The Core of Everything

Caves: a hole lot of fun We discuss the types of caves and how they form, how dripping water forms structures up to tens of meters, how you can tell the difference between stalagmites and stalactites, and much more. We also discuss how some of our world's largest caves develop their own ecosystem, grow rainforests and may contain unique animal species that have evolved separately from the outs...

In our Christmas special, we discuss the journey of the Three Wise men, or Magi, who were guided by a star to the birthplace of Jesus. Although this does not seem related to geology, the star has been correlated to numerous astronomical events, from comets to supernovae, and a phenomenon called a conjunction. We also discussed where the Magi possibly sourced the gold, and how the gold formed in th...

Today we have Dr Fred Richards on the podcast. Dr Richards is a lecturer at Imperial studying how processes within the mantle affects Earth’s surface, including how the Earth's crust and upper mantle respond to the development and decay of icecaps. We discuss how icecaps have their own gravitational pull, how the sea level adjacent to melting icecaps actually falls, how the Earth's spin is...

In part 2 of our episode on rivers, we discuss the power of rivers, including the distribution of major cities, the formation of the English Channel or La Manche, and megafloods. We also discuss Jonah's research, including how he uses petrified/fossilised wood and dunes to identify major ancient flooding events. We finish by discussing the major rivers on Earth, including their size and depth....

This episode is part 1 of a two-parter all about rivers. We discuss the types of rivers, how we identify rivers in the geological record, how the flow directions of rivers can be identified through a feature called imbrication, and much more. Jonah McLeod is a PhD student at Imperial College London studying past and present rivers and how their response to climate change can inform projections of...

In this episode, we discuss impact craters, including how they are identified, the processes that occur within them, and how shockwaves from impacts can alter the magnetic characteristics of surrounding rocks. Banusha Kugabalan, a geophysics PhD student at Imperial College London, joins us. She researches the shock remanent magnetisation in rocks and meteorites. The remanent magnetisation is the p...

In this episode, we outline the basics of plate tectonics. What are plates? What are the types of boundaries between them? What is the "Ring of Fire"? Found out all this and more. Follow us on Instagram @coepod and Twitter @thecoepod for episode updates and posts all about geology!

In this episode, we go through the hot topic of CO2. We discuss where CO2 comes from and how it is removed from the atmosphere through natural and anthropogenic influences. We also discuss the principles behind carbon capture and storage (CCS), including the geology required, its limitations, and how much CO2 storage is needed to reach climate targets. Enjoy the episode.

Hello friends, In this episode we go through the types of meteorites and the differences between asteroids, meteorites, meteors, comets, and so much more. We discuss the latest scientific journeys to the rocky remnants in outer space, and what we could do if an asteroid was heading straight for Earth. Enjoy! Twitter @thecoepod Instagram @coepod

Welcome to part 2 of Mass Extinctions. Today we discuss the death of the dinosaurs, including how one huge asteroid changed the fate of life on Earth and how floods of lava created a catastrophic global warming. We also discuss the possible mass extinction that is happening right now through human activities. Feel free to follow us on Twitter @thecoepod Instagram @coepod Enjoy the episode!

Earth's existence is full of dramatic events that have wiped out a huge portion of marine and terrestrial life. In this episode, we go through some of the major mass extinction events that have occurred, from asteroids and lava flows to extremely cold temperatures, the Earth has been through a lot. There is an established 'Big Five' mass extinction events, which include 1) Ordovician-S...

In this episode we journey to the centre of Earth and back again, discussing the solid and liquid layers that make up our planet. We talk about how the crust is the thinnest of layers floating on a ball of hot magma, and how interactions in the core generate a magnetic field that protects life on Earth and even changes the length of day. Enjoy! Follow us on Instagram @coepod or Twitter @thecoepod

Everyone knows what a rock looks like, whether it's a cliff face, a random boulder found on top of a hill, or your kitchen worktop. However, what actually are these weird and wonderful hard things? This episode covers what makes up the rocks around us, as well as the different rock types, how they interlink in something known as the rock cycle, and so much more...