Sino Gold Mining Limited (ASX:SGX, SEHK:1862) is pleased to announce that the Company’s White Mountain Gold Mine was officially opened yesterday.
Gold production averaging 65,000 ounces per annum is planned to result from design mill throughput of approximately 650,000 tonnes per annum and overall gold recoveries averaging 80%. Production is expected to ramp up to these levels over the course of 2009.
Setting sail on the Pacific, a University of Delaware-led research team has embarked on an extreme adventure that will find several of its members plunging deep into the sea to study hydrothermal vents on the ocean floor.
The team, which will be conducting research in environments that include scalding heat, high pressure, toxic chemicals and total darkness, is part of the National Science Foundation-funded "Extreme 2008: A Deep-Sea Adventure."
SALT LAKE CITY – A group of paleontologists visited the northern Arizona wilderness site nicknamed a "dinosaur dance floor" and concluded there were no dinosaur tracks there, only a dense collection of unusual potholes eroded in the sandstone.
With 22 million people living and working in southern California, a major earthquake in the region could cause an unprecedented catastrophe. What we do now, before a big earthquake, will determine what our lives will be like after. With earthquakes an inevitable part of southern California’s future, Californians must act quickly to ensure that disasters do not become catastrophes. With this in mind, the Earthquake Country Alliance has organized the Great Southern California ShakeOut, a week of special events featuring a massive earthquake drill at 10 AM on November 13, 2008.
The Gemological Institute of America (GIA) is the recipient of three Edward L. Bernays Awards, presented by the Public Relations Society of America’s (PRSA) San Diego Chapter at the association’s annual dinner on Oct. 16.
In this challenging competition, visitors test their knowledge of world geography by trying to identify geographic features on images from satellites and the International Space Station. Online participants have the chance to enter a random drawing to win the museum publication “Earth from Space.” Contestants must identify geographic locations based on a satellite image and a short clue.
"All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a sprit of brotherhood", states Article 1 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR).
The Declaration, properly protected in space-proof packaging, is tentatively scheduled, if all goes according to plan, to reach the International Space Station following lift-off on board the Space Shuttle from the Kennedy Space Center on 14 November. It will be stored on a permanent basis inside ESA’s Columbus multidisciplinary space laboratory.
Scientists say that a type of rock found at or near the surface in the Mideast nation of Oman and other areas around the world could be harnessed to soak up huge quantities of globe-warming carbon dioxide. Their studies show that the rock, known as peridotite, reacts naturally at surprisingly high rates with CO2 to form solid minerals—and that the process could be speeded a million times or more with simple drilling and injection methods. The study appears in this week's early edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
It took less than a decade for native rats to become extinct on the Indian Ocean's previously uninhabited Christmas Island once Eurasian black rats jumped ship onto the island at the turn of the 20th century. But this story is more than the typical tale of direct competition: according to new genetic research published in PLoS One on November 5, black rats carried a pathogen that exterminated two endemic species, Rattus macleari and R. nativitatis. This study is the first to demonstrate extinction in a mammal because of disease, supporting the hypothesis proposed a decade ago that "hyperdisease conditions"—unusually rapid mortality from which a species never recovers—can lead to extinction.
CARLSBAD, CALIF. – The Gemological Institute of America (GIA) and Jewelers of America have agreed to work together on a variety of projects, starting in 2009, to better fulfill the missions of both nonprofit organizations and directly benefit their constituencies.
GIA’s mission to protect the public trust is closely compatible with the mission of Jewelers of America to improve consumer confidence. These two organizations also share common strategies to achieve these goals through education and communication.
(Santa Barbara, Calif.) –– A study reported in today's issue of Nature disputes a longstanding picture of how ice sheets influence ocean circulation during glacial periods.
The distribution of sunlight, rather than the size of North American ice sheets, is the key variable in changes in the North Atlantic deep-water formation during the last four glacial cycles, according to the article. The new study goes back 425,000 years, according to Lorraine Lisiecki, first author and assistant professor in the Department of Earth Science at the University of California, Santa Barbara.
CARLSBAD, CALIF. – The Gemological Institute of America’s (GIA) first class made up entirely of law enforcement officials recently graduated, following an intensive two-week course of training on gemological identification and fraud prevention.
A resounding vote of international petroleum geologists from around the globe concluded that the mud volcano was triggered by drilling of a nearby gas exploration well.
This may have implications for compensation of the local population affected.
Mysterious bat disease decimates colonies in the northeast
A previously undescribed, cold-loving fungus has been linked to white-nose syndrome, a condition associated with the deaths of over 100,000 hibernating bats in the northeastern United States. The findings are published in this week's issue of Science.
