Seismology

NASA’s InSight mission: detecting ‘earthquakes*’ on the surface of Mars

Keri McNamara November 23, 2018

The InSight spacecraft approaches Mars in this artist’s concept. (Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech)

In three days’ time, NASA’s InSight Lander is expected to plunge through Mars’ atmosphere before parachuting down to a controlled landing on the flat plains of the Elysium Planitia. Once the dust has settled, a solar powered robotic arm will painstakingly unload the precious instruments stored onboard onto the planet’s surface, carefully guided by scientists back on Earth. These instruments are de ...[Read More]

Imaggeo on Mondays: On the way to Tristan’s penguins

Maria Tsekhmistrenko November 19, 2018

The Penguins of Tristan da Cunha. Credit: Maria Tsekhmistrenko (distributed via imaggeo.egu.eu)

Tristan da Cunha is a remote volcanic island in the south Atlantic Ocean. In fact, it is the most remote inhabited archipelago in the world. Tristan is still volcanically active; the last time it erupted was in 1961. After the eruption, which luckily did not have any casualties, the whole population of around 260 people evacuated the island for some time, but they all returned back to the island b ...[Read More]

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

Olivia Trani October 5, 2018

Astronaut Ricky Arnold, from aboard the International Space Station, shared this image of Hurricane Florence on Sept. 10. Credit: NASA.

Drawing inspiration from popular stories on our social media channels, major geoscience headlines, as well as unique and quirky research, this monthly column aims to bring you the latest Earth and planetary science news from around the web. Major stories This month has been a whirlwind of Earth and space science news; the majority focusing on natural hazards. Powerful cyclones, earthquakes, and ts ...[Read More]

Imaggeo on Mondays: Hints of an eruption

Eva Eibl June 11, 2018

A hint of an eruption. Credit: Eva Eibl (distributed via imaggeo.egu.eu).

The photograph shows water that accumulated in a depression on the ice surface of Vatnajökull glacier in southeastern Iceland. This 700m wide and 30m deep depression [1], scientifically called an ‘ice cauldron’, is surrounded by circular crevasses on the ice surface and is located on the glacier tongue Dyngjujökull, an outlet glacier of Vatnajökull. The photo was taken on 4 June 2016, less than 22 ...[Read More]