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Dedman College of Humanities and Sciences Dedman College Research Earth Sciences Faculty News

Dinosaur-hunting: A Famous Fossil Safari

Dallas Zoo Originally Posted: August 14, 2015 Just east of Matlock Road in Mansfield, Texas, a small, seemingly unremarkable plot of land overlooks a new shopping center. Graded for construction, the upturned earth impregnated with shale and red clay resembles so many other future building sites across the booming Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex. Yet this spring, […]

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Dedman College of Humanities and Sciences Dedman College Research Graduate News

Dedman College Alumnus Junchang Lü ’04 Identifies Velociraptor Cousin, Maybe Weirder And Scarier Than Movies Imagine

  SMU alumnus Junchang Lü ’04, one of China’s leading dinosaur experts, has helped identify a new dinosaur species – Zhenyuanlong suni – a cousin to the Velociraptor of Jurassic World fame and the newest clue as to how birds descended from dinosaurs. The well-preserved fossil of a dinosaur with bird-like wings was unearthed by […]

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Dedman College of Humanities and Sciences Dedman College Research Earth Sciences Faculty News

Mystery Booms Plaguing California Residents Finally Have a Source

Science World Report Originally Posted: August 8, 2015 Mysterious booms have plagued the residents of El Dorado County in California for some time now. While some have speculated what the cause of these booms has been, it’s remained a mystery until now. Like Us on Facebook Residents have reported that the booms aren’t as crisp […]

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Dedman College of Humanities and Sciences Dedman College Research Earth Sciences Faculty News

Heather DeShon, Earth Sciences, Inspectors check for damage to shaken North Texas bridges

The Eagle Originally Posted: July 30, 2015 FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) — When a big earthquake hits, the world often sees horrific images of collapsed bridges. In 1989, during a 6.9-magnitude quake in the San Francisco area, the double-deck Nimitz Freeway pancaked, killing 42 people. Fifty-foot sections of the Bay Bridge also collapsed, killing a […]

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Dedman College of Humanities and Sciences Dedman College Research Earth Sciences Events Faculty News

Success! Power Plays: Geothermal Energy in Oil and Gas Fields, the 2015 Conference Summary:

The SMU Geothermal Lab recently hosted its 7th international energy conference Power Plays:Geothermal Energy in Oil and Gas Fields. Along with discussion on generating geothermal energy from oil and gas fields, topics at this year’s event included desalination, flare gas and induced seismicity. A summary of the presentations is available at http://www.smu.edu/Dedman/Academics/Programs/GeothermalLab/Conference/PastPresentations. Read a summery of […]

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Dedman College of Humanities and Sciences Dedman College Research Earth Sciences Faculty News

State researchers not ready to blame quake on injection wells

Weatherford Democrat Originally Posted: June 17, 2015 AUSTIN – Disposal wells that catch the high-pressure byproducts of natural gas drilling cannot conclusively be blamed for an earthquake near Fort Worth this spring, according to state experts. The Railroad Commission of Texas tested five disposal wells in Johnson County after a 4.0 magnitude temblor on May […]

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Dedman College Research Earth Sciences Faculty News

Heather DeShon, Earth Sciences, Texas regulators find no evidence that disposal wells caused Johnson Co. quake

Texas Tribune Originally Posted: June 12, 2015 Regulators: No Evidence Wells Caused 4.0 Quake After wrapping up a round of testing, Texas regulators say they have found no evidence that injecting oilfield waste into five disposal wells triggered the largest recorded earthquake in North Texas’ history. “At this time, there is no conclusive evidence the […]

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Dedman College of Humanities and Sciences Dedman College Research Earth Sciences Faculty News

Concerns over earthquakes spread to Texas

USA Today Originally Posted: June 10, 2015 The connection between wastewater injection wells and an alarming increase in the frequency of earthquakes is getting a lot more scrutiny these days. First was Oklahoma, which has suddenly become the earthquake capital of the United States. The number of earthquakes with a magnitude of 3.0 or higher […]

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Dedman College of Humanities and Sciences Dedman College Research Earth Sciences Faculty News

Matthew Hornbach, Earth Sciences, oil firms probed over Texas quakes

Wall Street Journal Originally Posted: June 9, 2015 Oil Firms Probed Over Texas Quakes Texas regulators are scrutinizing some of the biggest U.S. energy producers in the wake of several earthquakes that have rocked the Dallas-Fort Worth area this year. An Exxon Mobil Corp. subsidiary and EOG Resources Inc., one of the biggest shale-oil and […]

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Biology Dedman College of Humanities and Sciences Dedman College Research Earth Sciences Undergraduate News

Follow Jewel on SMU Adventures

Jewel is a sophomore majoring in biology and environmental science in Dedman College of Humanities and Sciences. A member of the University Honors Program, she is the recipient of the SMU Founders Scholarship and Dedman College Scholarship. During summer 2012, she also received a Richter Fellowship to conduct research at SMU-in-Taos, where she will update […]