About Geology Jenga
The name of our blog stems from Jenga the block game, but in reverse. Fundamentally, it is a game of physical and mental skill, as is a PhD and academic research on a broader scale. The different blocks forming the Jenga tower represent the foundations of the landscapes around us as well as the diverse elements contributing to our research interests and academic experiences. There are undoubtedly many holes in our knowledge of landscape evolution and our PhD experiences are continually being filled by new experiences and adventures. Removing certain blocks from the tower reflects the testing of hypotheses as we attempt to grasp a more fundamental understanding of earth science. The crash in Jenga is a metaphor for the point in time when our degree of understanding of some element of earth science or the PhD process suddenly advances.
Our blog will explore each stage of the game with the aim of making earth science more accessible to all and offer some personal perspectives on the PhD journey. Geology Jenga will explore our (Laura and Daniel’s) research disciplines (Geophysics & Archaean Geology and Geography & Quaternary Science, respectively) but with the unique slant of highlighting opportunities where the sharing of knowledge and/or methodologies within disparate Earth Science disciplines could contribute towards a more holistic understanding of landscape evolution. This aim is summed up commendably by the following quote from Charles Lapworth (1903): “All that comes above the surface of the globe lies within the province in Geography; all that comes below the surface lies inside the realm of Geology. The surface of the earth is that which, so to speak, divides them and at the same time binds them together in indissoluble union”
About the Authors
Daniel Schillereff is currently jointly employed at the Centre of Ecology and Hydrology in Lancaster and the University of Liverpool as a Post-Doctoral Research Associate on the NERC-funded LTLS project. This research looks at sources, fluxes and interactions of carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus across the UK over the last 200 years as part of the wider Macronutrient Cycles Programme. He recently submitted his PhD thesis at the University of Liverpool that analysed basal sediments from lakes to determine whether imprints of extreme historical floods could be detected. He tweets as @dschillereff.
Laura Roberts Artal is the Communications Officer at the European Geosciences Union. She recently submitted her PhD thesis were she used paleomagentism to answer questions about the early Earth’s magnetic field and plate tectonic processes. Laura tweets at @LauRob85 and has also contributed to geomagnetism.org in the past.
Banner image by frigilianatone; Source: pixabay.
The opinions expressed in Geology Jenga are those of the authors, whose views may differ from those of the European Geosciences Union.