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Diskussion am Kalderarand des Mount Longonot. Foto: Henry Wichura.

Underway in Kenia – February, 15: “Oloonong’ot – mountain of many ridges

Geoscientists on an Excursion in the East African Rift System

February, 15th Today we want to study one of the largest caldera volcanoes of the Kenya Rift - Mount Longonot at an elevation of about 2560 m. …
Prof. Dr. Dirk Wagner. Photo: Karla Fritze.

Quite Warm, Quite Cold – Geomicrobiologist Dirk Wagner researches the smallest lifeforms in extreme environments

The Arctic, deserts, and volcanos: Life exists in very unexpected places – and on a surprising scale. Geomicrobiologist Prof. Dr. Dirk Wagner tracks …
Dr. Natalia Ospina-Alvarez. Photo: Karla Fritze.

In Her Element – Why thallium and other trace elements are becoming a problem for the environment and what can be done about it

They are everywhere: in the soil, in the water, and sometimes even in the air, albeit often in such small quantities that they are hardly traceable. …
The fossils (ammonites) at 3000 meters altitude are witnesses of an earlier sea. Photo: Henry Wichura.

Underway in the Andes – March, 9: Fossils in the late summer snow

Travel Journal: Doctoral Students on an Excursion in Western Argentina

We are leaving Mendoza and drive to the South along the famous “Ruta 40”, the longest road in South America. Today we are heading to Malargüe and the …
Enigmatic Seedpod of native plants. Photo: Henry Wichura.

Underway in the Andes – March, 6-8 2017: „Show and Tell“ in San Juan and Mendoza

Travel Journal: Doctoral Students on an Excursion in Western Argentina

We are driving from Rodeo to San Juan. No stops are planned for today but we enjoy the beautiful scenery and geology from the bus. We have to be in …
A highlight for geoscientists. The Andes have everything that’s interesting in geology. Photo: Andreas Bergner

Solid Relationships – Research cooperation between Potsdam and Argentina expanding

The Andes are an Eldorado for geoscientists: The South American mountain range is one of the earth’s youngest and most active ranges, making it one of …
Two levels of fluvial terraces overgrown with vegetation. Today’s riverbed lies a few meters lower than during the time the fluvial terraces were formed. Picture: Taylor Schildgen

On Precipices – Landscape Response to Climate Change

Landscapes change over hundreds of thousands, even millions of years. Tectonic events and erosion create mountain ranges and remove them again. The …
Nanogranites – tiny melt inclusions - that only become visible when enormously magnified under the microscope. Picture: Silvio Ferrero

Set in Stone – What Geoscientist Silvio Ferrero Finds Inside Rocks is 500 Million Years Old

Stones move, not just in the pockets or backpacks of fascinated collectors around the world. Stones also move through rock: from the surface they get …
Professor Torsten Dahm. Picture: Thomas Roese

The Shaking on the Ground – Prof. Torsten Dahm Investigates Earth with Geophysical Methods

A deadly 8.2-magnitude earthquake devastated the Chilean northwest coast in early April 2014. It claimed many lives. The risk of aftershocks was very …
Image: Oliver Korup

Tales as Old as the Hills

Geoscientist Oliver Korup Explores Natural Hazards

If earthquakes, landslides, floods and debris avalanches cannot be prevented, then people in the affected regions want to know at least how often such …