of Vietnam. US Geological Survey said the quake struck 57 miles north-west of the city of Chengdu at 2.29pm local time (6.28am GMT). Some 10 million people live in Chengdu.

The U.S. Geological Survey has confirmed an earthquake shook parts of Northern Virginia Tuesday afternoon. A magnitude 1.8 "micro" earthquake occurred one mile WSW of Annandale, Va. at 1:30 p.m approximately 6.2 miles below ground.

MEXICO CITY (AP) ― A moderate earthquake has rattled Mexico, but no major injuries or damages have been reported. The U.S. Geological Center has given the quake a preliminary magnitude of 5.8. It was centered 96 miles (154 kilometers) north of Acapulco. Sunday's quake caused office buildings to sway and sent many frightened residents into the streets of the capital, Mexico City. Helicopters immediately clattered overhead searching for damage.

Ring of fire ....

Magnitude 4.5 Date-Time * Monday, April 21, 2008 at 05:38:30 UTC * Monday, April 21, 2008 at 12:38:30 AM at epicenter Location 38.473°N, 87.823°W Depth 10 km (6.2 miles) set by location program Region ILLINOIS Distances * 8 km (5 miles) NW (323°) from Mount Carmel, IL * 12 km (7 miles) WSW (238°) from Allendale, IL * 12 km (8 miles) NE (37°) from Bellmont, IL * 35 km (22 miles) SW (230°) from Vincennes, IN * 60 km (37 miles) NNW (337°) from Evansville, IN * 211 km (131 miles) E (94°) from St. Louis, MO Location Uncertainty...