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earthquakes posts

Spotting quakes before the shakes News

by David Shaw, 25 May 2022 | 0 comments

Photo of a seismograph needle recording vibrations

Every second counts when a big earthquake hits. As soon as an earthquake sensor picks up the tremor, warnings can be sent over the internet, much faster than the shake travels through the Earth. And now, scientists have found a way to detect big earthquakes fast, maybe even before the ground starts to shake!

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Under the surface of Mars News

by David Shaw, 29 July 2021 | 0 comments

Cross section illustration through a sphere.

If you dug a hole straight down, what would you find? Earth isn’t just solid rock all the way through. There’s a thin rocky crust floating on the slowly flowing mantle, a liquid outer core and solid metal inner core. It turns out that Mars has a similar internal structure to Earth.

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Earth’s innermost inner core News

by David Shaw, 17 March 2021 | 0 comments

Image of layers that form the Earth's inner core.

If you journeyed to the centre of the Earth, what would you see on the way down? After breaking through the crust there’s the mantle, a layer of mostly solid rock that constantly flows like a glacier. Below that, there’s the outer core made of liquid iron and nickel. Then you come to the inner…

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Quakes on the Moon News

by David Shaw, 20 June 2019 | 0 comments

Earth is active down to its very rocks. Earthquakes and volcanoes shake our planet, and the continents themselves drift lazily across the surface. Compared to Earth, the Moon is a cold, hard rock. But even lunar rocks are more active than you might think.

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Earth’s heart is like solid gold News

by David Shaw, 25 October 2018 | 1 comments

Image of half a sphere with three central glowing layers. The inner core being the brightest.

You might not think about it much, but there’s an amazing planet under your feet. Dig down about 50 kilometres and the rocky crust begins to give way to the hot, soft mantle. Deeper down, the rocks get hotter and runnier, reaching temperatures of thousands of degrees.

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As fast as the speed of light – a quick quiz Quiz

by David Shaw, 1 August 2018 | 1 comments

Black lightning bolt in purple circle

How fast can you answer this week’s questions? Put yourself to the test with another Double Helix quiz.

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Hovering surprise for earthquake scientists News

by David Shaw, 12 May 2017 | 0 comments

A blue helicopter.

Iceland is a remote and beautiful island, brimming with volcanoes. Volcanic eruptions give the Earth an almighty shake, so it’s no surprise that Iceland has lots of earthquake measuring seismometers. But you might be surprised to find out what these instruments are picking up.

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Pancake peaks Activity

by Pat, 20 March 2013 | 0 comments

Pancakes with ice cream and blueberries.

Here’s a tasty way to think about tectonics! Learn where many mountains come from, and at the same time, make yourself a delicious pancake breakfast.

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Liquefaction Activity

by Pat, 11 January 2013 | 0 comments

Brick standing on its end in a container of sand.

Although sand is a solid, did you know it can behave like a liquid? Find out how by trying this activity.

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