Oak Ridge Today

Professor to discuss microplastics in rivers

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Martin Knoll (Submitted photo)

A geology and hydrology professor will discuss the dangers of microplastics in rivers during a program in Oak Ridge on Thursday, September 29.

Martin Knoll is professor of geology and hydrology and chair of the Department of Earth and Environmental Systems at the University of the South. He will talk to the University of Tennessee Arboretum Society.

The program is at the UT Arboretum Auditorium at 901 South Illinois Avenue in Oak Ridge starting at 7 p.m. September 29. The talk is titled “Microplastics in the Tennessee, Cumberland, and Rhine Rivers: Why We Should Care.”

Knoll’s presentation will focus on his research investigating the concentration and types of microplastics found in the three rivers, a press release said. Special emphasis will be placed on his recent findings about the major sources of these microplastics and what might be done to reduce their numbers.

[Read more…]

Earthquake in East Tennessee felt in Oak Ridge

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

A U.S. Geological Survey Community Internet Intensity Map after a 4.4 magnitude earthquake near Decatur, Tenn., on early Wednesday, Dec. 12, 2018. (Image courtesy U.S. Geological Survey)

A U.S. Geological Survey Community Internet Intensity Map after a 4.4 magnitude earthquake near Decatur, Tenn., early Wednesday, Dec. 12, 2018. (Image courtesy U.S. Geological Survey)

 

Note: This story was last updated at 4 p.m.

The earthquake near Decatur early Wednesday morning was felt in Oak Ridge, according to social media reports. Oak Ridge Today readers reported feeling the earthquake in other communities such as Clinton, Hardin Valley, Harriman, Oliver Springs, Sevier County, and Atlanta.

The 4.4 magnitude earthquake was also felt in other areas across the Southeast, including in Tennessee, Georgia, and North Carolina.

Some people in the region described it as like a train or truck driving by, and they said homes shook, and doors and windows rattled. Some said it woke them up, and others said they didn’t feel it. (Oak Ridge Today did not feel it.)

The earthquake was reported about nine kilometers underground at 4:14 a.m., according to the U.S. Geological Survey. The epicenter was 11 kilometers north-northeast of Decatur. Oak Ridge is about 45 miles northeast of Decatur.

It was reported to be the largest in Tennessee since a 4.7 magnitude earthquake in Maryville in 1973 and the second strongest on record in East Tennessee. The Maryville earthquake 45 years ago was the strongest in East Tennessee. [Read more…]