Geochemistry, Mineralogy, Petrology & Volcanology

Imaggeo on Mondays: A volcanic point of view

Olivia Trani May 21, 2018

Sleeping volcano . Credit: Carina Fernandes and Jorge Magalhaes (distributed via imaggeo.egu.eu)

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 found on the island of Terceira, part of the Azores archipelago. This collection of islands is an autonomous region of Portugal ...[Read More]

Imaggeo on Mondays: River in a charoite schist

Olivia Trani May 14, 2018

River in a Charoite Schist. Credit: Bernardo Cesare (distributed via imaggeo.egu.eu)

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 mats that swirl and fold as a result of de ...[Read More]

Imaggeo on Mondays: Probing the Pliocene

Kathryn Fitzsimmons and Giancarlo Scardia May 7, 2018

Probing the Pliocene. Credit: Kathryn Fitzsimmons (distributed via imaggeo.egu.eu)

The heights we go to for science… This photograph shows a member of our team preparing to abseil down a cliff in the Charyn Canyon, in the Ili River basin of southeast Kazakhstan. The Charyn River and its tributaries, a branch of the Ili River north of the Tien Shan Mountains, have cut canyons up to 300 metres deep, carving through rocks of different geologic ages, some as old as 540 million years ...[Read More]

Imaggeo on Mondays: Iceland’s original birch forest

Olivia Trani April 30, 2018

Icelandic original birch forest. Credit: Marco Cavalli (distributed via imaggeo.egu.eu)

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 thousand years ago the country’s landscape ...[Read More]