Since August 2013, Elspeth and Charly, editors of Between a Rock and a Hard Place, have contributed a range of interesting and thought-provoking posts to the EGU network blogs: from a broad volcanology and petrology theme, through to sharing valuable insights they picked up during their journey towards completing their PhDs. However, the PhD theses are now submitted and defended, and Elspeth and C ...[Read More]
Firstly, happy New Year from all those at BaR! The start of January always seems to herald a surfeit of navel-gazing blog posts. Therefore, I thought I would attempt to broaden my horizons and consider whether, with only five years to go to meet the 20-20-20 EU climate targets, will 2015 be the greenest year yet?
Sorcha Q:Why didn’t the geologist want his Christmas dinner? A: He lost his apatite. Elspeth Q: Who did Santa bring along to perform at the Earth Sciences Christmas party? A: Elf-is Presley! Charly Q: What is Father Christmas’s favourite element? A: Holmium (Ho Ho Ho!) KT Q: What happened to Rudolph when he accidentally ate clay? A: He got illite. James Q: Why are advent calendars like ...[Read More]
Twinning is a phenomenon in mineralogy whereby a single crystal of a mineral has two or more parts in which the crystal lattice is differently orientated. The shared surface between two twins is called the composition or twin plane, and the orientation to either other is determined by symmetry through rotation or reflection; this relationship is described by a twin law.
Between a Rock and a Hard Place began as an Earth Science PhD blog in February 2013, as a place to ramble on about PhD life and general science topics. Almost two years later, some of the contributors have finished, others have submitted, and the rest are nearing the end. Over the next few weeks, the BaR contributors will be sharing some reflections on their PhD experiences. Taken from an original ...[Read More]
Between a Rock and a Hard Place began as an Earth Science PhD blog in February 2013, as a place to ramble on about PhD life and general science topics. Almost two years later, some of the contributors have finished, others have submitted, and the rest are nearing the end. Over the next few weeks, the BaR contributors will be sharing some reflections on their PhD experiences. Taken from an original ...[Read More]
Kick ’em Jenny is a submarine volcano located 8km to the north of the Caribbean island of Grenada. It lies close to the small, uninhabited volcanic islands of Ronde, Diamond, Ill Caille and Les Tantes, though no physical evidence of the volcano is evident from land. At least twelve recorded eruptions have occurred since Kick ’em Jenny’s discovery in 1939 (the last in 2001), and it is c ...[Read More]
The nights are drawing in, the air is getting colder and here in Bristol it seems like viva season is in full swing. Enough time has elapsed since my own viva that I thought I would share my thoughts about what to expect on the big day. Whilst everybody’s experience is different, from talking to fellow alumni there do seem to be some common themes: Your examiners are human. The main thing to ...[Read More]
In my opinion, there aren’t many finer ways to spend an autumnal afternoon than ambling round the historical suburb of Clifton in Bristol. Bounded to the west by the dramatic limestone cliffs of the Avon Gorge and the bucolic open downs of Clifton and Durdham, Clifton Village is a Bristol rarity, in only having been only partly subsumed by the neighbouring metropolis. Clifton is home to many ...[Read More]
Mt Ruapehu is the largest mountain on the North Island of New Zealand. As well as being a popular ski resort, Ruapehu is an active andesitic stratovolcano. Formed approximately 200,000 years ago, activity is currently confined to the Crater Lake vent; this deep depression fills with water from snow melt between eruptive episodes. Similarly to the recent eruption of Mount Ontake in Japan, Ruapehu h ...[Read More]