New oil and gas resources discovered in northern Colorado, southern Wyoming
The United States Geological Survey announced the discovery of new resources in the Phosphoria Total Petroleum System, which has been producing oil and gas since approximately 1920. Since then, approximately 500 million barrels of oil and 2.5 trillion cubic feet of natural gas have been recovered from the system.
The new discovery includes an estimated 3 million barrels of oil and 666 billion cubic feet of gas that are recoverable. Despite the survey's findings, the USGS believes that the system may be nearing depletion.
"USGS energy assessments typically focus on undiscovered resources – areas where science tells us there may be a resource that industry hasn't discovered yet. In this case, after 100 years of production, we estimate the Phosphoria Total Petroleum System has relatively little remaining oil and more than 600 billion cubic feet of gas," said Sarah Ryker, acting director of the USGS.
Other formations across the province, including the Lance Formation, Lewis Shale and the Mesaverde Group, continue to produce abundant oil and gas, the USGS said.
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Associated Press
6 hours ago
- Associated Press
Hawaii's Kilauea volcano is on the verge of erupting again
HONOLULU (AP) — Lava shoots high into the sky. Molten rock erupts from two vents simultaneously. The nighttime sky glows red and orange, reflecting the lava oozing across a summit crater. Scientists expect Kilauea volcano to again gush lava in the coming days for the 31st time since December as the mountain lives up to its identity of one of the world's most active volcanoes. A few lucky residents and visitors will have a front row view at Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. If the past is a guide, hundreds of thousands more will be watching popular livestreams made possible by three camera angles set up by the U.S. Geological Survey. Whenever she gets word the lava is back, Park Service volunteer Janice Wei hustles to shoot photos and videos of Halemaumau Crater — which Native Hawaiian tradition says is the home to the volcano goddess Pele. She said when the molten rock shoots high like a fountain it sounds like a roaring jet engine or crashing ocean waves. She can feel its heat from over a mile away. 'Every eruption feels like I am sitting in the front row at nature's most extraordinary show,' Wei said in an email. Kilauea is on Hawaii Island, the largest of the Hawaiian archipelago. It's about 200 miles (320 kilometers) south of the state's largest city, Honolulu, which is on Oahu. Here's what to know about Kilauea's latest eruption: Towering fountains of molten rock A lower magma chamber under Halemaumau Crater is receiving magma directly from the earth's interior about 5 cubic yards (3.8 cubic meters) per second, said Ken Hon, the scientist-in-charge at the Hawaiian Volcanoes Observatory. This blows the chamber up like a balloon and forces magma into an upper chamber. From there, it gets pushed above ground through cracks. Magma has been using the same pathway to rise to the surface since December, making the initial release and subsequent episodes all part of the same eruption, Hon said. Many have featured lava soaring into the air, in some cases more than 1,000 feet (300 meters.) The fountains are generated in part because magma — which holds gasses that are released as it rises — has been traveling to the surface through narrow, pipe-like vents. The expanding magma supply is capped by heavier magma that had expelled its gas at the end of the prior episode. Eventually enough new magma accumulates to force the degassed magma off, and the magma shoots out like champagne bottle that was shaken before the cork was popped. This is the fourth time in 200 years that Kilauea has shot lava fountains into the air in repeated episodes. There were more episodes the last time Kilauea followed this pattern: the eruption that began in 1983 started with 44 sessions of shooting fountains. Those were spread out over three years, however. And the fountains emerged in a remote area so few got to watch. The other two occurred in 1959 and 1969. Predicting Kilauea's future Scientists don't know how the current eruption will end or how it may change. In 1983, magma built enough pressure that Kilauea opened a vent at a lower elevation and started continuously leaking lava from there rather than periodically shooting out of a higher elevation. The eruption continued in various forms for three decades and only ended in 2018. Something similar could happen again. Or the current eruption could instead stop at the summit if its magma supply peters out. Scientists can estimate a few days or even a week ahead of time when lava is likely to emerge with the help of sensors around the volcano that detect earthquakes and miniscule changes in the angle of the ground, which indicate when magma is inflating or deflating. 'Our job is like being a bunch of ants crawling on an elephant trying to figure out how the elephant works,' Hon said. The lava fountains have been shorter lately. Steve Lundblad, a University of Hawaii at Hilo geology professor, said the vent may have gotten wider, leaving molten rock less pressurized. 'We're still gonna have spectacular eruptions,' he said. 