U.S. Geological Survey

In late July, the first truckloads of uranium ore were shipped from the Pinyon Plain Mine near the Grand Canyon. The mine’s owner says it's crucial as the world moves away from fossil fuels, but conservationists and Indigenous communities are pushing back.

Crews are thinning out overgrown brush and trees from a cinder field near Flagstaff where Apollo astronauts trained. The idea is to preserve the historic site and turn back the clock to the days of the space race.

The U.S. Geological Survey published its annual accounting of the Navajo aquifer which underlies Black Mesa on the Navajo Nation. The aquifer supplies drinking water to Kayenta, Tuba City and the Hopi villages.

The United States Geological Survey says a 3.8 magnitude earthquake shook Chino Valley Sunday afternoon but there were no immediate reports of any injuries or damage.

Arizona’s U.S. senators are urging federal officials to classify copper as a critical mineral amid growing demand. They say it’s necessary for national security and water and clean energy infrastructure.

Scientists will get $25 million to study salt lake ecosystems in the drought-stricken U.S. West, as President Joe Biden signed legislation Tuesday allocating the funds in the face of unprecedented existential threats caused by the lack of water.

NASA’s Artemis program intends to return humans to the moon after a half-century hiatus. But first, astronauts and engineers have to train and test lifesaving equipment here on Earth. So they’re returning to the same places where Apollo astronauts used to practice fifty years ago—the moonlike lava fields of Northern Arizona. KNAU’s Melissa Sevigny reports.

Federal water officials plan an experimental flow on the Colorado River below Glen Canyon Dam to improve egg-laying conditions for aquatic insects.

When Apollo 16 astronauts landed on the moon fifty years ago today, one of their first stops was a crater they named Flag. That’s a secret tribute to Flagstaff, Arizona, where the astronauts did their geology training. KNAU’s Melissa Sevigny spoke with local space historian Rich Kozak about Flagstaff’s unique connection to Apollo 16. Kozak has amassed a collection of archival tape about the revolutionary moon mission.

Arizona may be a focus when federal officials meet with tribes this week to talk about possible new names for places that currently contain a slur against Native women. A list compiled by the U.S. Geological Survey shows 67 locations in Arizona that have the "S-word" in their name.