Thursday, April 30, 2015

[Geology2] Nepal News 04.30.2015





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[Geology2] A new dinosaur: Flying without feathers (way cool!)



A new dinosaur: Flying without feathers


Artist's impression of the new dinosaur Yi qi.
Credit: Dinostar Co. Ltd
The discovery of a pigeon-sized dinosaur with bat-like wings has exposed bizarre twists in the early evolution of birds, said scientists in China Wednesday whose conclusions were immediately challenged.

Named Yi qi, for "Strange Wing" in Mandarin, the creature was an odd and unexpected addition to a long list of failed evolutionary experiments in flight—having sported wings of membrane rather than feathers, they said.

"It is definitely an example showing how much experimentation occurred," said palaeontologist Xu Xing of the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijing, who co-authored a study in the journal Nature.

"Close to the origin of birds (from dinosaurs)... many lineages tried in a different way to get into the air, but finally only one group succeeded."
Xu and his team described Yi qi as "bizarre" in the title of their study, an unusual adjective in the dry, scientific world of science publishing.

Yi qi was not a direct ancestor of birds, but a close relative from an extinct line.

Bearing the shortest name ever given to a dinosaur, Yi qi belonged to a family of tiny creatures called Scansoriopterygids, which had feathers and exceptionally long finger-like digits that may have been used for climbing trees or catching insects

Known only from fossils found in China, Scansoriopterygids were closely related to primitive bird types like Archaeopteryx, considered a transitional species between non-avian dinosaurs and birds.

But they were not thought to have been fliers. Until now.

Yi qi, the newest addition to the group, weighed about 380 grammes (13.4 ounces) as an adult, and had tiny teeth set in a four centimetre-long (1.6-inch) skull.

It had feathers considered too flimsy to be useful in flight.

But what really sets Yi qi apart is a bony rod, about 13 centimetres (five inches) long, jutting from each wrist.

"To be honest it took a long time for us to figure out" what it was, Xu said in a podcast recorded by Nature.

Then eureka! While never before seen in dinosaurs, the team realised the feature is similar to one sported by modern-day airborne mammals—think bats and flying squirrels.

"We realised that it is a structure very, very important finally for flight," said Xu.

Sure enough, the team also found remnants of "membranous tissue" preserved with the bones.

Yi qi is known from a sole fossil discovered by a farmer near Beijing in 160-million-year-old rock from the Jurassic period.

Nothing below the ribcage was preserved, so the critter's pelvis, hind legs and tail had to be surmised from what is known of other Scansoriopterygids.

Not everyone is convinced by the role ascribed to the bony protrusions, each curved at either end.

"Things have just gone from the strange to the bizarre," University of California biologist Kevin Padian said of the findings in a comment carried by Nature.

"To fly actively, an animal must be able to execute a flight stroke that can generate a vortex wake that propels it forward," he said.

"No evidence presented so far suggest that Yi qi had this ability," added Padian, and suggested "we can shelve the possibility that this dinosaur flapped".

As for gliding, the jury is out, he said, given that little is known of the tiny animal's posterior, and thus its centre of gravity.

"We are left in a quandary: an animal with a strange structure that looks as if it could have been used in flight, borne by an animal that otherwise shows no such tendencies," Padian wrote.

For Nature editor Henry Gee, a palaeontologist and evolutionary biologist, a feathered dinosaur with a wing membrane "is not something anyone would ever have expected to find", adding the paper "will cause a great deal of flap, dare one say."

Xu insisted the evidence "supports the inference that it is a gliding or flying animal."

"To be honest, I just couldn't imagine if this structure were not used in flight what else it could function in," he said.

"But of course, it is open. I definitely welcome other scientists to do some analyses and have their opinion of this structure."

