Science Communication

Why is research in Antarctica so important?

Hazel Gibson December 1, 2020

The view from the tent . Credit: Helen Millman (distributed via imaggeo.egu.eu)

On the 1st December 1959 the Antarctic Treaty was signed by 12 nations, setting aside nearly 10% of the Earth “forever to be used exclusively for peaceful purposes… in the interests of all mankind.” In the years that followed more and more countries signed the agreement, until today when the agreement has been signed by 54 countries around the globe. In 2010, the Foundation for ...[Read More]

GeoPolicy: Proposed cuts to EU science funding could slow future research and innovation

Chloe Hill October 23, 2020

State of the Union 2015. Credit: Martin Schulz. Distributed via Flickr

As a European scientific union with over 20,000 members, the EGU is well positioned to provide feedback on the current and future state of research and innovation funding in Europe. The recent cuts to the EU’s 2021-2027 research budget from European Parliament’s initial proposal of €120 billion to the current proposal of €81 billion (at 2018 prices), will not only affect researchers througho ...[Read More]

Earth Science Week 2020: Earth Materials in Our Lives – an A-Z!

Hazel Gibson and Terri Cook October 2, 2020

Large similar folds in a salt mine in the Carpathians. Credit: Janos Urai (distributed via imaggeo.egu.eu)

Since 1998 the American Geosciences Institute has been running an annual celebration of all things geoscience – Earth Science Week. From its inception, Earth Science Week has grown in popularity and is now celebrated across the planet. This year Earth Science Week will run from 11 to 17 October and the theme of the week is “Earth Materials in Our Lives.” As the American Geoscien ...[Read More]

Friedrich Mohs and the mineral scale of hardness

Hazel Gibson September 25, 2020

Image credit: Hazel Gibson

One of the most famous identification methods in the study of mineralogy is the Mohs Scale of Hardness. A comparative scale, based on the hardness of each mineral, it is a way geoscientists can compare minerals to each other and organise them based upon an easily testable physical characteristic. Each level of hardness has a value, from 1 (the softest) to 10 (the hardest) and each number is associ ...[Read More]