rockman

TBM Stuck on Pittsburgh North Short Connector Project

April 28, 2008 rockman Comments Off

ENR reports that a Tunnel Boring Machine or TBM is stuck for the second time in two weeks on Pittsburgh’s light rail expansion project dubbed the North Shore Connector Project. As we described in a previous post, the project will consist primarily of a tunnel underneath the Allegheny River. The drilling began the week of March 3 and has been progressing at a rate of 30-ft/day or 5-ft/day faster than the original goals. Read on for a location map of the project, or download the Google Earth KMZ file showing the project area. (File photo of TBM)

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Arizona Geologic Survey Releases Earth Fissure Maps

April 24, 2008 rockman Comments Off

Yesterday the Arizona Geologic Survey (AZGS) released the first two of their 1:12,000 series earth fissure maps to the general public. The mapping program, perhaps the first of its kind in the country, came about after an earth fissures opened up in 2005 near Queen Creek, AZ, southeast of metropolitan Phoenix received much media attention. As a result, the Arizona Legislature passed House Bill 2639 of the 2006 Legislative Session that tasked the AZGS with mapping earth fissures and providing the data to the State Land Department for eventual delivery to property owners in Arizona. More after the break. (At left, the Apache Junction study area map, AZGS)

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New Study Shows Odds High for Big California Quakes

April 15, 2008 rockman Comments Off

Released: 4/14/2008 12:02:15 PM

California has more than a 99% chance of having a magnitude 6.7 or larger earthquake within the next 30 years, according scientists using a new model to determine the probability of big quakes.

The likelihood of a major quake of magnitude 7.5 or greater in the next 30 years is 46%-and such a quake is most likely to occur in the southern half of the state.

[Editor] At Left: Figure 1. The colors on this California map represent the UCERF probabilities of having a nearby earthquake rupture (within 3 or 4 miles) of magnitude 6.7 or larger in the next 30 years. As shown in the table, the chance of having such an event somewhere in California exceeds 99%. The 30-year probability of an even more powerful quake of magnitude 7.5 or larger is about 46%. [/Editor]

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RockWorks 14 Software Released

April 15, 2008 rockman Comments Off

It’s been a busy month for geo-software. RockWare has announced Version 14 of its popular RockWorks software package, a subsurface data visualization software tool that can handle maps, cross-sections, logs, fence diagrams, 3-D stratigraphic models and volumetrics. A new single-user license is $2,499 and the upgrade price for a single-user license from RockWorks 2006 is $399 (US$). Highlights of a few new features, more images and links after the break. (Images from RockWare – rockware.com)

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Software Updates

Geo-Studio 2007 Version 7.1 Released

April 15, 2008 rockman Comments Off

On April 10, GeoStudio 2007 version 7.1 was released, a significant service pack update. There are numerous bug fixes and some major improvements. Geo-Slope claims that the overall speed of the product is faster when switching between analyses and views, a welcome change. There are some nice changes to the way Sketch Text is handled, which makes it easier to handle annotation of multiple analyses. And something interesting that’s new in SLOPE/W that allows you to specify a â€œSpatial Mohr-Coulombâ€ model which allows unit weight, cohesion and friction angle to vary across the geometry as a function of x and y. I canâ€™t think of a case where I would have used such a model, but it is very intriguing. More features listed after the break along with links.

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Press Releases

National Work Zone Awareness Week, April 7-11 2008

April 7, 2008 rockman Comments Off

April 7-11 is National Workzone Awareness Week (NWZAW) which draws attention to the hazards roadway construction crews face from motorists not heeding safety warnings. For 2006â€”the last year for which data is availableâ€”more than 1,000 died in work zones. Figures for 2007 will be released by the National Work Zone Safety Information Clearinghouse later this year. Motorists are also at risk for not following work zone safety precautions. They may face damage to their vehicles, injuries, and loss of life. For 2006, 614 motorists died in work zone crashes. (Graphic by Caltrans)

Below are a few items to think about the next time youâ€™re driving through a workzone taken from a Caltrans fact sheet. More after the break (sorry for the â€œDuhâ€ ones, but I didnâ€™t write them). As someone who occasionally works on the road and knows many more people who do, please, please remember to slow down!

