Remarkable Regions

The pulsed rise of the Nahuelbuta Range: How glaciers indirectly built a mountain in Patagonia

Ambrosio Vega-Ruiz, edited by Lorenzo Mantiloni and edited by Michaël Pons July 29, 2026

Mapuche creational myth of the struggle between Caicai Vilu (water snake) and Trentren Vilu (earth snake), which shaped the Patagonian forearc. Credit: Ambrosio Vega-Ruiz.

Forearc ranges are a striking example of how tectonic processes shape our planet. The Nahuelbuta Range in southern Chile is one of such settings. This week, Ambrosio Vega-Ruiz from the GFZ Helmholtz Centre for Geosciences, Germany, is telling us the story of this remarkable range, exploring how climate feedback can influence tectonic uplift across coastal forearcs. Tectonic uplift before tectonic ...[Read More]

The truth about The Odyssey: Geodynamics, lies, cries and the hunt for Ithaca

Manel Ramos and illustrated by Lea Pennacchioni July 15, 2026

Odysseus (drama queen) and Strabo trying to understand where is Itaka. Illustration made by Lea Pennacchioni

If you have ever tried to draw a geological cross-section under a fantasy map, Homer is surprisingly cooperative (and if you remember my Middle-earth geology post, you already know I live for this). The Odyssey is full of real places and real people—Troy, Mycenae, Sparta—stitched together with storms, monsters and divine interventions that would make any structural geologist reach for a stress ten ...[Read More]

Destruction of North China Craton: through the chronotunnel of time

Yu Wang and edited by João Paulo de Souza Bueno May 13, 2026

The Asian continent has fascinated the world for at least 3,000 years with its music, food, and discoveries, as well as its breathtaking landscapes. Most of these incredible landscapes are formed by mountains that can be considered geologically “recent” (such as the Cenozoic formation of the Himalayas). However, there are also ancient terrains, pre-dating the Mesozoic, that pose intrig ...[Read More]

At the Mountains of Madness: Lovecraft Applied for Geology (and Failed)

Manel Ramos April 15, 2026

“I am forced into speech because men of science have refused to follow my advice without knowing why. It is altogether against my will that I tell my reasons for opposing this contemplated invasion of the antarctic—with its vast fossil-hunt and its wholesale boring and melting of the ancient ice-cap —and I am the more reluctant because my warning may be in vain.” The opening lines from At the Moun ...[Read More]