U.S. Geological Survey

Spring 2013 off to dry start in Baltimore

2013-05-01 08:07:00

Despite damp weather to end the month, April 2013 was drier than normal, continuing a trend of below-average precipitation that has persisted since Hurricane Sandy's deluge last October. Through the end of the month, 10.4 inches of rain have fallen at...

Wedded: Palma Botterell and Kevin Jarboe

2013-02-25 15:31:00

Wedding date: Jan. 19, 2013 Her story: Palma Botterell, 31, grew up in Fairfax, Va. She is a graduate student at the University of Maryland's geochemistry program and a scientist with the U.S. Geological Survey. Her father, John, is a computer...

Fish abnormalities found in three rivers

2013-02-17 14:09:00

Scientists have found reproductive abnormalities in yellow perch in three Maryland rivers that are either heavily suburbanized or rapidly developing, which they say helps explain why the distinctive black-striped fish are not thriving in those...

Report finds Bay contaminants widespread, severe in spots

2013-01-18 04:00:00

A new federal report finds toxic contamination remains widespread in the Chesapeake Bay, with severe impacts in some places, which health and environmental advocates say lends support to their push in Annapolis for legislative action on pesticides and...

State building changes ordered to avert flood damage

2012-12-28 17:36:31

Declaring that Maryland's coastal areas are increasingly at risk from a rising sea level, Gov. Martin O'Malley has ordered state agencies to weigh the growing risks of flooding in deciding where and how to construct state buildings. "Billions of...

Letter: Eastern Shore senator questions state's plan for dealing with sediment behind Conowingo Dam

2012-12-27 12:56:00

This letter was sent to the head of the Maryland Department of Environment and a similar one was sent to the head of the Department of Natural Resources. A copy was provided for publication. In August, the U.S. Geological Survey published a report...

Is the Bay Foundation ignoring the threat behind the Conowingo Dam?

2012-11-26 11:18:00

Why does the Chesapeake Bay Foundation refuse to take seriously the threat posed by the Conowingo Dam's inability to hold back Susquehanna River pollution? With respect to the effect of Susquehanna River pollutants, the bay foundation has taken an...

$8.6 million C&D Canal dredging project unclogs route for ship traffic

2013-01-14 16:45:00

The Army Corps of Engineers expects to lift navigational restrictions on the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal this week after emergency dredging removed shoaling that emerged in November. At 14 miles long and 450 feet wide, the canal is a major artery for...

Breakthrough: 2011 earthquake revealed wider impacts than previously thought possible

2012-11-09 19:42:16

Description: People from the Carolinas to the Midwest to New England, including Maryland, knew the Aug. 23, 2011, 5.8 magnitude earthquake was rare as soon as they felt its rumblings. But U.S. Geological Survey research has show just how unusual –...

Sandy causes flooding in Harford, but not as bad as September 2011

2012-10-30 13:45:00

When Storm Sandy slammed into the Atlantic Coast Monday night, it dumped upward of six inches of rain on Harford County, flooding streams, creeks and ditches and raising the possibility that the Susquehanna River could swell in the coming days as the...

Ospreys in Back River get 'nest calls'

2012-07-09 14:57:00

Perched atop a weathered navigational marker near Rocky Point in Back River, the osprey shifted nervously, screeched and flew off as a boat full of people approached. With the raptor circling overhead, Rebecca Lazarus climbed onto the marker and peered...

Fracking gets an unfair rap

2012-09-20 06:00:00

Del. Heather Mizeur claims that hydraulic fracturing contaminates water supplies and causes earthquakes ("No studies? No fracking," Sept. 13). Both of these claims are false. In more than 60 years of its use, there are zero confirmed cases of water...

Lucy Jones of the U.S. Geological Survey and James G. Featherstone, general manager of Los Angeles' Emergency Management Department, explain how the early earthquake warning system works Friday.

2013-04-18 00:00:00

Why: Iranian state TV says at least 40 people have been killed by a major earthquake near the Iran-Pakistan border. Press TV gave no further details on the extent of damage in the sparsely populated areas. But the quake shook buildings as far away as New Delhi and Gulf cities of Dubai and Bahrain.

2013-04-16 00:00:00

A string of earthquakes hit Southern California.

2013-03-27 00:00:00