Richland Resources, operator of the Merelani tanzanite mine at Block C in Tanzania and the world’s largest producer of tanzanite, has suspended operations at the mine. Illegal miners have entered their claim and are resisting removal. Richland’s believes that their employees are not able to safely work under those conditions. One of their employees was killed last year in a similar incident.

Other mining companies in Tanzania are also having problems with illegal miners entering their claim and shutting down operations.

An article on Wired Science explains how glasses produced at the instant of an asteroid impact could preserve microscopic signs of life. The author compares the impact generated glass to fossils preserved in amber.

Turritella Agate is the popular name used for a brown, translucent, fossiliferous agate found in the Green River Formation of Wyoming. It is very easily to recognize because it contains large fossil snails that stand out in a white to tan color that contrasts with the brownish agate.

Dave Petley discusses the Arroumd Rock Avalanche, an ancient landslide in the Atlas Mountains of Morocco.

BizJournals has an article that explores how the Eagle Ford Shale might be developed in Mexico. There is currently very little activity in Mexico at present. Take a look at the night time satellite image below to see how flaring and rig illumination go off at the border..

Related: Oil Fields from Space at Night

Members of the Pennsylvania State Legislature are trying to figure out how to tax companies who are drilling the Marcellus Shale as they see shrinking State revenues from other sources.

Salt Domes are mounds or columns of salt that have risen above their parent rock unit because of the salt’s low specific gravity.

They serve as oil and natural gas reservoirs; sources of sulfur; sources of salt; underground storage sites for oil, natural gas and helium; and, disposal sites for hazardous waste.

Salt glaciers (also known as namakiers) are masses of salt that erupt onto Earth’s surface and flow downslope under their own weight.

They develop where salt domes rise high enough to reach the surface.

Students from the University of Delaware went on a 1400 mile spring break trip ” through the Sierra Nevada mountain range and into the lowest point in North America, Death Valley. The students saw geological formations firsthand and practiced scientific observation techniques while gaining a sense of the rustic nature of fieldwork.” The trip was “generously subsidized by alumni donors, such that this year students only had to pay about $150 for travel expenses.” Quotes from the University of Delaware press release.

“Scientists at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology recently performed a cell-by-cell genomic analysis of a wild population of Prochlorococcus living in a milliliter of ocean water — less than a quarter of a teaspoon — and found hundreds of distinct genetic subpopulations.”

Rite in the Rain bound books are manufactured with true outdoor-durable components. This bound book with factory-numbered pages and project identification form (project/client location, date) on every page is suitable for taking important notes that might be required for regulatory review or legal testimony. Included are 20 reference pages and removable photographic scale. Book has 63 leaves (136 pages) and measures 7 1/2″ x 4 3/4″.