John Metesh News Today

From left, Dr. Fred Phillips, Anne Tillery, Dr. Nelia Dunbar, and Dr. John Metesh, Montana state geologist and president of the Association of American State Geologists (AASG), at the Geological Society of America annual meeting in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on October 15. Metesh presented the report authors from New Mexico with the John C. Frye Memorial…

New technology requires minerals seldom used before, some of which can be found in Montana’s mine waste. But some appear eager to change Montana’s regulations that would oversee new mine development.

After being a source of copper for many years, the Berkeley Pit in Butte, Montana now holds a contaminated lake which has long been a source of strife. But the

Montana is home to more than 260 developed and natural geothermal sites. Huge resorts that once entertained the state’s wealthiest residents and off-the-beaten-path hot spots favored by locals. So we were curious: Where did Montana’s hot springs come from, and where are they going?

Underground coal seams can burn unnoticed for years. They can also spark raging wildfires. Funding to extinguish them is limited, but a mapping effort is underway to plot the smoldering coordinates.