Life after graduating, and life before the Cambrian Explosion
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Dr Emilie Ringe recognised as 2021 JPC Lectureship Winner
Dr Emilie Ringe, Lecturer at the Department of Earth Sciences & Department of Materials Science and Metallurgy, University of Cambridge, has been recognised as one of three Journal of Physical Chemistry (JPC) and PHYS Division Lectureship Winners. The Journal of Physical Chemistry – PHYS Division Lectureship Awards...
Scientists zero in on the role of volcanoes in the demise of dinosaurs
Researchers have uncovered evidence suggesting that volcanic carbon emissions were not a major driver in Earth’s most recent extinction event. Earth has experienced five major extinction events over the last 500 million years, the fifth and most recent responsible for wiping out the dinosaurs 66 million years ago. Massive...
Masters student gets detailed snapshot of earthquake tremors in Reykjanes Peninsula, Iceland
Traces of Earth’s early magma ocean identified in Greenland rocks
New research led by the University of Cambridge has found rare evidence – preserved in the chemistry of ancient rocks from Greenland - which tells of a time when Earth was almost entirely molten. The study yields information on a fundamental period in our planet’s formation, when a deep sea of incandescent magma stretched...
Hubble sees new atmosphere forming on a rocky exoplanet
For the first time, scientists using the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope have found evidence of volcanic activity reforming the atmosphere on a rocky planet around a distant star. The planet, GJ 1132 b, has a similar density, size, and age to Earth. The planet GJ 1132 b appears to have begun life as a gaseous world with a...
Mapping Cambridge stone
A comprehensive survey of the stone used in Cambridge buildings has been made by Nigel Woodcock and Euan Furness from Cambridge Earth Sciences. The results show how stone use through time was influenced by wars, by pandemics, and by the canal and railway revolutions. The survey’s novel methodology will be useful for...
Celebrating International Women’s Day 2021
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Geological Society awards for Cambridge researchers
Congratulations to Professor Marie Edmonds and Professor Nicky White who each received awards from the Geological Society. They were amongst eighteen individuals selected for the 2021 medals and awards , “these individuals have shaped our understanding of the Earth and beyond, contributing to the success of the geoscience...
New calculations show volcanoes are key cause of hydrogen in early atmospheres
Scientists may soon be able to tell whether distant exoplanets are home to volcanoes, and even the early stages of life, just by looking for hydrogen gas in their atmospheres. Research from Cambridge Earth Sciences has found that volcanic activity on planets with a similar size and interior to Earth can create atmospheres...
Panel discussion: can we adapt to a changing climate?
A recent panel discussion held by the Royal Society, in partnership with the British Museum, explored how humans adapted to environmental change in the past, and what we should be doing in the present to reduce our vulnerability to climate change. Throughout history, humanity's survival has depended, in part, on our...
We’re joining the Mars 2020 mission, searching for past life on the Red Planet
Catherine Craston demystifies the role of a Museum Collections Assistant
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New geomagnetic timescale through the Early Palaeozoic Icehouse
The Geomagnetic Polarity Timescale that charts the reversals of Earth’s magnetic field is well established for the past 200 million years, but increasingly patchy before that. In recent papers in Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology, scientists have reported the first reliable polarity timescale for later...
Trapped gases in Kīlauea lavas are a window into the volcano’s fiery depths
Pockets of frozen magma and gas trapped in the crystals erupted from Kīlauea are allowing scientists to see deep into its plumbing system - a below-ground view that could help volcanologists get a better handle on what triggered the colossal 2018 eruption. The 2018 eruption of Kīlauea volcano on the Island of Hawai’i was...
Sedgwick Museum launches DIY Duria online gallery
Early in the first lockdown, the Getty Museum challenged social media users to recreate artworks from its collection using household objects. The Sedgwick Museum, alongside their social media followers, got to work recreating the famous Duria Antiquior – a painting depicting the ancient Dorset shoreline teaming with...
Earthquake depth and basin shape are deciding factors for seismic ground shaking
Research led by Aisling O’Kane, a PhD student in our Department, is helping scientists understand why some sedimentary basins -- low lying regions on Earth’s surface that accumulate sediments -- are particularly prone to hazardous ground shaking following earthquakes, one of the primary causes of building damage...
Student receives Dave Johnston Mapping Prize
Congratulations to third year student, Peter Methley, on receiving the Dave Johnston Mapping Prize by the Tectonic Studies Group (TSG) of the Geological Society of London. The Prize is awarded annually to the best undergraduate student mapping dissertation. The Tectonic Studies Group, a Geological Society of London...
The UK’s best student mapping project
Learning from earthquakes, protecting communities
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