GeoLog

Earth Magnetism and Rock Physics

NASA’s Juno mission reveals Jupiter’s magnetic field greatly differs from Earth’s

July 18, 2018
NASA’s Juno mission reveals Jupiter’s magnetic field greatly differs from Earth’s
The Juno probe flew 2.8 billion kilometres between its launch from earth and insertion into orbit around Jupiter. Image: NASA/JPL-Caltech

NASA scientists have revealed surprising new information about Jupiter’s magnetic field from data gathered by their space probe, Juno. Unlike earth’s magnetic field, which is symmetrical in the North and South Poles, Jupiter’s magnetic field has startlingly different magnetic signatures at the two poles. The information has been collected as part of the Juno program, NASA’s latest mission to unrav ...[Read More]

April GeoRoundUp: the best of the Earth sciences from the 2018 General Assembly

May 4, 2018
April GeoRoundUp: the best of the Earth sciences from the 2018 General Assembly
Scientists present research findings at a press conference at the 2018 General Assembly (Credit: EGU / Keri McNamara)

The 2018 General Assembly took place in Vienna last month, drawing more than 15,000 participants from 106 countries. This month’s GeoRoundUp will focus on some of the unique and interesting stories that came out of research presented at the Assembly. Mystery solved The World War II battleship Tirpitz was the largest vessel in the German navy, stationed primarily off the Norwegian coastline as a fo ...[Read More]

Imaggeo on Mondays: Chilean relics of Earth’s past

March 12, 2018
Imaggeo on Mondays: Chilean relics of Earth’s past
Sunset, LLaima volcano and eruptions' relicts . Credit: Anita Di Chiara (distributed via imaggeo.egu.eu)

As Earth’s environment changes, it leaves behind clues used by scientists to paint portraits of the past: scorched timber, water-weathered shores, hardened lava flows. Chile’s Conguillío National Park is teeming with these kind of geologic artifacts; some are only a few years old while others have existed for more than 30 million years. The photographer Anita Di Chiara, a researcher at Lancaster U ...[Read More]

Imaggeo on Mondays: recording the Earth’s magnetic field one grain at a time

October 10, 2016
Imaggeo on Mondays: recording the Earth’s magnetic field one grain at a time
Titanomagnetite grain . Credit: Firoz Kadar Badesab (distributed via imaggeo.egu.eu)

The Earth’s magnetic field extends from the core of the planet, right out to space. It is an invisible, butterfly-like, shield which protects us against the harmful particles ejected by solar flares. In addition, it guards us from atmospheric erosion and water loss caused by solar wind. But how do scientists study the Earth’s magnetic field when it can’t be see? Much of what is known results from ...[Read More]