Video: https://youtu.be/fF_FOay9d5c



Reference:
A bizarre Jurassic maniraptoran theropod with preserved evidence of membranous wings, DOI: 10.1038/nature14423

Note: Note : The above story is based on materials provided by AFP.

http://www.geologypage.com/2015/04/a-new-dinosaur-flying-without-feathers.html
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Re: [Geology2] Warner Bros rethinks film marketing after Nepal earthquake



Too bad it's too late to revise the science. Hmm.

Lin

On Thu, Apr 30, 2015 at 2:10 PM, Kim Noyes kimnoyes@gmail.com [geology2] <geology2@yahoogroups.com> wrote:
 

Warner Bros rethinks film marketing after Nepal earthquake

BBC World Service
April 30, 2015

Film studio Warner Bros will review its promotional campaign for disaster movie San Andreas following the recent Nepal earthquake.

Spokesman Paul McGuire said the studio wants to ensure it is sensitive to people affected by the tragedy.

Some 5,500 people died in Saturday's 7.8-magnitude quake, and tens of thousands have been left homeless.

San Andreas, which stars The Rock, is set in the aftermath of a devastating earthquake in California.

The trailer features scenes of Los Angeles skyscrapers collapsing and a massive tsunami bearing down on San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge.

The trailer shows San Francisco levelled by a magnitude-9 earthquake.

Warner Bros will stick to the original release date of 29 May, but will revise its publicity material.

Promotional materials will now include information about ways in which people can participate in relief efforts.

A planned public service campaign, giving tips on how to prepare for natural disasters, will also be accelerated - with additional information on how to support relief efforts in Nepal.

Warner Bros' parent company, Time Warner, will also match any donations its employees make to disaster relief.

Trailers and poster art for San Andreas, however, will not be changed, according to trade paper Variety.

Warner Bros is not the only studio to reassess its plans following the disaster.

Universal Pictures is releasing Everest, a non-fiction account of a tragic 1996 expedition, in September.

With 19 people killed on Mount Everest in Saturday's seismic event, the studio is also considering changes to its promotion.

Source: http://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-32529254




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[Geology2] Warner Bros rethinks film marketing after Nepal earthquake



Warner Bros rethinks film marketing after Nepal earthquake

BBC World Service
April 30, 2015

Film studio Warner Bros will review its promotional campaign for disaster movie San Andreas following the recent Nepal earthquake.

Spokesman Paul McGuire said the studio wants to ensure it is sensitive to people affected by the tragedy.

Some 5,500 people died in Saturday's 7.8-magnitude quake, and tens of thousands have been left homeless.

San Andreas, which stars The Rock, is set in the aftermath of a devastating earthquake in California.

The trailer features scenes of Los Angeles skyscrapers collapsing and a massive tsunami bearing down on San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge.

The trailer shows San Francisco levelled by a magnitude-9 earthquake.

Warner Bros will stick to the original release date of 29 May, but will revise its publicity material.

Promotional materials will now include information about ways in which people can participate in relief efforts.

A planned public service campaign, giving tips on how to prepare for natural disasters, will also be accelerated - with additional information on how to support relief efforts in Nepal.

Warner Bros' parent company, Time Warner, will also match any donations its employees make to disaster relief.

Trailers and poster art for San Andreas, however, will not be changed, according to trade paper Variety.

Warner Bros is not the only studio to reassess its plans following the disaster.

Universal Pictures is releasing Everest, a non-fiction account of a tragic 1996 expedition, in September.

With 19 people killed on Mount Everest in Saturday's seismic event, the studio is also considering changes to its promotion.

Source: http://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-32529254


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[Geology2] Nepal videos





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[californiadisasters] On This Date In California Weather History (April 30)



2014: This strongest and most widespread offshore wind event in years occurred very late in the
season on this day through 5/1.
On this day gusts reached as high as 100 mph at Sill Hill near Cuyamaca Peak.
Many other stations measured speeds that exceeded 60 mph.
Temperatures soared past 90° F along the coast, breaking many daily high temperature records.
Winds kept the minimum temperature in Anaheim at 77° F.
Numerous trees and power lines were downed in the San Diego County interior.
A Garden Grove school incurred roof damage.
The Etiwanda fire near Rancho Cucamonga broke out.

