Press Releases
Press releases issued by the Society are listed here. These usually refer to papers published in one of our peer reviewed journals. Members of the press can find embargoed press releases on AlphaGalileo, or be added to our press mailing list by contacting sarah.day@geolsoc.org.uk.
Future supply of rare earth elements could be disrupted
8 November 2011While scarcity of rare earth elements (REE) in absolute terms is unlikely to be a concern, their future supply could be disrupted by technical, environmental and financial factors, according to a briefing note published by the Geological Society of London today.
Ancienct submarine megaslides warn of tsunami risk
17 October 2011Three giant underwater landslides, which took place up to half a million years ago and would have caused huge tsunami waves, have been discovered off the coast of Southern Chile.
UK's first Earth Science Week celebrates link between geology and poetry
5 October 2011The Geological Society is organising the first UK Earth Science Week, beginning with a day-long conference celebrating the link between geology and poetry.
Geological Society welcomes ECC report on shale gas
23 May 2011
Select Committee's report on shale gas, published today, finds no evidence that ‘fracking’ poses a direct risk to underground water aquifers, provided the drilling well is constructed properly.
Climate Week at the Geological Society of London
18 March 2011March 21 - 27 is the UK's first 'Climate Week', with the aim of raising awareness of the issues surrounding our changing climate, and what can be done. To recognise Climate Week, the Geological Society is holding a number of events and activities.
World-renowned volcanologist heads Geological Society’s 2011 awards list
1 February 2011Professor Steve Sparks CBE FRS, former President of the Geological Society, is the recipient of the 2011 Wollaston Medal, the Society’s oldest and most prestigious award.
Rocks say: "stop pulling the carbon trigger"
1 November 2010
The climate change ‘experiment’ has already been run, with results that would be disastrous for the world today, according to evidence highlighted in a statement published today by the Geological Society of London.
Changing climate poses 'serious threat' to UK transport networks
22 October 2010
The famous landslide scene in The Railway Children could become a regular sight in future, as scientists warn of the effect climate change will have on the UK’s 10,000 kilometres of railway embankments and cuttings.
Acidifying oceans spell marine biological breakdown 'by end of century'
25 August 2010 A unique ‘natural laboratory’ in the Mediterranean Sea is revealing the effects of rising carbon dioxide levels on life in the oceans. The results show a bleak future for marine life as ocean acidity rises, and suggest that similar lowering of ocean pH levels may have been responsible for massive extinctions in the past.
'Hot blobs' cause a pulse in the planet
25 June 2010
Hot spots such as the Iceland plume can cause ripples hundreds of metres high to spread across the Earth's surface, according to the latest research at the University of Cambridge.
Past global warming linked to undersea volcanism
23 April 2010
Scientists have come closer to identifying the cause of the Paleocene-Eocene thermal maximum (PETM), a period of rapid temperature rise which many believe to be the closest analogue to present day climate change.
Record permeability in UK granite is good news for geothermal energy
16 February 2010
Hopes have been raised for the viability of geothermal energy in the UK, after exploratory drilling in Weardale, County Durham, revealed record levels of permeability in granite.