This year, the conference will have a theme: The Face of the Earth. Much like a human face, our planet exhibits a huge diversity of shapes and forms, and the 2014 theme celebrates this diversity in geoscience processes – from the Earth’s core to interplanetary space. In line with this year’s theme, you’ll find exhibits on each of the Earth’s faces – Rocks of the Earth, Waters of the Earth, Life of ...[Read More]
GeoTalk: Claudia Cherubini and the art of characterising aquifers
This week in GeoTalk, we’re talking to Claudia Cherubini, a research professor from La Salle Beauvais Polytechnic Institute. Claudia shares her work in hydrogeological modelling and delves into how such models can be used in water management… Could you introduce yourself and tell us a little about what you’re currently working on? I am an environmental engineer with a PhD in hydrogeolo ...[Read More]
GeoEd: An African GIFT Experience
This year the EGU embarked on a new journey into Africa to deliver its renowned Geosciences Information for Teachers (GIFT) programme to teachers in South Africa and neighbouring countries in collaboration with UNESCO and the European Space Agency (ESA). The topic: Climate Change and Human Adaptation. Jane Robb reports on the week’s events… Set in ‘the windy city’ of Port Elizabeth (or ...[Read More]
Imaggeo on Mondays: Volcanic rope
On Hawaii, lava fields fall into two camps – pahoehoe and a’a. This week’s Imageo on Mondays puts the two into perspective… Pahoehoe fields are created when the lava is well insulated at the surface. The cooled rock on top prevents a lot of heat escaping and lets the lava flow beneath a tough skin of basalt. This skin is pulled and distorted by the moving lava, creating ripples and wrinkles that r ...[Read More]
Union-wide events at EGU 2014
Wondering what to expect at our General Assembly this year? Here are some of the highlights: Great Debates (GDB) This year we’re holding two Great Debates: Metals in our backyard: to mine or not to mine (GDB1; #EGU14mine) and Geoengineering the climate: the way forward? (GDB2; #EGU14geng), both of which bring topical and controversial issues in Earth science to the fore. Experts from a variety of ...[Read More]
GeoEd: Why fieldwork is essential to training the next generation of Geoscientists
Our latest GeoEd article is brought to you by Simon Jung, a lecturer and palaeoceanographer from the University of Edinburgh, who highlights what makes fieldwork a brilliant way to understand Earth processes… Studying geosciences involves training across a broad range of natural sciences. Only equipped with such background knowledge will students be able to grasp key concepts in the various ...[Read More]
People power
Seismic monitoring is critical in earthquake-prone areas such as Nepal, but limited resources mean limited monitoring. EGU Science Journalism Fellowship awardee Kate Ravilious reports back on how scientists are using social media to fill the gap. Data gathering needn’t always involve expensive instruments or exotic fieldtrips. Here in resource strapped Nepal, seismologists are tapping into the po ...[Read More]
Short courses at EGU 2014
This year there is a suite of super short courses to choose from at the General Assembly. You can supercharge your scientific skills, broaden your base in science communication and pick up tips on how to boost your career – be it in academia or outside. Here’s what’s in store at EGU 2014: Supercharge your science – new techniques and dealing with data Scale, scaling and multifractals i ...[Read More]
Imaggeo on Mondays: A rolling stone gathers no moss
Philippe Leloup brings us this week’s Imaggeo on Mondays, with tales from a mountain trail that show a geologist can never resist a good rock! This image is that of a polished slab of a rock composed of interlayered marbles and amphibolites. The sample was once part of a small dry-stone wall bordering an outdoor kitchen along a trail along the Ailao Mountain Range in China (or Ailao Shan in Chines ...[Read More]
Sniffing out signs of an earthquake
Last year Kate Ravilious was awarded an EGU Science Journalism Fellowship to follow scientists studying continental faults. Now she’s out in Nepal alongside researchers who are working out when the county’s next big quake will be… Sometimes the best rocks are found in the worst locations. Yesterday I was reminded of this as I watched Paul Tapponnier, from the Earth Observatory of Singapore, ...[Read More]