If you’re wandering among the arid desert that stretches from Angola to South Africa, you may notice the ground pot-marked by millions of circular barren patches. These striking features are known as “Fairy circles”, and can grow up to 15 meters in diameter. Tall grasses often surround these circles, further accentuating these miniature crop circles. How these …[Read More]
Between a Rock and a Hard Place
Aim high, shoot low? UK recycling rates missing the target
In 2008, the EU set a target for member countries to achieve a 50 % household recycling rate by 2020; last week, an amendment raised this figure to 70 % . The graph below shows the latest available data for the UK. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist (or an Earth scientist for that matter) …[Read More]
Science Snap (#28): The Eye of the Sahara
Surrounded by thousands of square miles of ubiquitous desert, the “Eye of the Sahara” peers out from the Earth’s surface and at nearly 50 km wide, its easily visible from space too. The “Eye of the Sahara” is known as a Richat Structure, a geological feature consisting of a series of alternating circular layers of …[Read More]
Science Snap (#28): Brandberg Massif, Namibia
Brandberg Massif is Namibia’s highest mountain, but if you look from above, you’ll notice it’s no ordinary one. Brandberg is a single mass of granite that pierced its way through the Earth’s crust into the Namib Desert. Looking at the Landsat 7 image, Brandberg is a circular dark and steep-sided mountain, imposing itself over the …[Read More]
Review of the BGS myVolcano iPhone app
A few months ago, Elspeth posted a review of her top geology-themed mobile phone apps. Since then, the resourceful folk at the British Geological Survey (BGS) have come up with a new contender; here we take a look at myVolcano. Before we get started, the important details: myVolcano is free to download but is only …[Read More]
Science Snap (#26): Angel Falls, Venezuela
Sorcha McMahon is a third year PhD student in the School of Earth Sciences at the University of Bristol. Sorcha is investigating how strange igneous rocks called carbonatites may have formed, using both natural samples and high-pressure experiments. Angel Falls is the world’s highest uninterrupted waterfall in the Canaima National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage …[Read More]
Alumnus profile #6 – Dr Susan Little
The latest in our mini-series chronicling the after-(PhD)-lives of University of Bristol Earth Science alumni… Dr Susan Little Post-doctoral researcher, ETH Zürich PhD title “‘The Oceanic Biogeochemical Cycling of Cu and Zn and their Isotopes’”
From landfill to jet fuel: the plastic panacea?
Last week British Airways announced that the world’s first sustainable aviation fuel plant will be built in Thurrock, Essex. The airline claims that 575,000 tonnes of plastic waste, otherwise destined for landfill or incineration, will be converted into 120,000 tonnes of liquid fuel each year. According to BA, that’s enough to power the annual flights …[Read More]
Science Snap (#25): Vesuvius, Andy Warhol
Quite simply, volcanoes are inspiring. I’ve yet to meet someone who disagrees. The majestic volcanic landscape has thus been an inspiration to many an artist and author, whether intentional or not. Furthermore, artwork itself can be a valuable tool to help decipher and understand eruptions and their effects on the climate. Pictured here is Vesuvius …[Read More]
Science Snap (#24): The psychedelic Zambezi flood plain
This colourful image shows the Zambezi River’s floodplain in Zambia. The image was created from three acquisitions from Envisat’s radar instrument that were merged together. Each acquisition was assigned a colour and when combined show changes in the floodplain between each satellite acquisition. The white patch of pixels in the upper right quadrant marks the …[Read More]