Category Archives: Geophysics

Bárðarbunga – Plumbing the depths

Posted on August 21, 2014 by Pete Rowley

The internet has lit up in the last three days or so with people getting (over?)excited about activity at the volcano of Bárðarbunga in Iceland, particularly since the Icelandic Meteorological Office have been gradually ramping up the Aviation Colour Code from green (“normal, non … Continue reading →

Posted in Earthquakes, Geochemistry, Geology, Geophysics, Hazard Assessment, Volcanism | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

The insanity of the Italian legal system

Posted on October 22, 2012 by Pete Rowley

Well, it’s official. The Italian courts have found half a dozen scientists and a government official guilty of manslaughter over the failure to accurately predict the risks of the 2009 L’Aquila earthquake which killed 309 people. This has been rumbling … Continue reading →

Posted in Earthquakes, Geology, Geophysics, Hazard Assessment, Media & Perception, Not even wrong, Science | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Poking sleeping lions

Posted on May 22, 2012 by Pete Rowley

I can only assume that the mass of exam papers in the department has caused a time-dilation.  It’s the only possible reason I can come up with for the fact it’s June next week. After the rush of #gradingjail starting … Continue reading →

Posted in Earthquakes, Geology, Geophysics, Hazard Assessment, Science, Travel, Volcanism | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Fault Dynamics 101

Posted on April 13, 2012 by Pete Rowley

This is a post I’ve been putting off writing for a while, as I find it a very tricky subject to cover without a hands-on practical.  However, a question which has been asked of me a few times (and particularly … Continue reading →

Posted in Earthquakes, Education, Geology, Geophysics, Physics, Science | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

The oddity of the Banda Aceh earthquake

Posted on April 11, 2012 by Pete Rowley

Earlier I posted an info bulletin about this morning’s Banda Aceh earthquake.  Rather than muddle it with more and more stuff, I thought it might be better to include this update as a separate post, as it is more of … Continue reading →

Posted in Earthquakes, General, Geology, Geophysics, Hazard Assessment, News, Science | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 17 Comments

Expanding your horizons – quack geology

Posted on December 5, 2011 by Pete Rowley

I was pointed at this today. It’s a video describing how closed minded scientists are ignoring the truth; a “conspiracy of silence”. The “simple truth is too upsetting to too many applecarts”.  That’s right ladies and gentlemen, plate tectonics is a … Continue reading →

Posted in Education, Geology, Geophysics, Media & Perception, Not even wrong, Physics, Science | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

El Hierro 4: Hubble, bubble, toil and trouble.

Posted on November 7, 2011 by Pete Rowley

UPDATED 16:40 Earthquake-report.com have got their webcam up and running (be patient  – it’s a little flaky at the moment). The eruption at El Hierro has (as of Saturday) become at least partially subaerial.  For the non-scientists amongst you that … Continue reading →

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El Hierro 3 – The Revenge

Posted on October 27, 2011 by Pete Rowley

Most news outlets have gone quiet on the eruption at El Hierro over the last couple of weeks.  Indeed, signs were that the eruption was slowing down, which indeed it has done.  That is not to say that the activity … Continue reading →

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El Hierro activity

Posted on October 10, 2011 by Pete Rowley

UPDATE: It has been reported that the ongoing activity has culminated in submarine eruption over the last 4 hours. Source. UPDATE 2: Still no confirmation of submarine eruption. However, the seismic trace is truly textbook. Note the increasing amplitude with … Continue reading →

Posted in Earthquakes, General, Geology, Geophysics, Hazard Assessment, Science, Volcanism | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

The case of the crazy conspiracist

Posted on August 4, 2011 by Pete Rowley

I was browsing over the USGS site this morning looking for some stuff and came across this. It’s basically a statement put out by the USGS stating that the Lavic Lake Volcanic Field (LLVF) in California is not erupting, contrary … Continue reading →

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