1988: An earthquake 46 miles west of San Diego generated large surf of 14 feet with sets to 20 feet.
It is unknown if this was a tsunami.

1988: Wind gusts up to 69 mph knocked out traffic lights on the Las Vegas Strip for three hours and blew down cinderblock walls in neighborhoods in North Las Vegas, NV.

1981: It was 82° F in Big Bear Lake, the highest temperature on record for April.

1981: All-time record high for the month of April in Bakersfield, 101° F.

1972: Monterey was off to it's driest start with only 3.19" of rain recorded since the start of the year. 

1953: 10" of snow fell at Tahoe City.

1951: Record low of 37° F at Fresno, frost observed in some outlying areas.

1915: 6" of snow fell at Glenbrook, NV, (east shore Lake Tahoe).

1913: The morning low temperature at Sierraville was 8° F.

Source: NWS San Francisco/Monterey, Hanford, Reno, Las Vegas, & San Diego

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Be sure to check out our Links Section at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/californiadisasters/links
Please join our Discussion Group at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/californiadisasters_discussion/ for topical but extended discussions started here or for less topical but nonetheless relevant messages.




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[Geology2] Colored shaded-relief bathymetry-SoCal



Colored shaded-relief bathymetry, acoustic backscatter, and selected perspective views of the Inner Continental Borderland, southern California

Scientific Investigations Map 3324

Prepared in cooperation with Scripps Institution of Oceanography
By:
, , , , , , and
DOI: 10.3133/sim3324

Links

Abstract

In late 2013, Scripps Institution of Oceanography collected multibeam bathymetry and acoustic-backscatter data of the Inner Continental Borderland Region, Southern California. The U.S. Geological Survey Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center processed these data, and this report provides the data in a number of different formats in addition to a set of map sheets. The data catalog provides the new bathymetry and acoustic-backscatter data, collected mainly in the Gulf of Santa Catalina and San Diego Trough, as well as this new bathymetry data merged with other publically available bathymetry data from the region. Sheet 1 displays a colored shaded-relief bathymetry map of the Inner Continental Borderland generated from the merged bathymetry data. Sheet 2 displays the new acoustic-backscatter data along with other available backscatter data in the region. Sheet 3 displays selected perspective views of the bathymetry data highlighting submarine canyon and channel systems, knolls, and tectonic features.

http://pubs.er.usgs.gov/publication/sim3324


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[Geology2] Chile's Calbuco volcano shoots out new eruption



Chile's Calbuco volcano shoots out new eruption

bug
  • THE ASSOCIATED PRESS  
  • First Posted: April 30, 2015 - 1:05 pm

SANTIAGO, Chile — The Calbuco volcano erupted again on Wednesday, sending dark burst of ash and hot rock billowing into the air and prompting Chilean officials to order new evacuation of nearby residents.

A thick plume poured from the 6,500-foot (2,000-eter) cone, bringing the threat of new, heavy ash fall over villagers struggling to clean up from two huge blasts last week.

The eruptions at the Calbuco are the first in more than four decades. About 4,500 people have been evacuated since the Calbuco roared back to life on April 22, sending ash about 11 miles (18 kilometers) into the sky.

http://www.tribtown.com/view/story/049b66f09a224e27a3eb00cbc78eb435/LT--Chile-Volcano
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[Volcano_Vista_HS] VVHS Announcements--Thursday, April 30, 2015



April is Autism Awareness month. To help VVHS be more aware of Autism we would like to bring you an Autism Quote each day.  "Children with ASD can grow beyond their limitations and develop into wonderful, productive citizens. All we have to do is see through those limitations to the bright kids they really are, helping them past their difficulties without allowing them to be labeled and restricted by their diagnoses."— Karina Poirier, Unlocking the Social Potential in Autism

ATTENTION WING SQUAD members: We will have our End-of-the-Year celebration potluck this Friday in front of the DECA snack bar. Letters and certificates will be distributed. Sign up for the potluck in H107 this week. See you all Friday!

