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Geodynamics

News & Views

Equilibrium Crustal Thickness and Dynamics of Earth’s Lithosphere: The Answer is 42.

and March 13, 2024
Equilibrium Crustal Thickness and Dynamics of Earth’s Lithosphere: The Answer is 42.
There really is an answer, and now there is a question too - just deep below us rather than above. But then again, aren't up and down just conventions? Figure courtesy: Emily Hinshaw.

“The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy” had the answer; we think we have the right question. This week, Ajay Kumar from IISER Pune, India, will take us on a journey to the depths of the Earth’s lithosphere – a world as mysterious as the farthest reaches of the Universe. We will see what the thickness of the Earth’s crust can tell us about the balance between the ...[Read More]

How we made QUARTETnary – the card game about the geological time scale

March 6, 2024
How we made QUARTETnary – the card game about the geological time scale
Ready to explore the history of the Earth and play QUARTETnary yourself? Back the Kickstarter now!

QUARTETnary is an educational card game about the geological time scale. Consisting of 60 beautifully illustrated cards, QUARTETnary explores the events in Earth’s history: from dinosaurs to humans and from the formation of the Alps to the formation of the Himalayas. It was designed by Iris van Zelst (me! Your fabulous former Editor-in-Chief), and illustrated by Lucia Perez-Diaz (also a former edi ...[Read More]

Regional viscosity variations in Earth’s mantle

and February 28, 2024
Regional viscosity variations in Earth’s mantle

For understanding the dynamics and evolution of the Earth’s mantle, knowledge of mantle’s viscosity structure is very important. In this week’s blog, Kenneth Gourley from University of Arizona discusses the variation of viscosity structure in Earth’s mantle in regional scale.   In order to understand the dynamics and evolution of the Earth’s mantle, geodynamicists model mantle fl ...[Read More]

H2 production associated with mantle wedge hydration in subduction zones

and February 14, 2024
H2 production associated with mantle wedge hydration in subduction zones
Zoom in the H2 production zone. (Image credit: Alexis Gauthier)

Dihydrogen (H2) is a promising source of energy that may allow reducing carbon emissions in industry and transportation. Artificial production methods have been explored, natural sources of H2 (also called white dihydrogen) offer a more eco-friendly and cost-effective production process. In this week’s blog post, Alexis Gauthier, a PhD student from ISTeP, France, is discussing the H2 production pr ...[Read More]