A lava worm or rock rose? – and why basalt columns have six sides
It looks like some kind of giant, grey underground worm with teeth radiating in its mouth. A sand worm from Dune, which happened to dig its tunnel out of a […]
Category Archives: Volcanoes
What geology can teach us about climate change: On wine, vikings and ice skating (and big, bad volcanoes)
“The medieval warm period” was the time when English kings grew their own wine, and Vikings settled on Greenland. It lasted three centuries from around 950 to 1250, when climate […]
What geology can teach us about climate change: The Earth’s drunkard walk between warm and cold
In the previous posts, we looked at how the big theater of plate tectonics has created both ice ages and hot greenhouses on Earth. Now, we will get back to […]
What geology can teach us about climate change: How CO2 saved the Earth from eternal winter – and nearly boiled it later
Environmental activists sometimes scare us with the prospect of a runaway greenhouse: If we continue to spew out CO2, the Earth may become so hot that it is uninhabitable. Looking […]
What geology can teach us about climate change: How to make an ice age
Climate change is a confusing topic. The environmental movement with Greta Jeanne D’Arc Thunberg in front can give the impression that climate has been nice and stable since times long […]
How life makes life on Earth possible
Without life, the Earth would not be a place suitable for life. Sounds like a Catch-22? You bet. But it is true. In this blog post, we will explore how […]
Why you could have been a dinosaur. Or just very ugly.
Imagine that you are a dinosaur. No, seriously, imagine that you are a dinosaur. Start with Velociraptor, the sickle claw killer of Jurassic Park. Replace the sickle and claws with […]
Santorini: The volcano that made the western world
Santorini, in the eastern Mediterranean, is a classic Greek island destination. Dinner at Santorini, when the sun sets over the lagoon deep below, is frequent in listicles over “10 most […]
How geology directs history
1816 was the year without summer. It was the year when rain poured down across Europe. Potatoes rotted in the fields and the grain never ripened. Europe already struggled to […]
Las Canadas caldera: The devil’s cauldron on Tenerife
El Teide is at 3718 meters not only the tallest mountain in Spain, but the third tallest mountain in the world – measured from its base at the seafloor, that […]