The best of Geology and Earth Science on the web
Welcome to all-geo.org

LATEST FROM THE GEOBLOGOSPHERE:

The worrying climate link to Nepal’s avalanche and flood catastrophe

Eye On the Storm | 28 August, 2026
Glacier collapse, not an earthquake, was the direct cause of the disaster that has left thousands missing....
Categories: Eye on the Storm; Feature Article; Snow & Ice; Bob Henson; flood; Nepal; Tibet;

Size is in the eye of the beholder

Planetary Society Weblog | 28 August, 2026
From Mars' tiny Phobos to NASA's mammoth Vehicle Assembly Building, apparent size depends on where you're looking from....
Categories: None

Geolog series: Communicating uncertainty in science -Student perspectives from the University of Tübingen

EGU Geolog | 28 August, 2026
Hello Solmaz and thank you so much for chatting with me today! I'm so happy you are launching this blog series and I'd love to learn more about this initiative. What inspired you to design and teach a dedicated course on "Communicating Uncertainty in Science" at the University of Tübingen this summer?
Categories: Accessibility and inclusivity at EGU; Education; Communicating uncertainty in science; geoscience communication; science communication; scientific uncertainty; summer course;

Regional Reference Frames: Keeping Track of a Deforming Earth

EGU Geodesy Division | 28 August, 2026
You are observing the construction of a bridge that will be initiated on the two banks of a river simultaneously, in such a way that the works will eventually meet in the middle of the river. You wonder, how do they make sure that the construction on the two sides will stay aligned with the millimeter precision that this project requires? You are aware of previous constructions where small miscalculations led to embarrassing results, such as the Laufenburg bridge between Germany and Switzerland (2003) [1] or the Gokhale Bridge in Andheri, Mumbai (India, 2024) [2]. In your case, you fully trust the construction team's skills and are sure all the distances have been double-checked.
Categories: Bits & Bites; geodesy; Reference frames;

Tropical Storm Dolly forms in the Atlantic

Eye On the Storm | 27 August, 2026
Dolly is expected to weaken before reaching the northeastern Caribbean islands, bringing some much-needed rainfall but limited wind impacts....
Categories: Eye on the Storm; Feature Article; Weather Extremes; Bob Henson; hurricane; Irene Sans; Jeff Masters; Puerto Rico;

August Research Roundup: Select Papers

State of the Planet | 27 August, 2026
This month, we covered a long-term analysis suggesting that landfill methane emissions may be far higher than estimated, as well as new research on unexpected trends in U.S. extreme rainfall. Here are additional studies worth noting....
Categories: Earth Sciences; Natural Disasters; Press Release; climate; climate change; climate science; Earthquakes; Folarin Kolawole; Geology; Jason E Smerdon; Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory; Pacific Ocean; research; research roundup; Richard Seager; seafloor mapping; Stephen Cox; Vicki Ferrini;

Early Animal Evolution - Fecal Matter

Reporting on a Revolution | 27 August, 2026
A paper published a few weeks ago on the topic of early animal evolution in the journal Trends in Ecology and Evolution caught my eye. The time period I am referring to is the Early Cambrian, roughly 539 -510 million years ago. A great diversification of animal life occurred during this interval. Many explanations for this phase of rapid animal evolution have been put forth. Expanded shallow marine habitat due to continental rearrangements, an increase in dissolved oxygen, an influx of calcium and zinc to the oceans from continental weathering, both essential for physiologic function and shell building (in case of calcium), and predator prey arms races that drove evolution of novel morphology.The recent study by Julien Kimming and Russel Bicknell proposes that fecal matter that early animals were expelling also played a role in Cambrian animal radiation. Fecal matter is preserved as lumps of calcium carbonate known as coprolites. 
Categories: Cambrian; evolution; metazoans;

August 2026 Nepal-Tibet floods

AntarcticGlaciers.org | 27 August, 2026
On 26th August 2026, devastating floods hit Nepal and Tibet. At time of writing, 1400 people were missing, and 270 bodies had been recovered, but this toll is sadly expected to rise.
Categories: Climate Change; Glacier recession; hazard; Nepal;

How long does an ecosystem remember the weather?

EGU Geolog | 27 August, 2026
"Plants carry traces of past weather. Reading them may help us navigate a hotter, drier world."  Wenli Zhao
Categories: Atmospheric Sciences; climate adaptation; Jena; Max Planck; plants; weather;

Alex de Sherbinin Named Director of New Earth Institute Hub

State of the Planet | 26 August, 2026
The new initiative at Columbia's Climate School is designed to strengthen university-wide collaboration on issues spanning climate, Earth, society and sustainability....
Categories: Climate; Press Release; Alex de Sherbinin; Alexis Abramson; CIESIN; climate; cs highlights; Earth Institute; impacts;

temperature 3.91 standard deviations above normal

Inkstain (John Fleck) | 26 August, 2026
An unusual year.   It was 96F (35.5C) when I rode my bike home after class at 6:15 p.m. last night. "3.91 standard deviations above the long term record" is not terribly intuitive to me, the graphs above helped me visualize how extraordinar...
Categories: Albuquerque; climate change; climate variability;

I’M BRINGING KERNELS BACK

EGU Geodynamics Division | 26 August, 2026
Computational geodynamic models are powerful tools for understanding Earth's deep interior, but how do we know they are producing realistic results? In this week's News & Views, Alina Valop, a PhD candidate from Virginia Tech, unpacks the world of geodynamic kernels and shows how these sensitivity functions provide a computationally efficient way to benchmark mantle flow models, test viscosity structures, and bridge the gap between numerical simulations and geophysical observations. 
Categories: News & Views; geodynamic modeling; kernel; mantle convection;

