GeoLog

Geosciences Column

GeoSciences Column: Hazagora – will you survive the next disaster?

May 6, 2016
GeoSciences Column: Hazagora – will you survive the next disaster?
Hazagora: will you survive a natural disaster? Taken from Mossoux, S., et al. (2016).

There is no better thing, on a cold and stormy winter’s evening, than to gather your friends for a night of games / board games. Fire blazing (if you have one), tasty snacks laid out and drinks poured, you are all set to indulge in a night of scheming (if you are playing battle ship), deceit (Cluedo), or even all out comedy (think Pictionary or Charades). The main purpose of the games you are like ...[Read More]

GeoSciences Column: Mapping floods with social media

March 11, 2016
GeoSciences Column: Mapping floods with social media
Flood at Trans-en-Provence (Var - France) . Credit: Dimitri Defrance (distributed via imaggeo.egu.eu)

Picture this: you are on your commute home, smartphone or tablet in hand, surfing the internet. You might quickly catch up on the latest news, check in with your friend’s on Facebook, or take to Twitter to share a morsel of information with your followers. This scenario is common in the modern era of technology. No doubt we are all guilty of indulging in a serious session of internet navigation ev ...[Read More]

Geosciences Column: An international effort to understand the hazard risk posed by Nepal’s 2015 Gorkha earthquake

February 12, 2016
Geosciences Column: An international effort to understand the hazard risk posed by Nepal’s 2015 Gorkha earthquake
The upper part of the Pokhara Valley and view towards the Annapurna Massif. Debris flows and floods triggered by three major medieval earthquakes delivered the vast, flat-lying and steeply dissected deposits of the Pokhara Formation. The photo was taken by Amelie Stolle. Distributed via NASA Goddard on Flickr.

Nine months ago the ground in Nepal shook, and it shook hard: on April 25th 2015 the M7.8 Gorkha earthquake struck and was followed by some 250 aftershocks, five of which were greater than M 6.0. The devastation left behind in the aftermath of such an event, and how to coordinate disaster-relief efforts in a vast, mountainous region, is difficult to imagine. Yet, this December at the 2015 AGU Fall ...[Read More]

Geosciences Column: Three hundred years probing the deep seas

January 22, 2016

The depths of the deep blue have fascinated explorers, scientists and humanity for centuries. And is it any wonder? 71% of the Earth’s surface is covered by oceans teaming with riches, from unique forms of life to precious metals.Even today, there are vast regions of the ocean floors that remain unexplored and of which we know very little about. Some might argue the oceans are the last unexplored ...[Read More]