Glacial lake outburst floods (GLOFs) are caused when masses of meltwater are released from behind a glacier moraine. Moraines are piles of unconsolidated debris that have either eroded from the glacier valley or have been deposited by melting glaciers. When they fail, a huge volume of water can be released, threatening populations further down the valley. Moraine failure can be caused by avalanche ...[Read More]
Imaggeo on Mondays: That spot there? It’s 143,000 kilometres across
This week’s Imaggeo on Mondays highlights an amazing view of the night sky at new moon. Christian Klepp took this photo while at Waterton Glacier in the Rocky Mountains – it’s an incredible feat of determination to spend the night beside a glacial lake in the Rockies, let alone to capture such a photo! The centre of the Milky Way lies just over the horizon, shrouded by clouds of interstellar dust. ...[Read More]
GeoTalk: Yagmur Derin on posters and precipitation
This week in GeoTalk, we’re talking to Yagmur Derin, a masters student from Middle East Technical University, Turkey. She tells us about the intersecting fields of hydrology, climate science and remote sensing, and what it’s like to take the plunge and present your first poster at an international conference. Firstly, can you introduce yourself and what you’ve been investigating as part of your MS ...[Read More]
Imaggeo on Mondays: Hiking and horseshoes
The Grand Canyon is filled with fantastic geological features like this one – Horseshoe Bend – a horseshoe-shaped meander of the Colorado River. Hiking through this wonderful landscape is a joy for geoscientists and photographers alike, so no matter where your destination is, you’re bound to get distracted by an outstanding outcrop or spectacular view. Grand Canyon National Park is home to some of ...[Read More]
GeoTalk: Simon Redfern on science communication
This week in GeoTalk, we’re talking to Simon Redfern, renowned scientist and science communicator and the man behind An Atom’s-Eye View of the Planet. What made you first step into science communication? That’s a difficult question for me to answer, since it is not a step that I have consciously recognised myself making. I suppose that I see science as having at least two sides. One is discovery… ...[Read More]
Imaggeo on Mondays: Hekla’s history
Iceland is well known for its extensive volcanism. Situated amid the northernmost part of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, the spreading centre is a hub of volcanic activity, from Krafla in the north to the young volcanic island of Surtsey in the south. Hekla is one of the country’s most active volcanoes – both in terms of erupted material and eruption frequency, and lies at the heart of a 40 kilomet ...[Read More]
Imaggeo on Mondays: The name’s Bond. Hydrogen bond.
The O in H2O attracts electrons towards it, a property known as electronegativity. And because oxygen attracts electrons towards it, it is ever so slightly positive. Likewise, the hydrogen atoms in a water molecule are ever so slightly negative. The difference in charge across a water molecule is what holds water together as the slightly positive hydrogen atoms are attracted towards the slightly n ...[Read More]
GeoTalk: Will Morgan on podcasts and polluting the internet
This week in GeoTalk, we’re talking to Will Morgan, atmospheric scientist, podcaster and the blogger behind Polluting the Internet… You recently joined the EGU blog network, but you’ve been writing for a while now. What got you blogging? I guess the ultimate reason is that I enjoy talking about science! I’ve been involved with a number of science communication activities for a few years and ...[Read More]
Imaggeo on Mondays: How chloritoid tells a story of colliding continents
Chloritoid is a metamorphic mineral commonly found inside phyllite rocks – which is shale (a type of mudstone containing clays, silts and muds) that has been metamorphosed several times. Confusingly, chloritoid does not actually contain the element chlorine but instead is an iron magnesium manganese alumino-silicate hydroxide. This particular specimen is from Lyon, France: In larger sized specimen ...[Read More]
Imaggeo on Mondays: Arid lands and ancient lakes
Palaeoclimatologist Annett Junginger takes us to one of the hottest and driest places on Earth in this week’s Imaggeo on Mondays… The picture was taken in 2010 during the third in six expeditions to the remote Suguta Valley in the northern Kenya Rift. This unbelievably beautiful place is located just south of Lake Turkana and is one of the hottest and driest places in equatorial Africa. Temperatur ...[Read More]