Extreme volcanic eruptions
Just like earthquakes, there are regular and extreme versions of volcanic eruptions. Although earthquakes and eruptions are very different processes, they both share the fact that the largest events are …
Course: Extreme Geological Events
Effusive and explosive eruptions
In this video, Dr Wim Degruyter explains the two main types of volcanic eruptions, effusive and explosive. One of the main things that distinguishes these two is the material that …
What is a volcanic eruption?
We’ve looked at where volcanoes are located and which ones are erupting today. Here we’ll consider what we mean by a volcanic eruption. Magma At specific locations inside the Earth, …
Experiencing volcanic eruptions
Volcanic eruptions occur regularly on the Earth’s surface, several eruptions will be happening right now as you read this. They are a common activity, and range from the ones we …
How have megaquakes shaped our planet?
When compared to the events in Week 1, even the largest megaquakes seem insignificant. But their impact on the planet hasn’t been insignificant. Earthquakes are the mechanism by which tectonic …
What causes earthquakes?
We’ve considered where earthquakes strike and some of the reasons for that. Now we’re going to delve more deeply into the causes of earthquakes. A simple definition of earthquakes is: …
Where do earthquakes strike?
In this video, Dr David Thompson explains where earthquakes occur in the world and the reasons for this. In Week 1, we looked at the differentiation or internal layering of …
Experiencing earthquakes
Earthquakes are a regular and frequent activity on our planet. There are millions recorded everyday all over the world. They range from ones so small that we don’t even feel …
Changing timescales
All of the types of events we look at this week highlight the fact that we live on a dynamic planet. It has been said that change is the only …
Changing scales: from universe to Earth
In Week 1, we’ve seen extreme events of enormous magnitudes. These events were very rare, in some cases they occurred only once in the universe’s or Earth’s lifetime. The cosmological …
The ingredients for complex life
This week we’ve looked at extreme events on cosmological and geological timescales. In Activity 2, Dr Morten Andersen explained how Earth was formed and took the shape we know today. …
How many planets in our galaxy can support life?
There was a cascade of extreme events that led to Earth forming and becoming able to support life. But in general, how likely or unlikely do you think it is …
Making Earth suitable for life: differentiation
In this video, Dr Morten Andersen explains how Earth began to take the shape we know today. During the first 800 million years or so of Earth’s existence it was …
Making Earth suitable for life: liquid water
There are many complex processes on Earth that make it suitable for life. Based on our current understanding the key ingredient is liquid water. Water turns into ice at a …
The explosion that created our Solar System
In the previous step we looked at the importance of the formation of light and then heavier elements. Elements can join together in millions of different combinations and are the …