January 19th marked the 175th birthday of Dutch astronomer Jacobus Kapteyn. His work and legacy had a profound yet subtle impact on the astronomical community and our understanding of the cosmos. His lasting contributions and methodologies continue to be refined and provide the foundation for ongoing astronomical research and discoveries. After he completed his studies, Kapteyn worked at Leiden Ob ...[Read More]
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Natural Hazards
Hunting for historical Adriatic meteotsunamis
Before modern instruments, our only clues about past sea events came from written records and folklore. Along the eastern Adriatic coast, stories of sudden floods and “tidal waves” (locally called šćiga) have been passed down for generations. These waves, described as rapid rises and falls of the sea that could flood or empty harbours within minutes, were carved into Adriatic coastal life as rare ...[Read More]
Geomorphology
Highlighting: Puerto Rico, Part 1! (Interview with Angus Moore)
This blog post is part of our series: “Highlights” for which we’re accepting contributions! Please contact Emma Lodes (GM blog editor, elodes@asu.edu), if you’d like to contribute on this topic or others. Interview with Angus Moore, Researcher at the Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague, Czechia. Email: angus.moore@uclouvain.be Questions by Emma Lodes. Can you briefly describe the main objective of ...[Read More]
Cryospheric Sciences
Speaking Up for the Cryosphere at COP30
During the climate negotiations at COP30, the global importance of a warming cryosphere was stressed in various formats. The UNFCCC Conference of Parties (this year’s COP30) marks the yearly global climate negotiations which formed the aim to limit global warming to well below 2 °C (the 1.5 °C target) with the Paris Agreement at COP21 in 2015. These huge conferences of ten thousands of people feel ...[Read More]
GeoLog
GeoTalk: Anjana Khatwa, author of ‘The Whispers of Rock’
This month for GeoTalk we were lucky enough to speak with Anjana Khatwa, the author of a new geoscience book ‘The Whispers of Rock’. Dr Anjana Khatwa is an award-winning Earth Scientist, science communicator, writer, presenter and advocate for diversity in natural heritage spaces. For over twenty years, Anjana has worked as a learning and engagement professional in the natural heritage ...[Read More]
Cryospheric Sciences
When August Brought Snow: Unseasonal Snowfall Disrupts Life in Ladakh’s High Valley Village
August in Ladakh is a time of golden fields and harvest songs, not snowstorms. Yet in 2025, this rhythm broke. Panikhar village in Ladakh woke beneath fifteen centimetres of snow, an unseasonal blanket that changed the functioning of the valley and stunned its people. What began as a glaciological field trip turned into a firsthand encounter with climate uncertainty. This blog captures those extra ...[Read More]
Geodesy
Expanding the picture: Franck Ghomsi
What does a geodesist look like? And what happens if you don’t “look the part”? Today, Franck Ghomsi, a Black African scientist, takes us along on his journey between South Africa, Canada and Cameroon. Franck does not only research the impact of climate change on coasts with geodetic techniques, but at the same time became an expert in self-motivation, battling racism and fightin ...[Read More]
Geodynamics
Bored by the Lower Mantle? Think Again!
Is the lower mantle boring? For a long time, the lower mantle was thought to be relatively featureless and uniform compared to the more dynamic upper mantle. But recent seismic observations are challenging that idea, especially when we look near the base of the mantle. Recent studies from Maureen Long’s group (Creasy et al. 2017, Wolf et al. 2019, Reiss et al. 2019, Wolf & Long, 2023) and othe ...[Read More]
Tectonics and Structural Geology
Faults vs. Fractures — How to Tell Them Apart ?
Faults and fractures can sometimes be confusing, especially for students taking their first geology courses. When they go hiking in the mountains and see a crack in the rock, they often wonder — is this a fracture or a fault? Even scientists sometimes mix the two terms, so it’s good to understand the difference. Since faults and fractures are important in many fields such as tunnel engineering, hy ...[Read More]
Geodynamics
From Mountains to Oceans: How the memory of ancient orogens guides the rupture of continents
In this new blog, Dr. Kai Li (GFZ Potsdam) talk about his PhD work, where he used accordion numerical models to explore the tectonic history of the South China Sea. His PhD research focuses on the impact of orogenic inheritance on rifts and rifted margins, employing advanced geodynamic modeling techniques. Have you ever tried to fit the west coast of Africa and the east coast of South America toge ...[Read More]