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Department of Earth Sciences

 
Read more at: Volcano seismologist captures seismic data during unrest in Iceland’s Reykjanes Peninsula

Volcano seismologist captures seismic data during unrest in Iceland’s Reykjanes Peninsula

13 November 2023

Following a swarm of earthquakes on Iceland’s Reykjanes Peninsula, the country is now on high alert over a possible eruption. There have been three eruptions in the Reykjanes area in the last three years: one in 2021, 2022 and 2023. Scientists are carefully watching the unfolding seismic activity and ground deformation...


Read more at: Listen in on the eerie sounds of our planet at the Sedgwick Museum

Listen in on the eerie sounds of our planet at the Sedgwick Museum

18 October 2023

This half term, visitors to Cambridge’s Sedgwick Museum of Earth Sciences will get a chance to listen in on the mesmerising and eerie sounds of our planet. The family-friendly installation and activities are free and will run from the 24th October to the 4th November. Conversations between whales in the oceans, the low...


Read more at: Richard Harrison is 2023 AGU Edward Bullard Lecture Recipient
Professor Richard Harrison appointed Head of Department

Richard Harrison is 2023 AGU Edward Bullard Lecture Recipient

14 September 2023

Professor Rich Harrison will be giving the Edward Bullard Lecture at AGU 2023. The Edward Bullard Lecture is presented at AGU’s annual meeting by a scientist who has made significant contributions in the field of geomagnetism, paleomagnetism, or electromagnetism. It is named to honor the work and life of geophysicist...


Read more at: Roadside hedges can reduce harmful ultrafine particle pollution around schools

Roadside hedges can reduce harmful ultrafine particle pollution around schools

13 September 2023

A new study led by Cambridge University confirms that planting hedges between roadsides and school playgrounds can dramatically reduce children’s exposure to traffic-related particle pollution. The research , a collaboration with Lancaster University, found that hedges can act as protective barriers against air pollution...


Read more at: MPhil in Planetary Sciences and Life in the Universe launched
Illustration showing an open book with planets and plants sprouting out of it. In the background is a larger planet and galaxy

MPhil in Planetary Sciences and Life in the Universe launched

13 September 2023

This week sees the launch of Cambridge’s new MPhil qualification in Planetary Sciences and Life in the Universe . The new programme will be jointly taught and led by astronomers, chemists, zoologists, plant biologists, and earth scientists. Applications for the course are now open . The MPhil is a 10-month cross-...


Read more at: Reporting on the inaugural environmental geochemistry field trip to Provence

Reporting on the inaugural environmental geochemistry field trip to Provence

7 September 2023

This summer, a group of intrepid students headed down to Provence for our first environmental geochemistry field trip. The students received training that will prepare them for their geochemistry-focussed final year project; an alternative to the longstanding and successful traditional mapping project. According to Ed...


Read more at: Field investigations take a deep dive into foram shell growth

Field investigations take a deep dive into foram shell growth

29 August 2023

Oscar Branson and his research group are on Green Island, Taiwan, for the next month, studying how a type of plankton called forams make their shells. The team, including PhD students Madi East, Winnie Fang and Alice Ball, will be diving off the coast of Green Island to collect forams by hand each day. Back in their make-...


Read more at: Extreme cooling ended the first human occupation of Europe
Photo showing a skull and jaw bone laid out on a table

Extreme cooling ended the first human occupation of Europe

11 August 2023

Around 1.1 million years ago extreme glacial cooling likely caused an extinction of early humans in Europe, according to a study led by UCL and involving scientists from the University of Cambridge. The oldest known human remains in Europe have been recovered from Iberia and suggest that early humans had arrived from...


Read more at: Mineral resources for the energy transition

Mineral resources for the energy transition

5 August 2023

The move from fossil fuels toward renewables is underway. But the energy transition requires large amounts of raw materials — such as copper, nickel and lithium — for use in anything from wind turbines to car batteries. How can research at Cambridge help in locating these critical supplies? Charlie Beard, postdoctoral...


Read more at: Scottish rocks to play a key role in Mars space mission
Photo taken on a beach looking up to the mountains, it is sunny

Scottish rocks to play a key role in Mars space mission

28 July 2023

Ancient rocks from the Isle of Rum in northwest Scotland are playing an important role in an international space mission to discover more about Mars. A group of scientists, including from the University of Cambridge, have this week been collecting samples of rock from the NatureScot National Nature Reserve (NNR) as part of...