This episode of the podClast deals with the political hubbub in the U.S surrounding opening up the continental shelf for oil drilling (as well as the geology involved). The Japanese Earthquake and early warning systems and the recent flooding in the U.S.

The North Slope of Alaska is an important oil producing region of the world, with the large Prudhoe Bay area ranking in as the biggest oil reserve in the continental US, and the 7th largest in the world. A brief history of the Alaska oil and the potential for the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.