COVID-19 & Geosciences

Since the first documented COVID-19 case in December 2019, the pandemic has had a significant impact on humanity in a variety of ways across all aspects of daily life. Natural disasters and related tragedies continued unabated in the wake of the new virus. The emergence of disasters and pandemics at the same time has the potential to create compound emergencies with new and unexpected challenges. The spread of the 2020 Covid19 pandemic has had a significant impact on geologists' work—particularly those responsible for training the next generation of geologists. The global COVID-19 outbreak has created new challenges for economic geologists. However, efforts to stop the virus from spreading may result in the world moving a little slower. Seismic noise — the hum of vibrations in the planet's crust — has decreased, according to researchers who measure the planet's movement. This could be the result of transport networks and other human activity being shut down. They believe that by doing so, detectors will be able to identify smaller earthquakes and efforts to monitor volcanic activity and other seismic events will be boosted.

• Virtual Geological Fieldtrip (VFT)
• Earth Movements