Tag Archives: Geophysics

How to build megaripples out of sand

Posted on May 30, 2018 by rberkowitz

Sorting of grains by steady winds produces rare formations larger than ripples but smaller than dunes. Continue reading →

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A Kilauea eruption like no other

Posted on May 16, 2018 by rberkowitz

The famously active Hawaiian volcano typically erupts at existing fissures and triggers minor earthquakes. This latest event has no such limitations. Continue reading →

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Forecasting steam-burst eruptions

Posted on April 20, 2018 by rberkowitz

Satellite data can pinpoint the locations of potentially life-threatening geothermal events.   Continue reading →

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An eruption mechanism for underwater volcanoes

Posted on April 12, 2018 by rberkowitz

A new model explains how some lava that rises from the seafloor eventually sinks back down.   Continue reading →

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Move a plateau, change a climate

Posted on March 3, 2018 by rberkowitz

Climate models explore how changes in the Tibetan Plateau’s latitudinal position and elevation may have affected ancient Asia’s climate. Continue reading →

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The history of a monsoon-inducing plateau

Posted on January 19, 2018 by rberkowitz

The East Asian monsoon evolved in response to changes in the latitude and elevation of the Tibetan Plateau.  Read more in Physics Today…

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Squeezing oil from stone

Posted on December 1, 2017 by rberkowitz

A laboratory experiment offers guidance for how to maximize oil extraction through the injection of water.   Continue reading →

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Identifying avalanche tipping points

Posted on September 12, 2017 by rberkowitz

The balance between snow depth and surface slope is the key to how avalanches behave. Continue reading →

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Decoding an asteroid’s magnetic history

Posted on July 28, 2017 by rberkowitz

Meteorite samples show that metal asteroids exhibited dynamo activity while they solidified from the outside in. Continue reading →

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Continental rift exposes mantle melting at work

Posted on July 18, 2017 by rberkowitz

Changes in the degree of melting of mantle rock explain uplift and subsidence patterns in New Zealand’s Taupo Volcanic Zone. Continue reading →

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