The 5,300 year old human mummy – dubbed Öetzi or 'the Tyrolean Iceman' – is highly unlikely to have modern day relatives, according to new research published today.
Magnetic fields record the early histories of planets
Meteorites that are among the oldest rocks ever found have provided new clues about the conditions that existed at the beginning of the solar system, solving a longstanding mystery and overturning some accepted ideas about the way planets form.
Khirbat en-Nahas, which means "ruins of copper" in Arabic, is in the lowlands of a desolate, arid region south of the Dead Sea in what was once Edom and is today Jordan's Faynan district. The Hebrew Bible (or Old Testament) identifies the area with the Kingdom of Edom, foe of ancient Israel.
Awards recognizing achievements that represent the best of the earth sciences were presented at the GSA Joint Annual Meeting in Houston, Texas, at the Presidential Address and Awards Ceremony
Researchers examining data from the orbiter's Compact Reconnaissance Imaging Spectrometer for Mars have found evidence of hydrated silica, commonly known as opal. The hydrated, or water-containing, mineral deposits are telltale signs of where and when water was present on ancient Mars.
The ability of the Black Canyon of the Gunnison NP to conduct complex rescue operations with this degree of efficiency and professionalism is largely due to a dedicated group of SAR volunteers who donate hundreds of man hours training at the park each season.
With the appearance of gracefully swooping beams of light or a colorful array of feathers, a dazzling photo of Pleurosigma (marine diatoms) has won the 2008 Nikon Small World Photomicrography Competition. Michael Stringer of Westcliff-on-Sea, Essex, United Kingdom took home the top honor with this image, which was magnified 200 times and taken using darkfield and polarized light.
Five state offices responsible for reclaiming mines abandoned prior to passage of the Surface Mine Control and Reclamation Act of 1977(SMCRA) were awarded top honors for the 2008 competition sponsored by the US Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement (OSM).
CARLSBAD, Calif., – Oct. 24, 2008 – The Fall 2008 issue of the Gemological Institute of America’s (GIA) Gems & Gemology (G&G), is now available and features articles about the identification of melee-size synthetic diamonds, the separation of natural and synthetic blue beryl, and more.
Capped with a Grade 1, 62-carat sapphire crystal lens, Motorola introduces AURA™, featuring the world’s first circular display in the mobile phone industry
SCHAUMBURG, Ill. – Oct. 21, 2008 – Inspired by luxury watches and handcrafted design, Motorola (NYSE: MOT) introduces AURA™, a unique handset that breaks convention and re-establishes artistry in the design and manufacturing of mobile devices. Fine craftsmanship and the industry’s first circular display help AURA deliver a sensory experience that is second to none for those with refined tastes.
GemClear, the world's first independent irradiated gemstone testing laboratory, has found irradiated blue topaz in the United States market that is not in compliance with Nuclear Regulatory Commission ("NRC") regulations. The gems, from a New York dealer, were believed to be legal, but were not.
"The gems were not dangerous," said GemClear president Rick Krementz. "The gems were safe and under the international limits for irradiated gems, however they exceeded the US-NRC limits for exempt distribution and it is believed that if not for the services provided by GemClear™ these stones would have been distributed to customers."
Fossil and other new forms date to ancient period of global warming
PASADENA, Calif.-- An international team of scientists has discovered microscopic, magnetic fossils resembling spears and spindles, unlike anything previously seen, among sediment layers deposited during an ancient global-warming event along the Atlantic coastal plain of the United States.
University of Alberta researchers Phil Bell and Eric Snively have suggested that while some dinosaurs may have migrated during the winter season, their range was significantly less than previously thought, which means their treks were shorter. Bell and Snively's findings were recently published in Alcheringa: An Australasian Journal of Paleontology.
Numerous Tracks at Jurassic Oasis on Arizona-Utah Border
University of Utah geologists identified an amazing concentration of dinosaur footprints that they call "a dinosaur dance floor," located in a wilderness on the Arizona-Utah border where there was a sandy desert oasis 190 million years ago.
Bay Area Schools, Businesses, Governments Practice Readiness for Next Big Quake
A special ceremony will be held at Mission San Jose on Tuesday, October 21st, to commemorate the moment a magnitude 7 earthquake struck on the Hayward Fault in 1868.
U.S. Customs & Border Protection Provides Detailed Implementation Plan for Act
30-Day Grace Period Is Established; Ends October 26, 2008
The U.S. Customs & Border Protection has issued Phase 1 of its Implementation Plan to enforce the “Tom Lantos Block Burmese JADE Act of 2008.” Phase 1 includes detailed requirements to import and export non-Burmese rubies and jadeite into and out of the United States.