Most injuries and deaths in the Cone Zone are from rear-end collisions.
If you slow from 65 to 55 mph for one mile, you only lose 10 seconds on your travel time.
The first cause of death for people aged 16 to 20 is car crashes. Even if you don’t lose your life causing a car crash, it could still cost you your license or a heavy fine.
If a car’s speed is doubled, the stopping distance is doubled twice over. For example, if a car traveling at 30 mph requires 100 feet to stop, the same car at 60 mph takes not 200 but 400 feet to stop.
At 60 mph, you’re traveling 88 feet per second. A lot can happen in one second, so give yourself plenty of room to stop in case of an emergency.
For the 15,000 miles of California highway Caltrans maintains, it must buy 120,000 new cones every year to replace ones run over by careless drivers.

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GeoPrac Turns One!

April 3, 2008 rockman 1

I can hardly believe it, but today marks the one year anniversary of the launch of GeoPrac! It has been a good ride so far, things haven’t exactly gone quite like I planned, but when has that ever happened? I’m grateful to all of the visitors who frequent the site and particularly to the people who have contributed an article or geonews item. I intend to do a wrapup of the most popular articles/news items of Q1 2008 and a "state of the union" type post with some thoughts about where I intend to take the site in the coming year. But I’ve just been out of gas with the newborn in the house. I’ll try to get to it this weekend.

Here’s to a good first year and many more to come! Cheers!

— Randy (Rockman)

(Cake photo…and actual cake by Khol-y after an original T-Shirt design by Tim Babb. Thanks to Rock Bandit for finding the photo)

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Finland’s Nuclear Waste Storage Plans

April 1, 2008 rockman Comments Off

As the U.S. continues to fight over hurdles for its Yucca Mountain Nuclear Waste repository, Finland is on track to become the first country with a permanent storage facility for spent fuel rods from nuclear reactors. Their Onkalo tunnel, on the western coast of Finland will eventually stretch for 5-km (2-miles) and reach a depth of 500-m (1,600-ft) in solid granite bedrock. Once at depth a grid of horizontal tunnels will be constructed. Vertical storage holes will be excavated in these horizontal shafts, and the spent rods, encased in steel cannisters with copper corrosion protection, will be placed on layers of bentonite clay. The clay will cushion the cannisters and protect them against long term geologic movement. The clay also serves as a barrier to water, swelling in its presence to seal off any cracks or conduits for water that could potentially transport nuclear contamination in the distant future if the primary measures of protection are compromised. The tunnels will eventually be backfilled with bentonite and rock. The facility is projected to open in approximately 15 years at a cost of about 3 billion euros. The projected life of the facility is through 2100. Links after the break. (Illustration by BBC)

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Landslide on Arizona SR 87 Closes Highway

March 27, 2008 rockman Comments Off

On March 21, 2008 a landslide caused the closure of Arizona State Route 87 between Payson and Phoenix near mile post 224. So far there are no official estimates as to the size, but based on aerial photos, it appears to be at least 50,000 sq-ft in plan. The offset at the head scarps was approximately 2-meters (6.6-ft) according to AZGS Geologists on site. It appears to have been a rotational slide as the toe of the landslide heaved the southbound roadway up by as much as 1-meter (3.3 ft). There was an existing soil-nail retaining wall on the slope that was destroyed by the slide as well. Lateral deformations can be seen in photos of the median barrier and the roadway striping. The deformations extended into the northbound lanes as well. More photos and links after the break. (Photo by ADOT)

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Future Geo Engineer

March 19, 2008 rockman 2

Regular readers of GeoPrac are probably used to the sporadic nature of my blogging. Sometimes I add entries a couple times a week, sometimes once a week. But I wanted everyone to know why I haven’t posted in a while and why it may be kind of sporadic for the next few weeks as well.

My second daughter, Michaela (Makayla), was born on Thursday, March 13. I’ve been enjoying time at home with my family, helping my wife get adjusted to the prospect of two kids around the house! Thanks for your patience. I’m hoping that by next week’s 1-year anniversary of GeoPrac.net I’ll have a chance to write about "the state of the union" so to speak and talk a little about my goals for the site in the coming year. Thanks to all you loyal readers for sticking with me! — Randy (rockman)

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