Scheme of work and lesson plans

AntarcticGlaciers.org | 26 August, 2026
Below you will find a scheme of work and two lesson plans for working with the Greenland Connection resources.
Categories: case-study; greenland; Post-16; resource;

NASA-Supported Study Tracks Carbon Cost of Coastal Erosion

NASA Science News | 24 August, 2026
A space shuttle astronaut took this photograph of the Mississippi River Delta in January 1985. Today, satellite imagery is helping scientists track decades of marsh loss along the Gulf Coast and Eastern seaboard. The image has been rotated from the o...
Categories: None

Harlem Week Climate Change Conference Centers Community Voices

State of the Planet | 24 August, 2026
Panelists highlighted environmental justice, local partnerships, New York's climate laws and the need for equitable solutions that protect public health, reduce emissions and build a more resilient city....
Categories: Climate; Urbanization; Alexis Abramson; climate justice; cs highlights; cs impacts; Daniel A. Zarrilli; environmental justice; events; Harlem; NYC; Partnerships; WE ACT;

Exploring the rock cycle

Earth Learning Idea | 24 August, 2026
Following the deposition of sediments last week, we now move on to considering the Rock Cycle  'Laying out the rock cycle: product and process; sorting out the rock cycle products - and then adding the processes'.
Categories: Earth as a system;

On the inevitability of change

Inkstain (John Fleck) | 24 August, 2026
I spent an unhappy evening yesterday staring at data, trying to make sense of the inevitability of change. I slept poorly. The Rio Grande through Albuquerque is dry, the Colorado River's reservoirs are rapidly emptying and, unable to come to gri...
Categories: Albuquerque; Colorado River; Ribbons of Green; water;

A Polar Climate Ambassador Visits an Arctic Museum in Maine

State of the Planet | 24 August, 2026
Josie Brooks reflects on an exhibit at Maine's Peary-MacMillan Arctic Museum, which explores Inuit food traditions, hunting, art and community....
Categories: Climate; Education; Viewpoints; Arctic; education news; glacial retreat; Greenland; Indigenous peoples; K12; Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory;

Two Atlantic tropical disturbances to watch; Tropical Storm Moke brings rain to Hawaii

Eye On the Storm | 24 August, 2026
The Atlantic is waking up: Two tropical waves could develop this week, but neither poses an immediate U.S. threat....
Categories: Eye on the Storm; Feature Article; Weather Extremes; Bob Henson; Hawaii; hurricane; Irene Sans; Jeff Masters;

EGU Campfire Geodesy – Share Your Research – 22nd Edition

EGU Geodesy Division | 24 August, 2026
We are excited to announce the 22nd edition of Geodesy Campfire - Share Your Research in September. The Geodesy EGU Campfire Events "Share Your Research" give (early career) researchers the chance to talk about their work. We have two exciting talks by our guest speakers, Brian Bramanto and Arash Tayfehrostami. Below, you can find the details of the topics awaiting us. We will have time to network after the presentations.
Categories: EGU Campfire; early career scientists; ECS;

Knemiceras uhligi Ammonite Fossil

This picture is of a large (greater than 30 cm wide) Knemiceras uhligi (Choffat) ammonite fossil. It was found at Baforeira, Parde, Cascais, Portugal and dates to the Cretaceous Period (Albian, about 110 million years ago). As of August 2026 on displ...
Categories: Academia das Ciências de Lisboa Museu Geológico; ammonite; Cretaceous; portugal;

Reframing Community Garden Security: Ownership, access, capacity, and intentionality in Philadelphia

The Nature of Cities | 23 August, 2026
On one block in Philadelphia's Norris Square neighborhood, there were three active community gardens in 2019. Five years later, in the summer of 2024, only one remained. One former garden has been replaced by a pristine vinyl-sided rowhome, its bac...
Categories: Essay; North America; Place & Design; civil society; Gardens; Green Infrastructure; Participation; partnerships;

AI destroys transgenerational memory by tearing apart rare books to scan them

Resource Insights | 23 August, 2026
When I read that artificial intelligence (AI) companies are destroying rare books as they feed their contents into what are called their large language models (LLMs) which power their AI applications, I was reminded of a conversation I had many years ago that seems to illustrate what is at stake. (For the record, the companies cut off the spine to give them better access to all the pages and then after scanning the pages, dispose of those as well.)
Categories: None

Cosmic neighborhood watch

Planetary Society Weblog | 21 August, 2026
Observing our celestial neighbor (and something much farther away)....
Categories: None

From under Lake Nyos: The geology, physics, and engineering of limnic eruptions

EGU Geolog | 21 August, 2026
On the evening of August 21, 1986, an unusual stillness blanketed the green highlands of northwestern Cameroon. The local villagers in Nyos, Cha, and Subum were preparing for bed, totally unaware that the crater lake nearby had reached its breaking point. Without warning, a wave of gas burst from the lake and spilled over the volcanic crater rim and cascaded into the valleys. Unseen, heavy, and completely odourless, the cloud swept through the sleeping communities at highway speeds. By the time the morning sun rose over the mist, over 1,700 people and thousands of livestock lay dead…
Categories: Climate: Past, Present & Future; Geomorphology; disaster; Lake Nyos;

Latest: Are “steady-state” systems ahistorical?

Latest: Sabrina Koetter is defending her MS thesis: “Clarity for Lakes and Communities: Understanding the Communication Practices and Role Perceptions of Volunteer Lake Monitors”

Latest: New Paper: an innovative cycle-based learning approach to teaching with analog sandbox models

Latest: Why I went on strike over civil servant pay

Latest: Going underground #1 – flint and brick

All-geo.org