David Litchfield holds an MA in Social Work and has worked in this field for a number of years. However, experience of travel and living in Latin America led to the renewal of a long-forgotten interest in geosciences and especially in volcanism. On return to the UK he completed a second undergraduate degree in Geosciences with the Open University and is currently studying part-time for an MSc in G ...[Read More]
Professionalism and Social Responsibility (2) – Mapping Project Guide
As summer is upon us, some lucky people will be embarking on their 21 day minimum mapping dissertation field work. An extensive field based dissertation forms a core part of many undergraduate courses. Some of you will be heading to areas well trodden by the BGS, others may be exploring new territory. If you are travelling abroad, there will be many additional considerations – you may want t ...[Read More]
Friday Photo (88): Volcanic Mud Pits
The Solfatara volcanic crater at Pozzuoli, part of the Campi Flegrei volcanic area, has many fumaroles and mud pools. The bubbling mud pits are created by rainwater and vapor condensation, which mix with the clay material present on the surface of the volcanic crater. The gas composition which spews out from the mud pit is varying (H2S, N2O, H2O, CH4, He, C); the liquid composition is as rich (Bor ...[Read More]
Guest Blog: Mount Vesuvius Today
Christopher Dimech is a PhD researcher at University College London. We wrote about the Roman eruption of Vesuvius, and the consequences for Pompeii and Herculaneum, on our blog in June. Chris has spent some time at the monitoring station near mount Vesuvius, and here gives us an insight into the kind of research that goes on there. Italy is much better prepared for volcanic hazards today than it ...[Read More]
GfGD National Conference – Present a Poster
As part of the GfGD National Conference, we would like to give students the opportunity to contribute your ideas on the conference topics, share your research (e.g., MGeol, MSci, MSc, and Mapping Projects), and profile GfGD University Group Activities. This will happen through a poster session. Poster sessions form an important part of many academic conferences. Posters will be displayed throughou ...[Read More]
Professionalism and Social Responsibility (1) – Top Travel Tips
As outlined at the start of last week, each Monday over the summer we’ll blogging about different aspects of professionalism and social responsibility. This week we’re looking back over a popular series we did last summer – ‘Top Travel Tips & Resources’ – which gave students various things to think about before embarking on overseas mapping projects, researc ...[Read More]
Friday Photo (87): Wildlife in the Field – Lizards at Cape Point
A lizard chills out in the sunshine at Cape Point – the southernmost tip of the African continent. There is nothing between here and Antarctica. (c) Geology for Global Development 2013
GfGD Blog Competition 2013
Following the success of the Geology for Global Development blog competition 2012, we’d like to invite you to join our ‘GfGD Blog Competition 2013’. This is a great opportunity to write about a topic that you love, and to put science communication into practice. Clear communication, particularly of complex scientific problems, is a skill that is highly valued by many employers. Good science commun ...[Read More]
Looking ahead to the summer…
The sunshine is out, we have our first male singles Wimbledon Champion in 77 years, and the smell of BBQs is wafting through our windows – it is officially summertime! Over the summer the GfGD blog is going to be busy, with a range of interesting articles. As normal, we’ll still be publishing articles on Mondays and Wednesdays, with our Friday Photos continuing as well. You may also fi ...[Read More]
Friday Photo (86): Wildlife in the Field – the Rock Hyrax
This little guy (can you spot him?!) is a Dassie, or “Rock Hyrax” – a familiar friend to many geologists in the field. These animals live in groups among large fallen blocks of rock, and will pop their heads up periodically to keep an eye on you as you go about your fieldwork. They can cause problems as they have designated ‘toilet rocks’, and their urine can cover a ...[Read More]