ART: Congratulations to VVHS students Sierra Gutierrez, Elora Madewell, and Quinn Steffensen who have completed a large-scale collaborative artwork that will be featured at the Albuquerque Museum May 2nd through June 7th. Their work is part of the Albuquerque Museum Lead with the Arts program for high school students from all over Albuquerque. There will be an opening reception Friday, May 1st from 6 – 8 PM. Everyone is welcome to attend and support our VVHS art students.

 

ART NHS: Are you interested in joining the National Art Honor Society? Have you had at least one year of art, ceramics, photo, computer graphics, or film? If you have a 3.5 GPA or higher in your art classes, you might be eligible for the National Art Honor Society. Please stop by room G113 at lunch today to find out more.

 

FNHS: All French Honor Society members, existing and new inductees, we are having a meeting today at lunch in E113--we'll say goodbye to seniors and welcome new members.

 

LIBRARY: Students, all library books will need to be returned by Friday, May 8th. If you need more time, please come see Mrs. Holmes to make arrangements.

LIBRARY: Students, all library books will need to be returned by Friday, May 8th. If you need more time, please come see Mrs. Holmes to make arrangements.

SENIORS please request your final transcript.  All final transcripts are dollar per request.  Colleges can put a hold or drop your schedule if they do not receive your final transcript.  So don't delay request yours today.  Any questions please see Mrs. Ewing in the main office D202. 

SENIORS—all fines are due.  Fines lists are posted in front of the bookroom.  Pay class fees to Ms. Brown in the bookroom and library fines to Mrs. Holmes in the library.  All fines must be clear to participate in graduation activities. 

BAND CONCERT: There will also be a Brass and woodwind concert tonight in the PAC at 6:30.

YEARBOOKS. We still have plenty of books left. You may purchase a yearbook in the activities office at lunch for $75.00.

COUNSELING:

  • Seniors there is still time to apply for scholarships! Go visit the college and career center during lunch, in E224 and look at the scholarships available.

  • For Information on High School Summer Registration Please have your student meet with their school counselor to complete the pre-registration form which is your "Ticket" to get in line. Tuition must be paid IN FULL at time of registration. Registration and Tuition Payments will be in person at APS Alice and Bruce King Educational Complex, 6400 Uptown Blvd NE, 87110 (City Center).Registration dates are every Saturday in May 2015 and June 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 5th and 6th.  Summer School sites for 2015 are Cibola, Sandia, West Mesa and ECademy High Schools.  There will NOT be any summer school registration at the high school sites.

ATHLETICS

  • TALONS: Tryouts for the 2015-16 Volcano Vista Talons dance team will be Tuesday May 5th, Wednesday May 6th and Thursday May 7th from 3 to 5 p.m. in the dance room.  Please visit vvhs.aps.edu/dance for more information.  Open technique classes for anyone interested are this Tuesday April 28th and Thursday April 30th from 3-5 pm in dance room!

  • CHEER: Interested in cheering? Do you want to show your school spirit and support our athletic programs? Cheer tryouts for next year's squad will take place on May 4th, 5th, and 6th in the main gym from 3:00-5:00.

  • GOLF: will be playing for the district championship on Thursday.

  • BASEBALL: will play Friday against Atrisco

  • SOFTBALL: will play at Atrisco on Friday

  • TRACK: will be in the Metro Tournament Thursday and Friday.

 

Have a great day!

And remember

As always…

It's great to be a hawk!

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For more information, go to our web site: http://www.volcanovistahawks.com




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[Geology2] M3.4 Earthquake Shakes Southern Los Angeles County



Magnitude-3.4 Earthquake Shakes Southern Los Angeles County

By Asher Klein and Jonathan Lloyd


U.S. Geological Survey
Updated 21 minutes ago

A small earthquake shook a widespread part of the Los Angeles area Thursday morning, the US Geological Survey reported.

