Geomorphology

Imaggeo on Mondays: A lava layer cake

Laura Roberts-Artal May 29, 2017

A lava layer cake flowing . Credit: Timothée Duguet (distributed via imaggeo.egu.eu)

Brekkuselslækur, a small river, carves its way across Iceland’s ancient volcanic landscape. At Hengifoss, Iceland’s third-highest waterfall, it tumbles fiercely down thick, dark layers of lavas erupted from volcanoes some 18 to 2.58 million years ago, during a period of geological time known as the Tertiary. Eruptions are rarely continuous; during hiatuses in the extrusion of lavas, ash is able to ...[Read More]

Imaggeo on Mondays: Sedimentary record of catastrophic floods in the Atacama desert

Manuel Abad and Tatiana Izquierdo May 22, 2017

Sedimentary record of catastrophic floods in the Atacama Desert . Credit: Manu Abad (distributed via imaggeo.egu.eu).

Despite being one of the driest regions on Earth, the Atacama desert is no stranger to catastrophic flood events. Today’s post highlights how the sands, clays and muds left behind once the flood waters recede can hold the key to understanding this natural hazard. During the severe rains that occurred between May 12 and 13, 2017 in the Atacama Region (Northern Chile) the usually dry Copiapó R ...[Read More]

Imaggeo on Mondays: Sneaking up from above

Jan Blöthe May 8, 2017

Sneaking up from above . Credit: Jan Blöthe (distributed via imaggeo.egu.eu)

Take some ice, mix in some rock, snow and maybe a little mud and the result is a rock glacier. Unlike ice glaciers (the ones we are most familiar with), rock glaciers have very little ice at the surface. Looking at today’s featured image, you’d be forgiven for thinking the Morenas Coloradas rock glacier wasn’t a glacier at all. But appearances can be misleading; as Jan Blöthe (a researcher at the ...[Read More]

Imaggeo on Mondays: Erosion

Laura Roberts-Artal March 27, 2017

Erosion . Credit: Kevin Norton (distributed via imaggeo.egu.eu)

In mountainous regions precipitation – be that in the form of rain, hail or snow, for example – drives erosion, which means it plays an important part in shaping the way the landscape looks. Precipitation can directly wear away at hillsides and creates streams and rivers, which leave their mark on the scenery by cutting and calving their way through it. Take for instance the hills in the arid coas ...[Read More]