GeoLog

Earth Magnetism and Rock Physics

Sixty years under the mountain: A geoscientific odyssey through the Mont Blanc tunnel

Sixty years under the mountain: A geoscientific odyssey through the Mont Blanc tunnel

On July 16, 1965, the Mont Blanc Tunnel, 11.611 km of tunnel piercing the heart of the Alps, opened to traffic, marking a triumph of engineering, geology, and international cooperation. Sixty years later, this civilian artery connecting Chamonix (France) and Courmayeur (Italy) stands not just as a testament to human inventiveness but as an ongoing marvel if viewed through …[Read More]

What if a tsunami’s magnetic field could predict the height of the wave?

What if a tsunami’s magnetic field could predict the height of the wave?

It’s been well established that tsunamis generate magnetic fields as they move seawater (which is conductive unlike freshwater) through the Earth’s magnetic field. Although researchers previously predicted that the tsunami’s magnetic field would arrive before a change in sea level, they lacked the means to simultaneously measure magnetics and sea level to confirm this phenomenon. …[Read More]

Imaggeo On Monday: Artificial peridotite takes its gold coat off

Imaggeo On Monday: Artificial peridotite takes its gold coat off

Sometimes in order to test a theory about how processes work below the surface of the Earth, scientists need to recreate minerals found in very specific circumstances. This photograph was taken through a binocular microscope during a critical step of the creation of artificial peridotite: extraction of the artificial peridotite from its gold capsule. The …[Read More]

Imaggeo on Mondays: Magnetic interaction

Imaggeo on Mondays: Magnetic interaction

Space weather is a ubiquitous, but little known, natural hazard. Though not as tangible as a volcanic eruption, storm or tsunami wave, space weather has the potenital to cause huge economic losses across the globe. In Europe alone, the interaction of solar wind with our planet’s magnetosphere, ionosphere and thermosphere, could lead to disrutions to …[Read More]