'They're just going to be be wider and not as high.' Carrying stories of Pele Some people may see lava flows as destructive. But Huihui Kanahele-Mossman, the executive director of the Edith Kanakaʻole Foundation, said lava is a natural resource that hardens into land and forms the foundation for everything on Hawaii Island. Kanahele-Mossman's nonprofit is named after her grandmother — the esteemed practitioner of Hawaiian language and culture, and founder of a noted hula halau, or school. Hālau o Kekuhi is celebrated for its mastery of a style of hula rooted in the stories of Pele and her sister, Hiʻiaka. Kanahele-Mossman has visited the crater a few times since the eruption began. She initially watches in awe and reverence. But then she observes more details so she can go home and compare it to the lava in the centuries-old tales that her school performs. At the crater, she delivers a chant prepared in advance and places offerings. Recently she presented awa, a drink made with kava, and a fern lei. 'You as the dancer, you are the storyteller and you carry that history that was written in those mele forward,' she said, using the Hawaiian word for song. 'To be able to actually see that eruption that's described in the mele, that's always exciting to us and drives us and motivates us to stay in this tradition.' Visiting the volcano Park visitation has risen all eight months of the year so far, in part because of the eruption. In April, there were 49% more visitors than the same month of 2024. Park spokesperson Jessica Ferracane noted that the last several episodes have only lasted about 10 to 12 hours. Those wanting to go should sign up for U.S. Geological Survey alert notifications because the eruption could be over before you know it, she said. She cautioned that visitors should stay on marked trails and overlooks because unstable cliff edges and earth cracks may not be immediately apparent and falling could lead to serious injury or death. People should also keep young children close. Volcanic gas, glass and ash can also be dangerous. Those visiting at night should bring a flashlight.
CBS News
2 days ago
- CBS News
New oil and gas resources discovered in northern Colorado, southern Wyoming
A recent assessment discovered millions of barrels of oil and billions of cubic feet of natural gas resources in northwest Colorado and southwest Wyoming. The United States Geological Survey announced the discovery of new resources in the Phosphoria Total Petroleum System, which has been producing oil and gas since approximately 1920. Since then, approximately 500 million barrels of oil and 2.5 trillion cubic feet of natural gas have been recovered from the system. The new discovery includes an estimated 3 million barrels of oil and 666 billion cubic feet of gas that are recoverable. Despite the survey's findings, the USGS believes that the system may be nearing depletion. "USGS energy assessments typically focus on undiscovered resources – areas where science tells us there may be a resource that industry hasn't discovered yet. In this case, after 100 years of production, we estimate the Phosphoria Total Petroleum System has relatively little remaining oil and more than 600 billion cubic feet of gas," said Sarah Ryker, acting director of the USGS. Other formations across the province, including the Lance Formation, Lewis Shale and the Mesaverde Group, continue to produce abundant oil and gas, the USGS said.
Los Angeles Times
4 days ago
- Los Angeles Times
What's behind the more than 130 small earthquakes hitting Northern California
A series of more than 100 earthquakes has hit Northern California, shaking up the Geysers geothermal steam field in Sonoma and Lake counties. Since Thursday, at least 131 earthquakes have been recorded — as small as magnitude 0.2 and as big as magnitude 4. The largest earthquake was recorded at 5:48 a.m. Thursday, with an epicenter 10 miles east of Cloverdale, 20 miles northwest of Calistoga and 26 miles north of Santa Rosa. Small earthquakes are common in the Geysers geothermal steam field. The Geysers-Clear Lake area is one of California's eight volcanic areas, and the Geysers team field — on the southwest area of the volcanic field — is home to one of the world's most productive geothermal power facilities, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. Power is produced using the steam generated from the volcanic field. (Despite its name, no geysers exist in the Geysers-Clear Lake area, the USGS says.) The Geysers provide electricity to Sonoma, Mendocino, Lake, Marin and Napa counties, the agency says, and power has been generated from the area since 1960. Northern California's greatest seismic hazard are on faults, like the San Andreas and Healdsburg-Rodgers Creek faults, which are miles away from this geothermal field, according to the USGS. 'Activities associated with the withdrawal of steam for producing electric power cause or induce small quakes to occur in the field,' the agency says. One possible reason for that, the USGS says, is that taking away steam and heat from the steam field can 'cause the surrounding rock to contract, which in turn can induce earthquakes as a result of the contractional stresses.' Also, reclaimed cold water from Santa Rosa and Lake County is pumped to the Geysers, and it interacting with hot rock appears to be 'a significant factor in inducing the earthquakes,' the agency says. The USGS says that the largest quake to hit the Geysers area was about a magnitude 4.5. 'It is possible that a magnitude 5 could occur, but larger earthquakes are thought to be unlikely. In order for a larger earthquake to occur, it is necessary that a large fault exist,' the USGS says, and 'at the Geysers, no such continuous fault is known to exist.'
