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GeoLog

From under Lake Nyos: The geology, physics, and engineering of limnic eruptions

August 21, 2026
From under Lake Nyos: The geology, physics, and engineering of limnic eruptions

On the evening of August 21, 1986, an unusual stillness blanketed the green highlands of northwestern Cameroon. The local villagers in Nyos, Cha, and Subum were preparing for bed, totally unaware that the crater lake nearby had reached its breaking point. Without warning, a wave of gas burst from the lake and spilled over the volcanic crater rim and cascaded into the valleys. Unseen, heavy, and co ...[Read More]

GeoLog

GeoTalk: Meet Elisa Nobile, Flood Loss & Damage researcher, & Natural Hazards Early Career Representative!

August 20, 2026
Elisa Nobile

Hello Elisa! Thank you for agreeing to this GeoTalk interview. Could you briefly introduce yourself and your background to our readers? Hello, and thank you for having me. My name is Elisa Nobile and I recently completed my PhD at IUSS Pavia, in Italy. My background is in engineering for the mitigation of risk from natural hazards, and during my studies I quickly became interested in the impacts o ...[Read More]

BG
Biogeosciences

A paper that shaped my career – Tim Eglinton on Hayes et al., 1990

August 19, 2026
A paper that shaped my career – Tim Eglinton on Hayes et al., 1990

In this series, we ask senior researchers to reflect on how a paper or a series of contributions influenced their thinking and led to a change in their research direction and career. Our first reflection comes from Prof. Tim Eglinton, who was professor of Biogeoscience at the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences of ETH Zurich, Switzerland until his recent retirement in 2025. Throughout his c ...[Read More]

NH
Natural Hazards

Practical Use of Natural Hazard Monitoring Systems during Escalating Risk Scenarios

August 18, 2026

Mountain hazard regimes are fundamentally shifting. There is consensus not just among concerned scientists, but practitioners of risk management, that mountain hazard regimes are affected by warmer temperatures and intensifying precipitation events. The effects of these changes are further amplified by increasing population density in known hazard zones; with more infrastructure and human settleme ...[Read More]

HS
Hydrological Sciences

Drought in Europe

August 18, 2026
Drought in Europe

Many of us are experiencing it right now: Europe is suffering from a long lasting large scale drought (Fig. 1), with record heat and low-flow levels that probably nobody of us has seen before; and current forecasts do not announce any relieve for the coming weeks. The pictures of record low levels in the river Rhine  are scaring – knowing how strongly Europe depends on this fluvial transport ...[Read More]

GM
Geomorphology

In the News: A Geomorphologists’ perspective on the Strait of Hormuz

August 17, 2026
In the News: A Geomorphologists’ perspective on the Strait of Hormuz

Welcome to In the News: A Geomorphologist’s Perspective! The intent of this series is to explore the geology and geomorphology of places that are currently in the news. For this first installment, we’ll do a quick tour of how geological processes have laid the groundwork for current fighting over control of the Strait of Hormuz. The Iran war, and the Strait of Hurmuz, have dominated the news ...[Read More]

GeoLog

Under the Mediterranean sun: The thousand year tale of changing skies

and August 17, 2026
Under the Mediterranean sun: The thousand year tale of changing skies

When you picture the western Mediterranean, you likely imagine sun-drenched beaches, terracotta roofs, and bright blue skies. But has it always been this sunny? A groundbreaking study published in the journal Research provides a definitive answer: it has not. By pulling back the curtain – or rather, the cloud cover – on a thousand years of climate history, scientists have developed the ...[Read More]

HS
Hydrological Sciences

Has groundwater finally gone mainstream?

August 13, 2026
Has groundwater finally gone mainstream?

Groundwater has always had an image problem. Throughout my career, I have lost count of how many times we have described groundwater as an “invisible resource” or similar. It is almost a cliché in hydrogeology. We use the phrase because it captures something really fundamental: groundwater is hidden physically, but it has also been hidden from public consciousness. What people cannot see or easily ...[Read More]

Geochemistry, Mineralogy, Petrology & Volcanology

Minoan Meltdown: Could an eruption spark the myth of Atlantis?

August 13, 2026
Minoan Meltdown: Could an eruption spark the myth of Atlantis?

We live in a world full of mysteries and wonders… or at least that is the view of most ancient philosophers, such as perhaps Plato in ancient Greece. Atlantis, the legendary island that lay in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, is said to have been completely destroyed overnight. To this day, numerous artists and scientists have sought to unravel the mystery of its demise, sometimes suggesting a vo ...[Read More]

GD
Geodynamics

Mobilidiocy

August 12, 2026
Mobilidiocy

Guess who’s back? Back again! Sassy’s back, tell your colleagues! This week I am going to shoot the elephant in the room by answering Will’s question “Is Mobility a plus or a must for a research career?” Now I know I have already answered a similar question some time ago, but a changing world requires an updated saucy answer. Disclaimer: The reflections presented here reflect my perspective ground ...[Read More]