Detail of a photo: Maze of layered canyon walls and buttes in bands of red, cream and grey, receding into the distance in soft evening light.
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GeoSciences Column: Don’t throw out that diary – medieval journals reveal the secret of lightning

GeoSciences Column: Don’t throw out that diary – medieval journals reveal the secret of lightning

When 17th century Japanese princess Shinanomiya Tsuneko took note of an afternoon storm in her diary one humid Kyoto summer, she could not have imagined her observations would one day help resolve a longstanding scientific conundrum. Statistical analysis of her journals has revealed a link between lightning strikes and the solar wind – proving that …[Read More]

Imaggeo on Mondays: Autumnal Larch

Imaggeo on Mondays: Autumnal Larch

For a fantastically picturesque train ride, consider travelling by rail between Lanquart and Davos (in Switzerland). You’ll be rewarded with stunning Alpine views, especially in autumn when the Larches, surrounded by Spruces, turn yellow and cast pretty reflections in the waters of the mountain lakes. Seen here is Schwartzsee, located only a few meters from …[Read More]

Imaggeo on Mondays: Angular unconformity

Imaggeo on Mondays: Angular unconformity

It is not unusual to observe abrupt contacts between two, seemingly, contiguous rock layers, such as the one featured in today’s featured image. This type of contact is called an unconformity and marks two very distinct times periods, where the rocks formed under very different conditions. Telheiro Beach is located at the western tip of …[Read More]

Imaggeo on Mondays: A spectacular view of moss-covered rocks

Imaggeo on Mondays: A spectacular view of moss-covered rocks

Geology has shaped the rugged landscape of the Isle of Skye – the largest island of Scotland’s Inner Hebrides archipelago. From the very old Precambrian rocks (approximately 2.8 billion years old) in the south of the island, through to the mighty glaciers which covered much of Scotland as recently as 14,700 years ago, the modestly-sized …[Read More]

GeoPolicy: COP23 – key updates and outcomes

GeoPolicy: COP23 – key updates and outcomes

What is COP23? Anthropogenic climate change is threatening life on this planet as we know it. It’s a global issue… and not one that is easily solved. The Conference of the Parties (COP) provides world leaders, policy workers, scientists and industry leaders with the space to share ideas and decide on how to tackle climate …[Read More]

Imaggeo on Mondays: Bird’s eye view of Trebecchi Lakes

Imaggeo on Mondays: Bird’s eye view of Trebecchi Lakes

Among many other environmental impacts, human activities have introduced a range of animal and plant species to areas where they do not naturally belong. The introduction of alien species, as these translocated taxa are known, has wide ranging implications for native biota, ecosystem functioning, human health and the economy. Research published earlier this year found …[Read More]

GeoSciences Column: The dirty business of shipping goods by sea

“Above the foggy strip, this white arch was shining, covering one third of the visible sky in the direction of the ship's bow,” he explains. “It was a so-called white, or fog rainbow, which appears on the fog droplets, which are much smaller then rain droplets and cause different optic effects, which is a reason of its white colour.”

Shipping goods across the oceans is cost-effective and super-efficient; that’s why over 80% of world trade is carried by sea (according to the International Maritime Organisation). But the shipping industry also contributes significant amounts of air pollutants to marine and coastal environments. A new study, published in the EGU’s open access journal Earth System Dynamics, …[Read More]

Imaggeo on Mondays: Of ancient winds and sands

Imaggeo on Mondays: Of ancient winds and sands

Snippets of our planet’s ancient past are frozen in rocks around the world. By studying the information locked in formations across the globe, geoscientist unpick the history of Earth. Though the layers in today’s featured image may seem abstract to the untrained eye, Elizaveta Kovaleva (a researcher at the University of the Free State in …[Read More]

October GeoRoundUp: the best of the Earth sciences from around the web

Display "Following Carbon Dioxide Through the Atmosphere" from YouTube Click here to display content from YouTube. Learn more in YouTube’s privacy policy (opens in a new tab). Please enable JavaScript in your browser to load this content. Always display content from YouTube Open "Following Carbon Dioxide Through the Atmosphere" directly Carbon dioxide plays a significant …[Read More]