Through the eyes of a geologist

June is an exciting month. Why? Well let me tell you more about  British Exploring’s #ExploreforMore Geocaching Adventure. When I came across the British Exploring Society a few years ago, I was at the beginning of my degree and struggling to find work experience. I began searching the internet night and day, in the hope that I could find an opportunity, any opportunity, to persue my education outside of the university setting. I applied to be a volunteer at Hawaii's Observatory, contacting local quarries, as well applying for BGS's G-BASE opportunities. With little geology experience, I knew I didn't really stand a chance against other students whom were coming to the end of their degrees and had more fieldwork experience. This is when I came across the British Exploring Society. The fieldwork expeditions they were offering sounded amazing. Adventures all over the world, but just one problem, the price! Souly relying on Student Finance to live, I knew that I wouldn't b...

It's been a roller coaster of a ride, however I'm glad to be home. I've undertaken fieldwork in phenomenal areas of Arizona I could only dream of seeing. It has been a once in a life opportunity and hugely grown as a individual, not only personally but professionally too. I've been told that I will undergo culture shock now that I've moved back to the UK. Although at current, it feels as though I've slotted back nicely into my previous wet and windy (which I have to say I love!) life. It's been a hectic few weeks but I'm raring to go! Expect to see plenty more blogs coming soon.

Saturday's field trip began with an hour long journey south towards the town of Tombstone . This is a place I've always wanted to visit and to undertake fieldwork at this location too, kills two birds with one stone. Tombstone is a historic town of the southwest and was known for its regular gunfighting. Driving through the town felt as though I was in a completely different place altogether. It was like driving through a time machine, back a hundred or so years to the time of horse and carts. This trip was focused around the Walnut Gulch experimental watershed just a few minutes drive from Tombstone's centre. We was joined by Dr Mary Nichols who works for the USDA Southwest Watershed Research Center who was able to give the class a detailed insight into the setting of the watershed, tours of the flumes and data which we aim to manipulate to heighten our understanding of bed load transport. Walnut Gulch experimental watershed is an area covering 60 million hectares of b...

Among exams and deadlines, I can always find a spare few minutes to blog. Following on from the Santa Rita fault scarp field trip... Our findings didn't match Pearthree's (1987) data. In fact, it didn't correlate to the full-fit or mid-point diffusion models either, concluding that the slope hadn't undergone extensive rilling as expected. Consequently, erosion at the top of the scarp and deposition at the base of the exposed scarp surface were not distinguishable when plotting elevation changes in cross-section, instead the relationship was linear. The reason for this I am still questioning and so expect another update soon! The Geomorphology team

With temperatures nearly reaching 90 degrees Fahrenheit (32 degrees Celcuis), fieldwork is becoming more strenuous in the changing conditions. Even the simplest of tasks such as walking to the study site require motivation in the heat. With no shade nearby, I knew that this would likely be my hardest challenge whilst studying abroad in Arizona. Regardless of fitness ability, everyone is dripping in sweat having looked like they have just showered. Over Spring Break, the heat changed from the evenings when you'd need an accompanying jacket, to high temperatures rapidly. The team I've just began a seven-week intensive Geomorphology course and requires attendance on Saturday fieldtrips for the next five or so weekends. The days are the standard 8-5pm schedule. I was nervous at first at I thought I would be the pastey English girl fainting in the heat, however I can now say it's not too bad! The lecturer is really relaxed which is great. We have a briefing when we arriv...

Something which has certainly sparked my interest since it was announced in October 2014, was the launch of 100 Great Geosites spanning the UK and Ireland by the Geological Society . As a keen field geologist, I am excited to hear that there is finally an interactive map to find sites of geological importance on your doorstep. Categories vary from economic perspectives such as mines, to spectacular structures and extinct super-volcanoes all within a drivable distance. Millook Haven - chevron folds in the cliff face Photographed by Chris Hill The launch of the Geosites will be incredibly educational to all ages and backgrounds. It is important to learn about your geological surroundings and to understand events of the past to truly appreciate the unknowns of the future such as earthquakes and volcanoes which can be applied to a global scale. These sites also encompass other aspects such as biology as fossils can be great indicators of palaeoenvironments of the geological p...

Not too long ago, I received an email with regards to the Sustainable Futures online short course available to the University of Leicester students. Having studied World Development in great depth at A-level, I thought it would be a great opportunity to update my knowledge on new developments and statistics with regards to sustainability. I definitely have not been left disappointed. Not only does the lecturer have a David Attenborough-like voice, the course is really stimulating and allows you to completely reflect upon the causes and effects human pressure puts on the Earth. I do think this is an incredibly important issue that not enough people understand and many use climate change as a scapegoat for many of the problems the world currently faces. However this course allows you to look at the larger picture as I think the problems that we face and may face in the future are incredibly complex, and one that doesn't have a simple solution. The course is still available to regis...