Tectonics and Structural Geology

TS Must-Read – Bond et al. (2007) What do you think this is? “Conceptual uncertainty” in geoscience interpretation

The Must-read team December 1, 2023

The Must-Read paper by Bond et al. (2007) is a truly original piece of work, focusing on the conceptual uncertainty that occurs when earth scientists carry out a geological interpretation on data with limited resolution and/or spatial coverage. In this example it is about an interpretation of seismic reflection data (Fig. 1), but it can be applied to other situations as well. Conceptual uncertaint ...[Read More]

Geomythology. Devils tower: born from hell?

Filippo Carboni October 25, 2023

Devils Tower (Eco84, via WikiMedia)

Geomythology. Devils tower: born from hell? Following the previous two posts (Giant’s Causeway – the mythical stone way; Columnar Basalts and why Hexagons are nature’s favourite shape) it is clear how columnar joints are quite common around the globe, and they create such a marvelous natural environment that inspired amazing myths and legends: the Devils Tower myth is one of them. Devils Tow ...[Read More]

Remembering Janos Urai – A master of all scales

Hannah Davies September 18, 2023

Janos in the quarry on Naxos where marble slices were cut that allowed forming a 3D picture of amphibolite and pegmatite boudins at centimetre to decimetre scale. The picture is from a teaching lecture by Janos

As many will know, on Sunday, 28 May 2023, one of the most prominent, energetic and valued members of the Tectonics and Structural Geology community, Emeritus Professor Janos Urai, was lost in a tragic climbing accident in Belgium. Here we remember Janos for the amazing scientist that he was and for the huge legacy that he has left, in the form of his own transformative contributions and the inspi ...[Read More]

Exploring Submap: Subduction Zones Data Mapping and Analysis in just a few clicks

Silvia Brizzi July 26, 2023

Subduction zones are areas where one tectonic plate dives beneath another one and sinks into the Earth’s mantle, creating powerful earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. Understanding the intricate details of subduction zones can be a daunting task, and retrieving the necessary data often feels like an uphill battle. But fear not! The Geosciences Montpellier Laboratory in France has come to the rescu ...[Read More]

Features from the Field: Columnar Basalts and why Hexagons are nature’s favourite shape

Hannah Davies May 26, 2023

What does an insect eye, Saturn’s North pole, beeswax, and a rock formation called columnar basalts all have in common? They are all hexagonal in shape. Why is this the case? Hexagons are the most efficient way to fill a space with the least amount of material The science of bubbles and bubble sculptures is very interesting and I do encourage you to go check out some other blogs that talk ab ...[Read More]

The ECS TS team and their activities between GAs (2022-2023)

EGU ECS team March 27, 2023

Flags at EGU GA (credit imaggeo.egu.eu)

The EGU Tectonics and Structural geology Early Career Scientist representative team continues to grow, and as it grows, the activities it conducts during and between GAs also grows. In the lead up to EGU 23 here we show some of those activities. We are also looking for the next member of the ECS representative team! If you are interested in applying, see the details below the team updates. The gen ...[Read More]

Geomythology. Giant’s Causeway – the mythical stone way

Filippo Carboni January 25, 2023

Alphonse Dousseau (1796-1876)

Ireland is famous for retaining a rich heritage of folk tales, which are thousands of years old. They tell stories about great heroes, wars and loves, fantastic creatures such as leprechauns, fairies, banshees, giants and so on. Among them, there is a Middle Earth time myth, concerning a “small” giant, named Finn McCool, who built a great stone way connecting Northern Ireland with the western Scot ...[Read More]

TS Must-Read – Cannat et al. (2006) Modes of seafloor generation at a melt-poor ultraslow-spreading ridge

The Must-read team January 18, 2023

For the first time in 2006 Cannat and co-workers described a smooth seafloor type in the mid-ocean ridge located in the SW Indian Ocean (SWIR). The 660-km-long off-axis bathymetry, gravity, and magnetic dataset presented in the study lies near the Rodrigues triple junction (RTJ in Fig. 1). The must read paper expanded the previous conceptual models that considered mid ocean ridges as primarily vol ...[Read More]

TS Must Read – Spatio-temporal evolution of strain accumulation derived from multi-scale observations of Late Jurassic rifting in the northern North Sea: A critical test of models for lithospheric extension, Cowie et al. (2005)

The Must-read team August 24, 2022

Cowie et al. (2005) is an exciting “must-read” for any geologist interested in rift systems. It examines strain accumulation and extension within a rift basin and scrutinizes model predictions with field observations. The authors highlight two sets of models, the first set of models uses brittle deformation to explain extension (e.g., King et al., 1988; Kusznir et al., 1991; Ter Voorde et al., 199 ...[Read More]

TS Must read – Wortel and Spakman (2000), Subduction and slab detachment in the Mediterranean-Carpathian region

The Must-read team August 19, 2022

The must read paper Wortel & Spakman (2000) uses seismic tomography models showing the three-dimensional upper mantle velocity structure of the Mediterranean-Carpathian region to hypothesize lithospheric processes related to slab detachment, and particularly, the lateral migration of the detachment along plate boundaries (Fig. 1). The paper defends that this process is a key control in the lit ...[Read More]