Over on her Georney‘s blog, Evelyn Mervine has recently posted a nice piece with some spectacular images of columnar jointing. This seemed like a good opportunity to dust off some field photos, with some more examples of polygonal joint sets in lavas from a variety of settings, to illustrate the diversity of forms that cooling-contraction joints may take in volcanic rocks. The first example ...[Read More]
Geology for Global Development
Guest Blog: Earthquakes in the Steppes of Central Asia
Tim Middleton is a first year PhD student in the Department of Earth Science at Oxford University – studying active tectonics in central and eastern Asia. He has recently joined the GfGD National Committee as our Advocacy Development Officer. Here, Tim describes his experience of fieldwork in Kazakhstan and the importance of studying the landscape to assess the risk of future disasters. Tim ...[Read More]
Geology for Global Development
Friday Photo (57): Active Geology – Sinking Buildings from Ancient Greece
These foundations were once part of a building in ancient Greece. Over thousands of years, active faults have lowered the land and the foundations have sunk below sea level. Geology can have a big impact on relatively short timescales. (c) Geology for Global Development
Geology for Global Development
In the News – November 2012
GfGD’s Director, Joel Gill, shares some of the things that have caught his eye in the news recently: Natural Disaters: The past couple of weeks have seen a significant number of natural disasters, from earthquakes in Guatemala and Myanmar (Burma) to hurricanes in the Atlantic – impacting developing nations such as Haiti, and a landslide dam break in Indonesia. The earthquake in Guatemala tri ...[Read More]
Geology for Global Development
Water Series (3): Arsenic Contamination in Drinking Water
Following our post about fluoride contamination last week, our water series is now focused on the equally serious problem of arsenic contamination. Some arsenic is present in all groundwater sources (see table 1). Of course this is only a problem if the arsenic has the chance to leak into groundwater as it filters through the rock. Arsenic leaching is more likely to occur in groundwater that is ho ...[Read More]
Geology for Global Development
Friday Photo (56): Photos from Industry – Copper Deposits in Fault Zones
The deposits on the surface of this sandstone are a distinctive shade of green – indicative of copper. Copper is mobilised and concentrated along fault zones. If you have any photos from time spent working in industry, that do not breach company copyright regulations, then please get in touch and we will publish them on our blog! (c) Geology for Global Development 2012
VolcanicDegassing
Chilean volcanoes: shaken, but not always stirred?
November 7th marked the 175th anniversary of one of the largest earthquakes to have struck northern Patagonia. The earthquake, which is estimated to have had a magnitude of 8, had an epicentre close to Valdivia, and was accompanied by significant ground shaking and subsidence as far south as Chiloe island, and a major tsunami that reached Hawaii. The eyewitness reports of the time have been well ...[Read More]
Geology for Global Development
Hurricane Sandy: A round up of the coverage from Haiti to New York
We thought we would summarise the coverage of Hurricane Sandy and direct you to some of the wide-ranging political, scientific and development based discussion that has arisen in the last few weeks; simply follow the links in this article. Hurricanes are just one of the many natural disasters that affect countries in the Caribbean, such as Haiti. They are rarely an issue further north, but Sandy i ...[Read More]
Geology for Global Development
Water Series (2): Fluoride Contamination in Drinking Water
This week, as part of our ‘water series’ we will focus on fluoride contamination in drinking water. In some parts of the UK we add fluoride to our drinking water, because small amounts can help to protect your teeth. However, too much fluoride (>1.5mg/L) can lead to a serious medical condition called fluorosis, affecting the development of teeth and bones. This strong dosage dependency can lead ...[Read More]
Geology for Global Development
Friday Photo (55): Photos from Industry – Man Operating Machinery at a Mine in China
Man Operating Machinery at a Mine in Anhui Province, China There are many large mining operations covering Anhui Province, China. They tend to have limited safety regulations. The mines can ruin the landscape, cause pollution and can be dangerous places for people to work. However, this primary industry is fuelling China’s rapid growth and development. Our Friday Photo series will be focused ...[Read More]