Geology for Global Development

Guatemala

Why California is least prepared for earthquakes. Increasing pressure on geoengineering. Tackling the challenge of groundwater. Jesse Zondervan’s July 2019 #GfGDpicks #SciComm

August 9, 2019
Why California is least prepared for earthquakes. Increasing pressure on geoengineering. Tackling the challenge of groundwater. Jesse Zondervan’s July 2019 #GfGDpicks #SciComm

Each month, Jesse Zondervan picks his favourite posts from geoscience and development blogs/news which cover the geology for global development interest. Here’s a round-up of Jesse’s selections for the last month: Earthquake preparedness in the US Last month has seen two strong earthquakes in California, and in an interview with CNN seismologist Dr Lucy Jones says California is not as well prepare ...[Read More]

Guest Blog: Exploring Land Use in Guatemala

May 22, 2015

Jane Robb is GfGD’s University Groups Training Programme Officer, and a new PhD student at the Natural Resources Institute, University of Greenwich. Jane has just returned from Guatemala, where she was meeting with community groups and exploring land use issues. Here she shares some of the highlights of her trip with us. In 2014 I started my PhD in Natural Resources at the Natural Resources ...[Read More]

Images of Guatemala (9) – Conflict and Disasters

January 23, 2015

Until 1996, Guatemala was in the midst of a brutal Civil War. This sculpture in the Presidential Palace of Guatemala City is a reminder of that troubled past and symbolic of a hopeful peaceful future. In the same way that conflict/disasters can hamper and set-back development efforts, conflict can also set-back disaster risk reduction and management. Even once finished, past conflicts can erode tr ...[Read More]

Images of Guatemala (8) – Volcanic Observatories

December 12, 2014
Images of Guatemala (8) – Volcanic Observatories

The volcanic observatories, run by the National Institute for Seismology, Volcanology, Meteorology and Hydrology (INSIVUMEH), are based close to Guatemala’s active volcanoes, including Fuego and Santiaguito. Observers, located at each observatory, make observations and work with those in the local community to share information about the volcano. Our fundraising project will be working to st ...[Read More]

Images of Guatemala (7) – Volcano Art

December 5, 2014
Images of Guatemala (7) – Volcano Art

The dramatic landscapes of Guatemala are an important source of inspiration for some of the creative arts being produced in Guatemala. The images above (from top to bottom) a shop selling paintings aimed at the tourist market, a wall painting as part of a commercial advertisement, and my own purchased collection of three hand painted ‘volcano’ tiles from a local artist based around Lak ...[Read More]

Images of Guatemala (6) – Some Impacts of Agriculture

November 21, 2014
Images of Guatemala (6) – Some Impacts of Agriculture

(Credit: Geology for Global Development, 2014) This truck load of sugar cane was one of many observed on this stretch of road from Antigua leading to a volcanic observatory around the volcano Fuego. Agriculture – notably sugar and coffee – in Guatemala is highly significant in many respects, bringing benefits such as exports and jobs. There are however other more hidden impacts, relati ...[Read More]

Images of Guatemala (5) – Lake Atitlan

November 7, 2014
Images of Guatemala (5) – Lake Atitlan

Lake Atitlan, Guatemala. A picture we’ve shared on this blog before – but well worth including in our Images from Guatemala series. Taken from Panajachel, and looking across to the volcanoes of Atitlan (right) and Toliman (left). The small mound in front of Toliman is known as Cerro de  Oro. The lake fills a significant caldera (volcanic crater), formed from an eruption known as the Lo ...[Read More]

Images of Guatemala (4) – Fiesta at Lake Atitlan

October 31, 2014

Fiesta at Lake Atitlan, Guatemala. Guatemala is a country with many volcanic hazards, as shown in some of the previous images in this series, but also a country rich in culture and traditions. The image above was taken at the annual fiesta in San Pablo, a small town on the edge of Lake Atitlan. During the fiesta a religious procession goes through the streets, with firecrackers being lit in front ...[Read More]

Images of Guatemala (3) – Lahar Deposits at Fuego

October 24, 2014

Lahars at Volcan de Fuego, Guatemala. This image captures a lahar [mudflow] deposit close to Volcan de Fuego. These deposits are formed when rain mobilises ash and pyroclastic material on the volcano to form a fast moving, powerful mudflow with the ability to transport material including large boulders. As the energy dissipates, the sediment is deposited as we see above. Difficult to see in this i ...[Read More]

Images of Guatemala (2) – Pyroclastic Flow Deposits

October 17, 2014

Pyroclastic Flow Deposits close to Volcan de Fuego, Guatemala. The scale of these deposits, formed in 2012, can be seen against the scale of the person standing in the background [dark line, just above the red shrub]. Pyroclastic flows, alongside lahars, are two of the most significant and destructive volcanic hazards associated with Volcan de Fuego. You can read more about Fuego and its secondary ...[Read More]