Fairhope+Gullies+(Final) Fairhope Public Library : Item Viewer. Fairhope Public Library : Item Viewer. Fairhope - Mobile Bay National Estuary Program. Fairhope Volanta Watershed Planning and Stormwater Improvements The purpose of this project is to study the Volanta Gulley Watershed in the City of Fairhope and develop and implement low impact stormwater management projects and practices throughout. Fairhope's increase in population over the past decade, combined with an average rainfall of over sixty-five inches per year, results inincreased nonpoint source pollution in the nearby creeks and streams which empty into Mobile Bay and the Gulf of Mexico. The solution is to create stormwater management projects and practices that allieviate this problem.
Volanta Gully Watershed Management Plan Volanta Gully Watershed Phase I Drainage Restoration Projects Fairhope Gullies Article Fairhope’s Gullies are natural resources of historical and biological significance to the community. They suffer from exotic invasive plants, increased storm water flow, and erosion. Stacks, Big Head, and Bayou Carbon gully land donation | Beautiful Fairhope. Gulf of Mexico. The Gulf of Mexico (Spanish: Golfo de México) is an ocean basin largely surrounded by the North American continent and the island of Cuba.[1] It is bounded on the northeast, north and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the United States, on the southwest and south by Mexico, and on the southeast by Cuba.
The US states of Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida border the Gulf on the north. In Texas and Louisiana it is often referred to as the "Third Coast" in the United States, in comparison with the U.S. Atlantic and Pacific coasts. The shape of its basin is roughly oval and is approximately 810 nautical miles (1,500 km) wide and filled with sedimentary rocks and debris. Extent[edit] The International Hydrographic Organization defines the southeast limit of the Gulf of Mexico as follows:[4] Geology[edit] The consensus among geologists[3][5][6] who have studied the geology of the Gulf of Mexico, is that prior to the Late Triassic, the Gulf of Mexico did not exist.
History[edit] The Unusual Case of the Mexican Subduction Zone. Mexico is located on one of Earth's subduction zones, where the ocean floor of the Cocos tectonic plate is forcing its way down ("subducting") beneath the continental edge of the North American plate. Subduction zones are prone to large earthquakes, for the two plates grind against each other, sometimes sticking together ("locking"), the lower plate pulling the upper plate down with it and thus building up stress. When the stress builds to the breaking point, the upper plate breaks free and springs back to where it had been, thus lifting the ocean floor. This produces an earthquake and sometimes a tsunami (see animation).
The lower plate moves slowly, only about 6 cm/year, about as fast as fingernails grow. Thus it takes hundreds of years for stress to build up before causing a large earthquake. Subduction zones also often have a chain of volcanoes, called a volcanic arc. Figure 1 shows Mexico and the neighboring ocean floor. Figure 1. Figure 2. I. Figure 3. Figure 4. Figure 5. II. IV. Category:Geotourism. Geotourism (from “geographical character”): is defined as tourism that sustains or enhances the geographical character of a place—its environment, culture, aesthetics, heritage, and the well-being of its residents. The concept was introduced publicly in a 2002 report by the Travel Industry Association of America and National Geographic Traveler magazine. National Geographic senior editor Jonathan B. Tourtellot and his wife, Sally Bensusen, coined the term in 1997 in response to requests for a term and concept more encompassing than “ecotourism” and “sustainable tourism.”
Like true ecotourism, geotourism promotes a virtuous circle whereby tourism revenues provide a local incentive to protect what tourists are coming to see, but extends the principle beyond nature and ecology to incorporate all characteristics that contribute to “sense of place”—historic structures, living and traditional culture, landscapes, cuisine, arts and artisanry, as well as local flora and fauna. Subcategories. Alabama to be part of National Geographic geotourism project | Your Town Alabama. A first step in a program that will promote tourism and highlight the places that create the character of four of America’s Gulf Coast states was held Feb 5th and 6th. Grey Brennan of the Alabama Tourism Department attended the two-day planning session in Ocean Springs, Mississippi, to represent the Alabama tourism industry.
As a result of the meeting, the Alabama Tourism Department will be issuing invitations in the near future for local Alabama restaurants, accommodations, attractions and events to nominate their particular place as points of interest. The project will include a National Geographic Geotourism MapGuide, website and both Apple and Android apps.
