Tectonics and Structural Geology

Tim Burbery

Prof. Timothy J. Burbery teaches English at Marshall University (USA). He is an expert on geomyths and his work in geomythology has been featured in several news and outreach platforms such as BBC Earth, TED-ed, the Independent (UK), and many more. He started his career as an early modern studies scholar but now researches other areas as well, including geomythology and literary theory. He believes that geomythology can play a part in reconciling science and humanities cultures. In 2021, he published the book entitled "Geomythology: How Common Stories Reflect Earth Events". It provides an engaging overview of geomythology, including griffin legends, Cyclopes stories, killer lakes, human-eating birds, and “fire devils” from the sky.

Geomythology and Science: a long lasting yet hidden relationship

Filippo Carboni and Tim Burbery March 19, 2026

World maps obtained from Google Earth Pro Desktop

The links between geomythology and science are considerable and officially began with the works of Vitaliano (EGU Blog – Geomythology. True science and/or strong communication medium ?!) and continues nowadays thanks to the Geoheritage Journal edited by Springer Nature, and evident in two proposed sessions to the EGU sessions, including one from the 2025 conference entitled “Geomythology: Bridging ...[Read More]