It’s not every day that you can peer into a volcano, much less gaze out at the sky from the inside of one. The Algar do Carvão, or “the Cavern of Coal,” is one of the few places on Earth where you can explore the underground reaches of a volcanic site. The volcanic pit is …[Read More]
Imaggeo on Mondays: River in a charoite schist
Polarized light photomicrograph of a thin section of a charoite-bearing schist. Charoite is a rare silicate found only at one location in Yakutia, Russia. For its beautiful and uncommon purple color it is used as a semi-precious stone in jewelry. Under the microscope charoite-bearing rocks give an overall feeling of movement, with charoite forming fibrous …[Read More]
Geosciences Column: Extreme snowfall potentially worsened Nepal’s 2015 earthquake-triggered avalanche
Three years ago, an earthquake-induced avalanche and rockfalls buried an entire Nepalese village in ice, stone, and snow. Researchers now think the region’s heavy snowfall from the preceding winter may have intensified the avalanche’s disastrous effect. The Langtang village, just 70 kilometres from Nepal’s capital Kathmandu, is nestled within a valley under the shadow of …[Read More]
April GeoRoundUp: the best of the Earth sciences from the 2018 General Assembly
The 2018 General Assembly took place in Vienna last month, drawing more than 15,000 participants from 106 countries. This month’s GeoRoundUp will focus on some of the unique and interesting stories that came out of research presented at the Assembly. Mystery solved The World War II battleship Tirpitz was the largest vessel in the German …[Read More]
Imaggeo on Mondays: Iceland’s original birch forest
Iceland is a country of dramatically rugged landscapes. The region is home to sweeping valleys and mountain ranges, dotted with lava fields, large glaciers, hot springs and impressive waterfalls. The territory is also notoriously treeless. As of 2016, forests only made up 1.9 percent of Iceland, according to the Icelandic Forest Service. However, about a …[Read More]
General Assembly 2018 – Highlights
It’s been about two weeks since the EGU General Assembly 2018 in Vienna. The conference this year was a great success with 4,776 oral, 11,128 poster, and 1,419 PICO presentations. There were 666 unique scientific sessions, complimented by 68 short courses and 294 side events, making for an interesting and diverse programme. The conference brought together 15,075 …[Read More]
Imaggeo on Mondays: Refuge in a cloudscape
The action of glaciers combined with the structure of the rock to form this little platform, probably once a small lake enclosed between a moraine at the mountain side and the ice in the valley. Now it has become a green haven in the mountain landscape, a perfect place for an alp. In the Alps, …[Read More]
Introducing EGU’s new Communications Officer!
Meet the newest member of EGU’s communications team, Olivia Trani! Olivia joined the EGU office in February and since then has been managing GeoLog and the EGU blog network, running our social media channels, and developing EGU networking activities for early career scientists. Hello from the EGU Executive Office! I have been working as the …[Read More]
What’s on in Vienna this weekend
The General Assembly has come to an end, with only a few hours left to go. Many of the participants will make their way home over the weekend, but if you’ve chosen to stay on for a little longer, then this list of cultural activities and things to do in Vienna might just be the …[Read More]
Announcing the winners of the EGU Photo Competition 2018!
The selection committee received over 600 photos for this year’s EGU Photo Contest, covering fields across the geosciences. Participants at the 2018 General Assembly have been voting for their favourites throughout the week of the conference and there are three clear winners. Congratulations to 2018’s fantastic photographers! ‘Foehn clouds in Patagonia,’ by Christoph Mayr …[Read More]