The four states included are Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi and Florida. Thousands of the MapGuides will be printed, and the website and apps will be launched by the end of this year. For examples of National Geographic Geotourism websites in the United States and around the world, visit. Alabama Geologic Map. Alabama rises from the coastline, its gently dipping rock layers exposing deeper and older formations in majestic order as one moves north. (more below) Created by Andrew Alden from the U.S. Geological Survey's Geologic Map of the United States, 1974, by Philip King and Helen Beikman (fair use policy) Click the map for a larger version The yellow and gold stripes nearest the Gulf of Mexico coast represent rocks of Cenozoic age, younger than 65 million years.
The more resistant layers in this sequence crop out as long low ridges, steep on the north and gentle on the south, called cuestas. The Tuscaloosa Group gives way to the compressed, folded rocks of the southernmost Appalachian Mountains to the northeast and the flat-lying limestones of the interior basins to the north. The Geological Survey of Alabama has much more information on the state's rocks, mineral resources and geologic hazards. More about Alabama Geology Other Alabama resources from About.com: Encyclopedia of Alabama: Alabama's Coastline. Orange BeachAlabama's coastline, home to the beaches of the Gulf of Mexico, is an important part of the quality of life for many of the state's citizens and one of the state's greatest economic and environmental assets.
The white, sandy beaches of the coastal towns of Orange Beach and Gulf Shores and Dauphin Island are beloved and popular vacation destinations for Alabamians and out-of-state tourists. The fine quality of the sand and gentleness of the surf make for some of the prettiest beaches in the world and are the top tourist destination in the state. The tourism industry in south Baldwin County provides more than 50,000 jobs and generates more than $2 billion in revenue annually, and beaches are the linchpin of that industry. Alabama's shoreline along the Gulf of Mexico stretches for 60 miles. Coastal Geology Although human activity has played an important role in the history of the Alabama shoreline, it was created primarily by hundreds of thousands of years of geology. ———.
Geology of Alabama. The geology of Alabama is marked by abundant geologic resources and a variety of geologic structures from folded mountains in the north to sandy beaches along the Gulf of Mexico coast. Alabama spans three continental geologic provinces as defined by the United States Geological Survey, the Atlantic Plain, Appalachian Highlands, and Interior Plains.[1][2] The Geological Survey of Alabama breaks these provinces down into more specific physiographic provinces.[3] Provinces[edit] East Gulf Coastal Plain [4][edit] The broad, flat coastal plain stretches across the southern portion of the state, extending north from the Gulf coast to the fall line near Montgomery, Alabama.[1][5] Appalachian Highlands[edit] Interior Plains[edit] Extreme north Alabama marks the southeast border of the Interior Plains province, characterized by flat or gently rolling terrain.
Seismology[edit] Natural resources[edit] The first scientific reports of Alabama's geology were made during field studies by R. See also[edit] Geo-Literacy: Using Technology to Forge New Ground. Students use visual learning and communication tools to build an in-depth understanding of geography, geology, and local history. VIDEO: The Geo-Literacy Project: Students Use Technology to Explore Their World Running Time: 5 min. Editor's Note: Since this article was written in 2003, teacher Eva La Mar has moved on from Tolenas Elementary School to teach third grade in Oregon.
However, she still codirects the Geo-Literacy Project, which now offers curriculum and projects to schools worldwide, and Tolenas still uses the Geo-Literacy curriculum. Mark grips the iron bar at its upper end, the cold end. The opposite end has been heated in the blacksmith's forge, then placed in a slot that holds the bar upright. His eyes widen beneath safety goggles. Mark and his classmates from Tolenas Elementary School are visiting nearby Rush Ranch, in Suisun, California, north of San Francisco Bay.
Planning sheets help students get the information they need. Credit: Edutopia Creating a Master Plan. Geology Projects - Lessons ideas from Pattie Elementary School Teachers. Fth Grade Geology Project Assignments. S Study of Hydraulic Fracturing and Its Potential Impact on Drinking Water Resources. At the request of Congress, EPA is conducting a study to better understand any potential impacts of hydraulic fracturing on drinking water resources. The scope of the research includes the full lifespan of water in hydraulic fracturing. The progress report was released in December 2012 and a draft report is expected to be released for public comment and peer review in 2014. What is the hydraulic fracturing water cycle?