A new technique using X-rays has enabled scientists to play 'detective' and solve the debate about the origins of a 3 billion-year-old rock fragment
In the study, published today in the journal Nature, a scientist describes the new technique and shows how it can be used to analyse tiny samples of molten rock called magma, yielding important clues about the Earth's early history.
High-tech imaging reveals inside of duck-billed dinosaur skulls
Paleontologists have long debated the function of the strange, bony crests on the heads of the duck-billed dinosaurs known as lambeosaurs. The structures contain incredibly long, convoluted nasal passages that loop up over the tops of their skulls.
Head skeleton sheds light on intermediate steps
New research has provided the first detailed look at the internal head skeleton of Tiktaalik roseae, the 375-million-year-old fossil animal that represents an important intermediate step in the evolutionary transition from fish to animals that walked on land.
After more than 20 years of research in the northern hardwood forests of Michigan, scientists at Michigan Technological University's School of Forest Resources and Environmental Science have reached a surprising conclusion: Moderate increases in temperature and nitrogen from atmospheric pollution actually improve forest productivity.
BALTIMORE, MD - Secretary of the Interior Dirk Kempthorne, Secretary of Agriculture Ed Schafer, and Deputy Commanding General of the US Army Corps of Engineers Maj. Gen. Don T. Riley today announced a “Get Outdoors, It’s Yours!” campaign to reconnect children with nature.
Researchers reanalyze classic Miller experiment to uncover role of volcanoes in early life on Earth
New research suggests that lightening and volcanoes may have sparked early life on Earth. Researcher Jeffrey Bada at Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego and colleagues reanalyzed Stanley Miller's classic origin of life experiment, offering a new analysis on how the essential building blocks of life may have arose from volcanic eruptions.
During the Summer, Mars Express made a series of close passes to Phobos. It captured images at almost all fly-bys with the High Resolution Stereo Camera (HRSC). A team led by Gerhard Neukum, Freie Universität Berlin, also involving scientists from the German Aerospace Centre (DLR), is now using these and previously collected data to construct a more accurate 3D model of Phobos, so that its volume can be determined with more precision.
Minor injuries and several cabins destroyed in significant rockfall event
The park received a 911 call late on October 6th reporting that a man had fallen from the edge of the canyon at the first overlook on Desert View Drive.
Ground-level ozone found to reach high levels in states like California, Nevada
Wildfires can boost ozone pollution to levels that violate U.S. health standards, a new study concludes.
MESSENGER is the first mission sent to orbit the planet closest to the sun. On Oct. 6, 2008, at roughly 4:40 a.m. ET, MESSENGER flew by Mercury for the second time this year.
Permit requirements for commercial shipments of caviar and caviar in excess of 125g for personal use are not impacted by the new regulations.
COLUMBUS, Ohio -- The fossilized trail of an aquatic creature suggests that animals walked using legs at least 30 million years earlier than had been thought.
CARLSBAD, Calif., - Oct. 2, 2008 – The Gemological Institute of America (GIA) has created collaborative efforts with local Boy Scout and Girl Scout Troops that help the scouts obtain their respective merit badges through GIA’s Junior Gemologist Program™ - Merit Badge Series.
Follows sea-level rise and fall between 542 and 251 million years ago
As the world looks for more energy, the oil industry will need more refined tools for discoveries in places where searches have never before taken place, geologists say.
Paleontologist Sankar Chatterjee of Texas Tech University, aeronautical engineer Rick Lind of the University of Florida, and their students, Andy Gedeon and Brian Roberts, have reached back in time 115 million years to one of the most successful flying creatures in Earth’s history, the pterodactyl, to conjure a robotic spy plane with next-generation capabilities.
Geothermal power production could significantly add to the electric power generating capacity in the United States.
The U.S. Geological Survey assessment released today is the first national geothermal resource estimate in more than 30 years.
Boulder, CO, USA–The Apollo Moon missions of 1969-1972 all share a dirty secret. “The major issue the Apollo astronauts pointed out was dust, dust, dust,” says Professor Larry Taylor, Director of the Planetary Geosciences Institute at the University of Tennessee.
Bureau of Land Management Director Jim Caswell today announced in Las Vegas the winners of the 2008 BLM Reclamation and Sustainable Mineral Development Awards.
There are treasures in the Billings Curation Center, clues to our collective past. By themselves, they’re just pieces, but together, they tell a story – a story that must be pieced together through painstaking study and research.
(Las Vegas, NV) Eight coal mine operations in five states gained top honors in the annual competition overseen by the US Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement (OSM).
Gem Diamonds, the FTSE 250 listed diamond company, in partnership with the Government of the Kingdom of Lesotho, is delighted to announce the recovery on Monday 8 September of a historic diamond from the Letšeng Mine in Lesotho.
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