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Department of Earth Sciences

 
Read more at: Study of ice-flow physics will improve predictions of ice sheet movement

Study of ice-flow physics will improve predictions of ice sheet movement

3 April 2025

A new study involving scientists from the University of Cambridge has developed innovative methods to build a better picture of how ice sheets and glaciers move. Published in the journal Nature Geoscience , the University of Otago – Ōtākou Whakaihu Waka-led study used previously collected lab data to refine knowledge of...


Read more at: Department and Museum hold Earth Sciences Fair

Department and Museum hold Earth Sciences Fair

1 April 2025

The Sedgwick Museum and the Department of Earth Sciences hosted an Earth Sciences Fair on Saturday, 29th March, as part of the Cambridge Festival Family Weekend . Visitors had the chance to meet Earth scientists and explore their research through fun, hands-on activities. Highlights included an opportunity to hold...


Read more at: Read our latest issue of GeoCam magazine

Read our latest issue of GeoCam magazine

26 March 2025

The latest issue of GeoCam is here—and it's packed with exciting updates! Dive into our alumni magazine and meet our new Head of Department, explore fascinating insights from current and former students, and uncover groundbreaking research alongside the latest happenings at the Sedgwick Museum. Latest GeoCam issue, click...


Read more at: Listen to the hidden music of minerals and crystals

Listen to the hidden music of minerals and crystals

25 March 2025

A Cambridge earth scientist and a data sonification expert from Anglia Ruskin University are transforming mineral data into music for the public to enjoy at the Cambridge Festival. By converting microscope images of minerals into musical compositions, Dr Carrie Soderman from Cambridge and Dr Domenico Vincinanza from Anglia...


Read more at: New research reveals how deep ocean water delivers heat to Antarctic ice shelves

New research reveals how deep ocean water delivers heat to Antarctic ice shelves

5 March 2025

Scientists have pinpointed the key factors that allow pockets of warm seawater to flow beneath the Antarctic ice shelves, melting the ice from below and destabilizing glaciers inland. The research, led by the University of Cambridge, used a remarkably detailed model simulation to show how seasonal changes in wind strength...


Read more at: New global map promises to better pinpoint vital rare earth deposits

New global map promises to better pinpoint vital rare earth deposits

27 February 2025

Cambridge geoscientists are developing an atlas that could lead to a more complete understanding of how viable rare earth element deposits form and help locate more secure sources, by mapping the global distribution of critical metals deposits within unusual igneous rocks. Rare earth elements are vital components in many...


Read more at: Research pinpoints triggers and impacts of catastrophic lake outburst flood

Research pinpoints triggers and impacts of catastrophic lake outburst flood

13 February 2025

Researchers from the University of Cambridge were involved in a global study that pieced together events leading up to the devastating Sikkim Flood in India. The results show that human activity played a key role in the multihazard sequence. On October 3 rd , 2023, a large glacial lake in Sikkim, northeastern India, broke...


Read more at: New exhibition takes visitors on a journey to the centre of Iceland’s volcanoes

New exhibition takes visitors on a journey to the centre of Iceland’s volcanoes

4 February 2025

A new art-science exhibition at Downing College’s Heong Gallery brings Iceland’s incandescent volcanic eruptions and earth-shattering seismic tremors to Cambridge. Visitors will get a chance to get up close, and even embark on a journey inside, an Icelandic volcano—inspired by Jules Verne’s Journey to the Centre of the...


Read more at: Ancient Antarctic ice offers insights into future climate scenarios

Ancient Antarctic ice offers insights into future climate scenarios

29 January 2025

Increasing greenhouse gas emissions are warming our planet at an unprecedented rate and scale. While anthropogenic warming has no direct historical parallel, warm episodes in Earth’s history can offer clues as to the future. A team of ice core scientists led by Cambridge University wanted to find out what happened to the...


Read more at: Scientists investigate volcanic pollution during the 2021 Tajogaite eruption, La Palma

Scientists investigate volcanic pollution during the 2021 Tajogaite eruption, La Palma

27 January 2025

On September 19, 2021, the Cumbre Vieja volcano on La Palma, in Spain's Canary Islands, erupted after more than half a century of quiescence. Lasting 85 days, the Tajogaite eruption was the longest recorded in the island’s history. Around 12 square kilometres of populated land was inundated with lava, nearly 3,000...