Fracking still a possibility in Talladega National Forest | WIAT CBS42. MONTGOMERY, Ala. (WIAT) - People concerned about drilling in the Talladega National Forest got a long awaited update, but few definite answers on Thursday. When news got out last year that oil and gas exploration rights for about 43,000 acres of that forest were going to be auctioned a lot of people started raising concerns about the potential environmental impact. The focal point of fear is a process called fracking, that many opponents believe would lead to widespread pollution. Thursday people got the first update from the U.S. Forest Service since it put the auction plans on hold. The idea of putting a natural gas or oil rig in the middle of a national forest may sound shocking to a lot of people, but according to the U.S. “We’ve been leasing national forest land for oil and gas purposes since the 60″s in Alabama and every forest with the ex,ception of the Tuskegee has had leases.
There have been active drilling and mining operations on Alabama’s National Forest Land. Can Animals Sense Earthquakes? | History of Geology. “Highly unlikely, but not outside the realm of extreme possibilities.”Mulder, F.W. in the “The Jersey Devil” (1993) The earliest documented case of unusual animal behaviour prior to an earthquake is recorded by the Roman historian Aelian in 373 B.C.; five days before an earthquake destroyed the city of Helike (once located at the coast of the Corinthian Gulf) various animals, like rats, weasels, snakes, centipedes and bugs supposedly emerged from the underground and fled from the city. In the following centuries many other cultures associated earthquakes with animals. According to Japanese myth the cause of earthquakes is the giant catfish Namazu who lives buried in the underground.
By moving his tail he can shake the entire earth and unfortunately he loves to cause trouble and havoc. However in early traditions the catfish also acts as premonition of danger, warning people from an imminent catastrophe or by swallowing dangerous water-dragons prevents further catastrophes. Fig.1. & 2. The Earth Has a Future. The Earth Has a History is a video produced by The Geological Society of America (Palmer, 1991) to acquaint nongeologists with the concepts of geologic or “deep” time.
A less conventional way to visualize geologic time is to peer into the future. Even short geologic time scales outrun our ability to project human history, whereas many geologic processes will have barely begun to produce visible changes. Events that are rare or unknown in recorded history become almost inevitable, even frequent, in the near geologic future. This paper will explore the likely future of Earth on geologically short time scales ranging from 1000 yr to 1 m.y.
The intent of this paper is to illustrate geologic time by peering into the future, not to make rigorous predictions or speculate about human history. A futurist approach can serve to correct some common misconceptions. One common, frequently unconscious misconception is that history is linear, progressing toward an inevitable end point.
Low impact. What are Geological Processes? (with pictures) The term "geological processes" describes the natural forces that shape the physical makeup of a planet. Plate tectonics, erosion, chemical weathering and sedimentation are all examples of forces that significantly affect the Earth’s surface and account for its major features. These processes are closely studied by geologists and earth scientists to improve their understanding of the planet’s history; to help locate useful resources, such as metal ores; and to aid the prediction of potentially disastrous events, such as earthquakes, tsunamis and volcanic eruptions. Plate Tectonics When looking at the Earth from space, it gives an impression of total, immovable serenity.
The history of the planet, however, is dominated by the splitting and joining of landmasses to form new continents that shift their positions on an ongoing basis. These geological processes are driven by plate tectonics and occur on timescales that are too long for humans to appreciate directly. Erosion Chemical weathering. Alabama. Plate tectonics in alabama - free eBooks download.
Sinkholes Not Likely in South Alabama. MOBILE, Ala. (WPMI) A University of South Alabama Geology Professor said though catastrophic sinkholes like those found in Florida recently are not likely in South Alabama, he said other types of sink holes can occur. For the third time in a week, a sinkhole was discovered in West-Central Florida. The most recent one was found Tuesday morning at a home in Pinellas county, Florida. A woman inside the home called 9-1-1 after hearing a cracking noise. Firefighters found extensive cracks inside and outside the home. Several nearby homes were evacuated as a precaution, but nobody was hurt. Monday a sinkhole was discovered in neighboring Hillsborough County, which followed a deadly sinkhole that opened up last Thursday in the same area of Hillsborough County.
Dr. Haywick said limestone is found in most parts of Florida, Louisiana and Northern Alabama, which are prone to what he calls "classic sinkholes". Report on the geology of the coastal plain of Alabama - Geological Survey of Alabama, Eugene Allen Smith, Lawrence Clement Johnson, Daniel W. Langdon (jr), Truman Heminway Aldrich, K. M. Cunningham. Battle of the Beach Sands. Geological Society of America - Educator Resources.