Natural Hazards

Imaggeo on Mondays: Sand and snow on the Tibetan Plateau

Olivia Trani June 3, 2019

Snow & Sand in Harmony. Credit: Monica Cardarilli (distributed via imaggeo.egu.eu).

Roughly 50 million years ago, the Eurasian and Indian continental plates began to crash into each other, dramatically changing the landscape of modern-day Asia. The force of the collision caused the Earth to scrunch together at the zone of impact, subsequently forming the Himalayan mountain range. However, to the north of the crash, a stretch of the Earth uplifted without bunching up or wrinkling; ...[Read More]

Imaggeo on Mondays: A painted forest fire

Olivia Trani May 27, 2019

The art of Fire in soil system. Credit: Victoria Arcenegui (distributed via imaggeo.egu.eu)

This week’s featured image may appear to be a painted landscape, but the picture is in fact a photo, taken ten years ago by Victoria Arcenegui, an associate professor at Miguel Hernández University in Spain, during a controlled forest fire in northern Portugal. The blaze is actually hot enough to distort the image, making some of the flames appear as brush strokes, beautifully blurring together th ...[Read More]

April GeoRoundUp: the best of the Earth sciences from the 2019 General Assembly

Olivia Trani May 3, 2019

Scientists present research findings at a press conference at the EGU General Assembly 2019 (Credit: EGU / Anastasia Kokori)

The EGU General Assembly 2019 took place in Vienna last month, drawing more than 16,000 participants from 113 countries. This month’s GeoRoundUp will focus on some of the unique and interesting stories that came out of research presented at the Assembly! Major Stories Glacial disappearing act in the European Alps New research from a team of scientists estimated the future of all glaciers within th ...[Read More]

Groundwater springs harbour hidden viruses

Sara Mynott April 10, 2019

Open sewers, such as this one, are common in Kampala, Uganda. Credit: The Sustainable Sanitation Alliance Secretariat.

In many parts of Sub-Saharan Africa, groundwater springs are a vital, precious source of water. They are also a reservoir of disease. Research presented at the European Geosciences Union General Assembly in Vienna reveals that groundwater reservoirs in Ghana, Tanzania and Uganda contain diverse communities of viruses – including those that present a risk to human health. The work, carried out by I ...[Read More]