Strike-slip faults by Arthur Sylvester (1988) is a must-read paper for anyone, and more so for those who want to understand the mechanisms of strike-slip faulting. Although it mostly refers to the San Andreas fault, the most studied strike-slip fault at the time (and possibly to date), the contribution is a comprehensive review of the state of the art about strike-slip faults in general. Sylvester ...[Read More]
GeoLog
Imaggeo On Monday: A drift of sea-snail shells
A collection of washed-up shells on a beach on the south island of New Zealand. Shore transport processes have produced a well-sorted drift of similarly sized (approx. 1-2 cm) shells and shell fragments. The main species represented are the common turret shell (Maoricolpus roseus) and wheel shell (Zethalia zelandica), both sea snails endemic to New Zealand. Description by Pontus Lurcock, af ...[Read More]
Natural Hazards
Artificial intelligence for disaster management: that’s how we stand
On the 23rd of June, I participated in the Second Workshop for AI (Artificial Intelligence) for Natural Disaster Management that hosted around 400 scientists, UN advisors, practitioners and policymakers from all over the world interested in machine learning for supporting disaster prediction and early warning. AI is not my research area; however, I have always been interested in the new advances t ...[Read More]
GeoLog
Pride on board: working on an ocean-going research vessel as an LGBTQI+ person
Working from home during the pandemic has allowed many of us to look back on past experiences and to long for the days when our work in marine science took us to amazing places all around the world. Pride month is another great opportunity for reflection and to consider how things have changed for us as LGBTQI+ individuals and the community within STEM, including, on the International Day of the S ...[Read More]
Cryospheric Sciences
The softness of ice, how we measure it, and why it matters for sea level rise
One of the first things school children learn is that ice is a solid, and forms by freezing water. Most people think of ice as brittle–have you ever dropped a slippery ice cube on the kitchen floor, and watch it break and shatter into many pieces? It may be surprising, then, to find that ice can also stretch and squeeze, like a ball of pizza dough! Once deformed, ice is then softer in certai ...[Read More]
Ocean Sciences
Connecting the Networks for a better Understanding of the Ocean
Research in many scientific disciplines can be done singlehandedly by learning from the printed pages, solving complex equations and analyzing the data while sitting alone in an office. But observational ocean science research demands an involved team effort to get meaningful insights of the ocean. This is primarily because: The Ocean is vast – it is humanly impossible for anyone to conduct resear ...[Read More]
Geodesy
Meet the new Geodesy Science Officer – Part 2
In the past weeks you have met the president, deputy president and one science officer of the Geodesy division. Last but not least, we introduce you today to the second science officer: Xavier Collilieux. He also answered a few questions for us (including where his favourite place in Vienna is). Curious to find out? Then read below. What is your position within the EGU and/or the Geodesy Di ...[Read More]
Climate: Past, Present & Future
Presenting the EGU Climate Division Team 2021
Every year at the General Assembly all EGU members have a chance to vote for their representatives during the different division meetings. In the Climate Division, we have a team of President and Deputy President, a Programme Group Chair, Science Officers, as well as Representatives for the Early Career Scientists and an Outreach Team. There is further the OSPP Coordinator and the chairs for the H ...[Read More]
GeoLog
EGU Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Working Group: ‘We need to diversify our team’
In autumn 2018, the EGU Council established a working group whose aim is to promote and support equality, diversity, and inclusion in the Earth, planetary, and space sciences, with a focus on EGU activities. The group works closely with EGU’s Council and Committees to improve EGU’s equality, diversity and inclusion as an organisation. Since the Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Working Group ...[Read More]
Geodynamics
Earthquakes within the plates
As fascinating as the plate tectonics and its accompanying dynamics are, continental interiors are no quiescent zones. The tectonics within these interiors are apparent in the occurrence of numerous intraplate earthquakes, and this week, EGU blog editor Arushi Saxena briefly discusses them and their mechanisms. Earthquakes are a fairly common occurrence here on Earth’s crust. Although most are ess ...[Read More]