In reaction to the murders of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Tayloy and too many others, we, early career scientists of the Young Hydrologic Society, are taking a stand in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement. We pledge to take actionable steps to amplify the voices of Black hydrologists in particular, and our Researchers of Colour colleagues in general, while fighting racial disc ...[Read More]
Geochemistry, Mineralogy, Petrology & Volcanology
Volcanic Lightning: Impacts on plume-suspended ash particles
Volcanic lightning is a common phenomenon related to explosive volcanism, often rattling down in a spectacle of hundreds of lightning strikes within a single eruptive event. Apart from its spectacular appearance, lightning can also be used as helpful tool to detect and monitor volcanic activity in remote locations on Earth and potentially on other planets, and is even questioned to have influenced ...[Read More]
Seismology
Lockdown in Northern Italy, what did seismology see?
Seismologists are not surprised to see that the coronavirus lockdowns reduce seismic ambient noise; but what is emerging from the data is that the reduction is quite spectacular. This shows that human activities – road and railroad traffic, industrial machinery – account for a significant chunk of background Earth’s vibration: and that is a form of pollution that deserves more at ...[Read More]
Geodynamics
Meet the incoming GD President – Jeroen van Hunen
This week on the EGU GD Blog, we interview the newly elected incoming Geodynamics Division President, Jeroen van Hunen (Durham University). Jeroen takes on the role for 2021-2023, from Paul Tackley (ETH Zürich). Jeroen is a Professor within the Department of Geosciences, including the Geodynamics, Geophysics, and The Solid Earth research groups. He is originally from the Netherlands, having studie ...[Read More]
Hydrological Sciences
A university class with a somewhat different approach
We all know it: the heart of many Master level courses is the term paper, a scientific essay drawn from the students’ work during the semester. It is a way of teaching students not only the content, but also the methodology of scientific work. And to keep them occupied during the semester break, of course. But last semester one of our courses took a slightly different approach. After writing a pr ...[Read More]
GeoLog
Imaggeo On Mondays: Natural Arch
This natural arch named Pirulico’s tower is located in Mojácar, situated in the south east of the Province of Almería (Andalucia) in southern Spain. A natural arch, natural bridge or, less commonly, a rock arch is a natural rock formation where a rock arch forms, with an opening underneath. Most natural arches form as a narrow bridge, walled by cliffs, become narrower from erosion, wi ...[Read More]
Geochemistry, Mineralogy, Petrology & Volcanology
#MINERALMONDAY – we’re back with baksanite!
#MINERALMONDAY: your weekly dose of minerals every* Monday (* excluding the last few months of Mondays…). A lot of bad things have happened since the start of the year, but perhaps the least important of these is the complete lack of minerals every Monday. Don’t worry, we are back, and what better way to start than with baksanite, Bi6Te2S3. Why baksanite? Well, for the sake of sounding ...[Read More]
Tectonics and Structural Geology
Features from the Field: Chevron Folds
Folds are among the most strikingly beautiful structures we can observe in rocks. There are several ways folds may form in rocks. For instance, folds in sedimentary rocks may develop by liquefaction of soft sediments, but the most common way to produce folds – and also my favorite – is by deformation. When rocks are compressed by tectonic forces, layers (or foliations) bend and warp, p ...[Read More]
GeoLog
EGU awards and medals, a nominators guide by Malcolm Hart.
Many scientific societies and similar organisations make awards on an annual or regular basis. It is one way of recognising a distinguished career, contribution to the community, etc., or providing a boost to the development of an Early Career Scientist. In the case of EGU, all awardees are expected to give a presentation of their work; it is a way of generating a stimulating programme at the Annu ...[Read More]
Cryospheric Sciences
Did you know… about the ice content in mountain permafrost?
Through the eyes of a researcher studying mountain processes in the European Alps in the context of a global warming climate, let’s discover how geophysical methods help to better understand frozen ground! Permafrost defines a thermal state, i.e. permafrost is soil, sediment, or rock that remains at or below 0°C during at least two consecutive years. As permafrost is only defined by its temperatur ...[Read More]