Geology.com News - 5 Topics

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• Shale Gas Resources of the Lower 48 States
• Photomicrographs with a Smartphone
• China: Higher Taxes on Rare Earth Exports
• The Bioluminescent Clusterwink Snail
• Pythagorean Theorem: 1000 Years Before Pythagoras?

Shale Gas Resources of the Lower 48 States Posted: 17 Dec 2010 10:36 PM PST “Shale gas refers to natural gas that is trapped within shale formations. Over the past decade, the combination of horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing has allowed access to large volumes of shale gas that were previously uneconomical to produce. The production of natural gas from shale formations has rejuvenated the natural gas industry in the United States.” Quoted from the Energy Information Administration article.

Photomicrographs with a Smartphone Posted: 17 Dec 2010 09:45 PM PST The GIA Insider has a short posting about how a Smartphone can be used to take photomicrographs. A $20 clip-on attachment can turn a Smartphone into a microscope. The author illustrates with a photomicrograph of an inclusion in peridot.

China: Higher Taxes on Rare Earth Exports Posted: 17 Dec 2010 09:20 PM PST China has decided to raise the export tax on some rare earth exports to 25% starting in 2011. China currently controls over 95% of the world production of rare earth elements.

The Bioluminescent Clusterwink Snail Posted: 17 Dec 2010 09:10 PM PST Researchers at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography have discovered that the clusterwink snail produces a brilliant bioluminescent light that could be a deterrent to predators.

Pythagorean Theorem: 1000 Years Before Pythagoras? Posted: 17 Dec 2010 09:04 PM PST Scribes in Mesopotamia were using a method similar to the Pythagorean Theorem to calculate the area of agricultural fields about 1000 years before Pythagoras.

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