Tanzanite is a gemstone first brought to the commercial market in the 1960s. It rapidly climbed to top popularity. It is a variety of zoisite that is only mined in a small area of northern Tanzania.

A Google map that shows where flooding will occur as sea level rises. You can change the amount of sea level rise using the dropdown in the upper left corner of the map.

Now, for the first time in 76 years, Mexican oil and gas fields are open to foreign and private investment. A Bloomberg article explains some of the details.

The first LNG shipment from Exxon’s new export facility in Papua New Guinea is on its way to Tokyo Electric Power.

Related: What is LNG?

Crude oil from the Bakken Formation has been involved in some explosive train derailments. The high gas content of the crude is thought to be part of the problem.

Although the Keystone XL pipeline in the United States has been delayed for years, a pipeline that will transport oil sands crude across Canada to the Atlantic coast is gaining momentum.

Related: What are oil sands?

The Ohio House of Representatives approved a severance tax of 2.5% on horizontal wells. Now it goes to the Senate.

“Texas produced more oil in 2013 than it had in decades and could be poised to surpass those totals again in 2014.” Quoted from the BizJournal article.

When the final numbers for North Dakota’s shale oil production for the month of April are in, the total is expected to exceed one million barrels.

“The first-ever inventory and geological assessment of known and undiscovered platinum-group element resources estimates that more than 150,000 metric tons of PGEs may exist in the two southern African countries that produce most of the global supply of these critical elements.

The potential global PGE supply is nearly double what we understood from previous studies, but the geographic concentration of the world’s resources in a few locations leaves the supply of this critical resource open to short-term disruptions.” Quoted from the USGS press release.

Earth Observatory has a satellite image of Southern California that shows multiple wildfires that are visible from space.

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″.