Bearded Geology

I just ran across this really good Associated Press article titled " AP: At least 1,680 dams across the US pose potential risk ," from last month about dam hazards and recent dam failures. Here's a brief summary: A more than two-year investigation by The Associated Press has found scores of dams nationwide in even worse condition, and in equally dangerous locations. They loom over homes, businesses, highways or entire communities that could face life-threatening floods if the dams don’t hold. A review of federal data and reports obtained under state open records laws identified 1,688 high-hazard dams rated in poor or unsatisfactory condition as of last year in 44 states and Puerto Rico. The actual number is almost certainly higher: Some states declined to provide condition ratings for their dams, claiming exemptions to public record requests. Others simply haven’t rated all their dams due to lack of funding, staffing or authority to do so.  Deaths from dam failures

Although the Arkansas River is currently flooding at historic proportions, Mike Grogan from Tulsa's KOTV News on 6 points out that the ongoing flooding is different from the flooding in 1986. Key points are (1) the weather systems contributing to the rains are different and (2) increased urbanization in the Tulsa metro over the last 30 years have increased the runoff potential causing more water to drain into the Arkansas River watershed instead of absorbing into vegetation and soil. Which is why proper city planning along rivers is critical, and to Tulsa's credit, the city has maintained parks along the riverside to allow area for flooding. However, the city did discuss plans for development along and near the river  over the last decade. But, with this flood, I hope that the city of Tulsa and its suburbs takes steps to ensure that the flood control systems are up to par and any improvements are dealt with before further large-scale river development continues. Image cre

I very recently found what I believe to be two starfish fossils from the Wann Formation (Late Pennsylvanian age) in Oklahoma. At the locality I found these, the Wann is a bioturbated sandstone and shale formation, preserving several flute casts and burrows, and some plant debris. Interestingly, these starfish are preserved in sandstone and the paleocurrent is also preserved (lower left to upper right, following the striations in the upper specimen, and is also indicated by the orientation and slight splay of the starfish arms in the upper specimen). Below the Wann are the Iola and Chanute Formations, both of which are fossiliferous carbonate formations containing several mollusks and bryozoa. The third starfish in the above photo is a modern starfish included for reference. I can't help but think that these starfish must have been buried very rapidly, very near the shoreline, and were subject to wave action. As each wave receded, sediment was dragged from the shoreline into de