Published Oct 20, 2023 by Jenna Travers

Most people think of seismic activity as the result of movement along faults or of violent volcanic eruptions. But seismic events can have other causes, including floods and even large crowds of excited fans—such as those at Taylor Swift’s recent Seattle shows, whose enthusiastic reception caused seismic activity equivalent to a 2.3 magnitude earthquake—and glaciers.

Decades ago, scientists who research seismic activity in the Washington Cascades recorded a number of small seismic events and eventually determined that they were caused by glacier movement. These events, called “glacier quakes,” allow for important insight into seismic activity, patterns of glacier movement and even climate events.

Washington glaciers are not alone in triggering these glacier quakes. The Alaska Earthquake Center detects between 1,500 and 2,000 glacial quakes per year—some comparable to magnitude 3 earthquakes. Most of these occur in Southcentral Alaska, and these quakes follow the same seasonal pattern as the Washington glacier quakes.

Similarly, many national parks and hiking sites have had growing numbers of visitors following a nationwide spike in outdoor recreation and the end of COVID travel restrictions over the past few years. More visitors means more people in areas where they might be able to feel some of these quakes, leading to recent media coverage of the glacier quakes.

But how exactly do glaciers cause these earthquakes?

Published Oct 20, 2023 by Gavin Struve

The University of Alaska Fairbanks volleyball team snapped a longstanding losing streak on Thursday night, beating conference foe Western Washington for the first time since 2008 after 29-straight losses in the series. Moreover, the Nanooks did it in dominant fashion, sweeping the Vikings.

“I’ve been waiting for this one for a long time,” UAF head coach Brian Scott said postgame. “We’ve had some close ones with them for several years now, so really excited about it.”

The Nanooks have now recorded significant wins over Evergreen State competition in their past two games after beating then-No. 16 Central Washington last Saturday, Oct. 14, for their first ranked win of the season.

Published Oct 19, 2023 by Julie Stricker, UAF Cooperative Extension

Learn to safely preserve healthy foods at home in a five-week series of online classes beginning Jan. 7. The classes are available statewide.

Sarah Lewis, a health, home and family development agent with the University of Alaska Fairbanks Cooperative Extension Service, will teach the Preserving Alaska’s Bounty series.

Students will learn the fundamentals of safe food preservation and the general science of food safety and kitchen sanitation. They will get hands-on lessons on how to pickle and ferment vegetables; can fruits, berries, and pickles in a boiling water bath; and preserve meat, fish, and vegetables using a pressure canner. Classes also will cover dehydrating fruits and vegetables, making sausage, and smoking fish. Other topics include emergency preparedness, how to start a cottage foods business, and information about harvesting wild plants.

Live instruction will be offered during a three-hour Zoom session each Sunday at 1 p.m. Students will complete assignments in their kitchens on their own schedules. Assigned readings and other activities will be accessed via the Canvas platform.  

Published Oct 19, 2023 by Scott Rhode

The Alaska Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is partnering with the UAA College of Engineering on statewide, publicly available satellite positioning services. The campus will host a cutting-edge Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) reference station at the Engineering and Industry Building.

The collaboration is meant to enhance mapping infrastructure through Alaska’s Continuously Operating Reference Network (ACORN), led by DNR’s Division of Mining, Land, and Water in cooperation with the Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities. ACORN coordinates a statewide GNSS reference network capable of providing centimeter-level satellite-based positioning services to the public. The potential applications of ACORN range from land surveys and hazard mapping and to guidance of construction vehicles.

The GNSS reference station at UAA will serve as a catalyst for advancements in geospatial technology benefiting both the academic community and the broader public. Through real-time GNSS corrections, UAA students and faculty in the geomatics program will be empowered to conduct fieldwork, fostering hands-on learning experiences and elevating the quality of research and educational outcomes.

“By hosting the DNR GNSS reference station on our campus, UAA remains at the forefront of geospatial education and research, equipping our students to become trailblazers in this dynamic field,” says Kenrick Mock, Dean of the UAA College of Engineering. “We are excited about the positive impact this collaboration will have on our community and the state of Alaska.”

Published Oct 19, 2023 by Your Alaska Link

The 2023 Arctic Circle Assembly kicked off Thursday in Reykjavik, Iceland.

With more than 2,000 people attending from over 60 countries this is the largest annual international gathering on the Arctic.

Among those present? A delegation from the University of Alaska Anchorage!

The assembly runs through Saturday in Iceland.

Published Oct 19, 2023 by Staff report

The University of Alaska Fairbanks English Department’s Midnight Sun Visiting Writers Series will present the fall 2023 Poetry Showcase at Schaible Auditorium tonight at 7:30.

The live reading will feature UAF Professor Emeritus John Morgan, UAF alumna Nicole Stellon O’Donnell, and UAF student Isabel Rhodes. The event is free to attend and open to the public.

“The Poetry Showcase will feature three generations of UAF poets: an undergraduate student, an alumna and current teacher, and a former professor and program director,” said Joseph Holt, the series director and an English Department faculty member. “Isabel, Nicole and John are all distinguished poets in their own right, and together they’ll provide a great introduction to the university and Fairbanks poetry community.”