Category Archives: Physics Today

Explaining Sheeting Joints on Yosemite’s Half Dome

Posted on February 27, 2012 by rberkowitz

The fractures that lead to rockfall on Yosemite National Park’s Half Dome are best explained by curvature and forces parallel to the rock surface. Continue reading →

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A Seismic Story told by Turbidites

Posted on February 3, 2012 by rberkowitz

Sediment deposits off the coast of Washington and Oregon reveal periodic tsunami and earthquakes of similar magnitude to the ones that struck Japan’s Tohoku region in March 2011. Continue reading →

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Two Recent Events (Geologically Speaking)

Posted on December 16, 2011 by rberkowitz

Two past events—one recorded in the Old Testament, the other in the diary of an 18th-century missionary—have left evidence of geophysical processes that are relevant today. Continue reading →

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Geophysics Yesterday and Today

Posted on December 15, 2011 by rberkowitz

To celebrate the 2011 December AGU meeting, Rachel Berkowitz takes a look at the first paper published in Journal of Geophysical Research. Continue reading →

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It’s Becoming a Smaller World, After All

Posted on December 12, 2011 by rberkowitz

Climate change may cause both animal and plant species to shrink in size, which in turn could impact soil productivity. Continue reading →

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Keepers of the Wind in the Pacific Northwest

Posted on December 6, 2011 by rberkowitz

By taking advantage of some unusual geological formations, scientists in Washington and Oregon are finding ways to make wind energy viable. Continue reading →

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A Sustainable House in Tlemcen, Algeria

Posted on September 22, 2011 by rberkowitz

A team from Abou-Bekr Belkaid University in Algeria has designed an environmentally friendly house that is cheap to build, cool, and heat. Continue reading →

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Discontinuity under the Aloha State

Posted on July 20, 2011 by rberkowitz

An advanced seismic imaging technique has provided a more detailed picture of mantle structure beneath the Hawaii islands, but it hasn’t resolved how the islands formed. Continue reading →

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Io’s Magma Ocean Provides a View into Earth’s Past

Posted on June 29, 2011 by rberkowitz

Magnetic field data collected by NASA’s Galileo contains evidence of the magma sea. Continue reading →

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EGU 2011: Geodetic and Inundation Models of the Tohoku Earthquake and Tsunami

Posted on May 23, 2011 by rberkowitz

At the European Geosciences Union meeting in Vienna, Don Dingwell, the EGU president, introduced the session on the March 2011 Tohoku earthquake as the geoscientific community’s way of paying respect and expressing condolences to the victims of March’s seismic events. Continue reading →

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