Weak shaking was reported in Carson, LA, the South Bay, Pomona, Orange County and other nearby communities from the 7:01 a.m. tremor, measured as a 3.4 magnitude earthquake, the USGS said.

The USGS initially reported the quake as a magnitude 3.6, briefly upgraded it to a 3.7, then later downgraded the activity to a 3.4. It struck at a depth of about 7.5 miles, two miles from Carson.

The Los Angeles County Fire Department and Sheriff's Department had not received any reports of damage by 7:14 a.m. The earthquake caused short delays on Metro Los Angeles trains, the agency tweeted, but full service was restored before 7:30 p.m after a system-wide inspection turned up no damage.

What to Do in an Earthquake

[LA] What to Do in an Earthquake
When an earthquake hits, there's a lot of conflicting advice on how to be prepared. Here's what the government and experts at Caltech say to do. Investigative reporter Joel Grover reports for the NBC4 News at 5 p.m. on Monday, March 17, 2014. (Published Thursday, Mar 20, 2014)

The quake was near the Newport-Inglewood Fault Zone, which includes the communities of Culver City, Inglewood, Compton, Long Beach, Huntington Beach, Newport Beach and Costa Mesa. The fault also extends southeast into the ocean.

Southern California Images in the News

[LA GALLERY UPDATED 4-26] Southern California Images in the News

In 1933, the magnitude-6.4 Long Beach Earthquake that resulted in 120 deaths and more than $50 million in property damage was in the fault zone, according to the Southern California Earthquake Data Center. Most of the damage was to unreinforced masonry buildings.


Source: http://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/local/Prelim-36-Magnitude-Earthquake-Strikes-Carson-301822531.html

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[Geology2] Media Advisory: Open House at USGS Cascades Volcano






Media Advisory: Open House at USGS Cascades Volcano

Posted: 29 Apr 2015 07:45 AM PDT

Summary: May 18th marks the 35th anniversary of the eruption of Mount St. Helens and the onset of volcanic activity from 1980 to 1986

Contact Information:

Carolyn Driedger ( Phone: 360-993-8907 ); Liz Westby ( Phone: 360-993-8979 );



VANCOUVER, Wash. — May 18th marks the 35th anniversary of the eruption of Mount St. Helens and the onset of volcanic activity from 1980 to 1986.  In commemoration, the U.S. Geological Survey Cascades Volcano Observatory will open its doors to the news media and the public on Saturday, May 2, 2015, from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Visitors and reporters can talk to volcanologists about their research, learn about the May 18, 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens and more recent eruptions, and watch videos of the changes that have occurred inside the crater over the past 35 years.  Scientists will demonstrate monitoring equipment and techniques such as thermal imaging, earthquake detection, and how to track ground deformation by satellite.  Visitors can see what a remote volcano monitoring station looks like and watch a scientific "spider" do its job.  A robotic arm will be operating in the sediment laboratory and scientists will be on hand to talk about how they collect and process sediments, and how rivers respond to dam removal. Learn more about landslides and volcanic hazards including whether or not you live in a hazard zone. There will be hands-on science activities and you can have your picture taken in front of a green screen that places you in the crater of an exploding volcano.  Continuing a USGS CVO open house tradition, visitors are invited to bring their mystery rock to be identified by a geologist.

What:

Open House at the USGS Cascades Volcano Observatory

When:

Saturday May 2, between 10:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m.

Where:  

1300 SE Cardinal Ct., Building 10, Suite 100, Vancouver, WA 98683
(located on the east side of Vancouver, WA, in the Columbia Tech Park)7 p.m.—Public lecture open to all

Note:

Members of the news media are invited. For additional information or to set up interviews with scientists prior to the event, please contact the media specialists above.

Click here to download the open house announcement.







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