This year marks the 10th anniversary of the Cassini-Huygens mission to study Saturn and its moons. But what’s 10 years to us is only a fraction of the Saturnian calendar – in the decade we’ve been studying Saturn up close, the planet has been through only a third of its annual cycle. In that short time though, scientists have made a multitude of amazing and surprising discoveries about the system ...[Read More]
Imaggeo on Mondays: Layers of leg-like sandstone
John Clemens, a researcher from Stellenbosch University and one of the winners in the EGU Photo Contest 2014, opens our eyes to erosional processes in the Grand Canyon in this week’s Imaggeo on Mondays… The photo below was taken late in the afternoon while doing some geological tourism at the Grand Canyon in Arizona, USA. The light at this time of day is ideal for such locations as it has a ...[Read More]
GeoTalk: Want a record of historical floods? Ask the taxman
Extreme weather events, like catastrophic floods, are the malicious exclamation points of Earth’s chaotic and variable climate system; they arrive without warning and extract huge costs, both economic and humanitarian, from the communities they strike. Evidence suggests the frequency and severity of these events may be on the rise in a changing climate, but scientists struggle to place modern even ...[Read More]
Defining the age of humans
We are currently changing our planet like never before. But do these changes deserve a new name? The Anthropocene – a geological period marking the length of time for which humans have had a significant impact on the planet – was first proposed in the 1980s. But the word has gained significant attention in recent years thanks to the popularising work of Nobel prize-winning chemist Paul Crutzen. Hu ...[Read More]
Imaggeo on Mondays: A marvellous moving image
Every year, in association with our annual General Assembly, we run a photo contest to feature and celebrate fantastic geoscience images. Last year we introduced a moving image component to the competition, giving photographers the chance to submit short clips of great geoscience footage. Here’s this year’s highly commended entry by Matthias Buschmann… Svalbard’s stunning scenery (Credit: Matthias ...[Read More]
It’s not my fault
A line on a map is important. In the Beverly Hills region of Los Angeles a series of mapped fault lines are now the cause of a major controversy. Communities have been alarmed, money has been lost and legal proceedings are ongoing. It started in 1992. James Dolan and Kerry Sieh, two earthquake geologists at the California Institute of Technology, published a map in a field trip guidebook about the ...[Read More]
Meltwater ponds halt new sea ice growth
Each September, battered by the relentless sun-filled days of summer, the smooth expanse of the Arctic Ocean reaches the climax of its annual transformation. Replacing the endless blanket of winter ice, a vast jigsaw puzzle stretches across the pole, a mosaic of soggy snow islands floating amid turquoise ponds of meltwater and inlets of dark blue sea. These meltwater ponds have been shown to drama ...[Read More]
GIFT at the Assembly: Our Changing Planet
The EGU’s Geosciences Information for Teachers (GIFT) programme offers teachers attending the conference the opportunity to hone their Earth science skills. The General Assembly workshop is one of GIFT’s most important activities of the year, combining talks on current research with hands-on activities presented by educators. What’s more, scientists can also come to the sessions – here ...[Read More]
GeoTalk: Steven Smith on fossil faults and fantastic faulting
This week in GeoTalk, we’re talking to Steven Smith, a Lecturer from the University of Otago. Steven takes us on an Earth-shaking journey, explaining how ancient faults reveal what’s happening under the Earth’s surface and delving into the future of fault zone research. First, could you introduce yourself and tell us a little about what you are currently working on? Last September I started as a L ...[Read More]
Imaggeo on Mondays: Villarrica Volcano
This week’s Imaggeo on Mondays highlights the vulnerability of Villarrica’s slopes and zooms in on the volcano’s spectacular crater… Villarrica, one of the largest stratovolcanoes in Chile, is also one of the country’s most active. The volcano is iced by glaciers that make the mountain a stunning scene, but also a dangerous one. The glaciers cover some 30 square-kilometres of the volcano and, duri ...[Read More]