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Laura Roberts-Artal

Laura Roberts Artal is the Outreach and Dissemination Manager at The Water Innovation Hub (University of Sheffield). Laura also volunteers as the Associate Director of Communications for Geology for Global Development. She has also held a role in industry as Marketing Manager for PDS Ava (part of PDS Group). Laura was the Communications Officer at the European Geosciences Union from the summer of 2014 to the end of 2017. Laura is a geologist by training and holds a PhD in palaeomagnetism from the University of Liverpool. She tweets at @LauRob85.

GeoTalk: The anomaly in the Earth’s magnetic field which has geophysicists abuzz

September 21, 2017
GeoTalk: The anomaly in the Earth’s magnetic field which has geophysicists abuzz
The South Atlantic Anomaly (SAA, the large red area in the image) is a dip in the Earth's magnetic field which allows cosmic rays, and charged particles to reach lower into the atmosphere. This interferes with communication with satellites, aircraft, and the Space Shuttle. While there are theories as to why this occurs, the geologic origin is not yet known. The data were collected by the South Atlantic Anomaly Detector (SAAD) aboard ROSAT. It consists of 10 cm² of Germanium and served as a particle background monitor. The SAAD was used to "safe" the PSPC if rates became too high. Source: ROSAT SAA Guest Observer Facility (NASA Goddard Space Flight Centre) . Credit: S. L. Snowden

Geotalk is a regular feature highlighting early career researchers and their work. In this interview we speak to Jay Shah, a PhD student at Imperial College London, who is investigating the South Atlantic Anomaly, a patch over the South Atlantic where the Earth’s magnetic field is weaker than elsewhere on the globe. He presented some of his recent findings at the 2017 General Assembly. First, coul ...[Read More]

Mexico earthquakes: What we know so far

September 20, 2017
Mexico earthquakes: What we know so far
USGS interactive map of M 7.1 earthquake .

On Friday 8 September 2017 at 04:49 am UTC, a magnitude 8.1 earthquake hit off the coast of Mexico, 87 km SW of Pijijiapan. According to the U.S. Geological Survey, the epicentre was at 15.07 N, 93.72 W at a depth of about 69.7 km. Yesterday, another strong (magnitude 7.1) earthquake hit central Mexico, 55 km SSW of the city of Puebla and 120 km south of Mexico City. Despite the lower magnitude, y ...[Read More]

Imaggeo on Mondays: What happens to mines when they become redundant?

September 18, 2017
Imaggeo on Mondays: What happens to mines when they become redundant?
Ore processing plant, Messida, El Kala, Algeria . Credit: Issaad Mouloud (distributed via imaggeo.egu.eu)

When the minerals run out, or it is no longer profitable to extract the resources, mines shut down. Prior to issuing a permit for the exploitation of a resource, most regulators require assurance that once the mine closes it, or the activities carried out at the site, will not present a risk to human health or the environment. Ongoing monitoring of a mine once it is decommissioned is required to e ...[Read More]

Educators: apply now to take part in the 2018 GIFT workshop!

September 13, 2017
Educators: apply now to take part in the 2018 GIFT workshop!
Summer on the Northern Hemisphere . Credit: European MSG satellite/EUMETSAT/M. Reuter (distributed via imaggeo.egu.eu).

The General Assembly is not only for researchers but for teachers and educators with an interest in the geosciences also. Every year the Geosciences Information For Teachers (GIFT) is organised by the EGU Committee on Education to bring first class science closer to primary and high school teachers. The topic of the 2018 edition of GIFT is ‘Major events that shaped the Earth’. This year’s workshop ...[Read More]