GeoLog

Reflecting on fifty years of Mars through Viking 1’s lens

Asmae Ourkiya July 30, 2026

Collecting Samples on Mars by Maria Grulich. Source: Imaggeo

On July 20, 1976, a machine of steel and titanium dropped through a thin atmosphere and touched the dirt of Chryse Planitia. Scientists at NASA held their breath, since five years earlier, the Soviet Union’s Mars 3 probe had died less than two minutes after touchdown. To mitigate this nightmare, engineers programmed Viking 1 to scan its own footpad first. If the lander sank into oblivion, hu ...[Read More]

Mangroves at the edge: Coastal ecosystems in a year of climate extremes

Guilherme Abuchahla July 24, 2026

Mangroves, Kilim Geological park Penang, Malaysia Photo credit: Dr. Asmae Ourkiya. Source: Imaggeo

This Sunday, July 26, marks the International Day for the Conservation of the Mangrove Ecosystem. We are currently experiecing critical crossroads globally, where groundbreaking data on global forest recovery collides with the immediate threats of an escalating climate crisis.El Niño is pushing Pacific sea surface temperatures toward levels that rank among the highest on record, and climate specia ...[Read More]

GeoTalk: Meet Trevelayne Faller, Communications Officer for EU-funded raw materials research

Damla Posta July 23, 2026

Welcome to GeoTalk, Trevelayne! Could you introduce yourself to our readers? I hold a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology and a Master’s degree in Cognitive Neuroscience. Throughout my career, I’ve developed and implemented communication strategies that translate scientific knowledge into clear and engaging narratives. Currently, I’m the Project Communications Officer for the MOSMIN (Multiscale Observ ...[Read More]

Why do Earth’s hidden stress fields matter for our future? Let’s explore the latest insights from the World Stress Map database

Asmae Ourkiya July 17, 2026

World Stress Map 2025. Source: Patterns of contemporary horizontal stress orientation in the Earth's crust derived from the World Stress Map Database 2025

Beneath the serene landscapes we inhabit, the Earth’s crust is a battleground of constant, immense, and invisible tectonic forces. While humanity typically only notices this deep-seated stress when it violently releases in the form of an earthquake and volcanoes, these forces have always been shaping the structural bedrock of our planet. Understanding this hidden architecture is one of the most vi ...[Read More]