Geodynamics

Imaggeo on Mondays: A prehistoric forest

Laura Roberts-Artal September 11, 2017

1.6 hectares of wilderness. Give me more . Credit: Vytas Huth (distributed via imaggeo.egu.eu)

This stunning vista encompasses the south-western wilderness of Tasmania as seen from the Tahune air walk 60 m above the Huon river valley. In front lies the beginning of a huge UNESCO World Heritage Site, covering almost a fourth of the area of Tasmania. The site mostly consists of a pristine, temperate rainforest of Gondwanan origin that is home to the tallest flowering trees in the world; Eucal ...[Read More]

Is it an earthquake, a nuclear test or a hurricane? How seismometers help us understand the world we live in

Neil Wilkins and Steven Hicks September 8, 2017

Hurricane Irma, Hurricane Jose (R) and Hurricane Katia (L) are pictured in the Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Nexico in this September 7, 2017 NOAA satellite handout photo. Credit: NOAA

Although traditionally used to study earthquakes, like today’s M 8.1 in Mexico, seismometers have now become so sophisticated they are able to detect the slightest ground movements; whether they come from deep within the bowels of the planet or are triggered by events at the surface. But how, exactly, do earthquake scientists decipher the signals picked up by seismometers across the world? And mo ...[Read More]

August GeoRoundUp: the best of the Earth sciences from around the web

Laura Roberts-Artal September 1, 2017

The International Space Station orbited over Hurricane Harvey and photographed the storm bearing down on the Texas coast. Credit: NASA.

Drawing inspiration from popular stories on our social media channels, as well as unique and quirky research news, this monthly column aims to bring you the best of the Earth and planetary sciences from around the web. Major Stories On August 25th Hurricane Harvey made landfall along the southern coast of the U.S.A, bringing record breaking rainfall, widespread flooding and a natural disaster on a ...[Read More]

GeoSciences Column: When could humans last walk, on land, between Asia & America?

Laura Roberts-Artal August 25, 2017

Map showing the Chukchi Sea, north of the Bering Strait and Sea, between Russia and the United States. Credit: NormanEinstein, distributed via Wikimedia Commons.

Though now submerged under 53 m of ocean waters, there once was a land bridge which connected North America with Asia, allowing the passage of species, including early humans, between the two continents. A new study, published in the EGU’s open access journal Climate of the Past, explores when the land bridge was last inundated, cutting off the link between the two landmasses. The Bering Strait, a ...[Read More]