Prof Col Macpherson
@colinmacpherson.bsky.social
Rock ̵e̵t̵ ̵ scientist @durhamearthsci.bsky.social 🧪⚒️
Husband, dad, typographical errer
Husband, dad, typographical errer
Reposted by Prof Col Macpherson
Really cool summary of a recent paper in Geology (gift link 🎁): www.nytimes.com/2026/01/16/s...
If the Volcanic Eruption Doesn’t Scare You, the Mudflow Should
www.nytimes.com
January 19, 2026 at 2:11 PM
Really cool summary of a recent paper in Geology (gift link 🎁): www.nytimes.com/2026/01/16/s...
Bass-tastic 😍
Edinburgh O'Clock - 3 minutes to every hour. - we run fast so you don't miss your train.
A new hourly image to brighten your day taken in #Scotland very often #Edinburgh and shared with love by Tom Duffin
@tomduffinphotos.bsky.social.
Please repost with your own caption.
A new hourly image to brighten your day taken in #Scotland very often #Edinburgh and shared with love by Tom Duffin
@tomduffinphotos.bsky.social.
Please repost with your own caption.
January 19, 2026 at 1:41 PM
Bass-tastic 😍
Fantastic bookshop. The café does great cakes too.
#AlphabetChallenge
#WeekBforBooks
#ColorADay #BWFri
The marvellous Barter Books in Alnwick, Northumberland.
It is one of the largest second hand bookshops in Europe.
See Alt text for more
#BlueBrewBooks #classicmono #barterbooks #alnwick #northumberland #literature #photography #eastcoastkin
#WeekBforBooks
#ColorADay #BWFri
The marvellous Barter Books in Alnwick, Northumberland.
It is one of the largest second hand bookshops in Europe.
See Alt text for more
#BlueBrewBooks #classicmono #barterbooks #alnwick #northumberland #literature #photography #eastcoastkin
January 16, 2026 at 5:48 PM
Fantastic bookshop. The café does great cakes too.
Reposted by Prof Col Macpherson
Successful first session of 2026 on our 7f with Katie Schofield from Durham University @durhamearthsci.bsky.social. She’s analysing volatile elements in apatite for her volcanology PhD project with Prof. Humphreys.
Our 1300HR is ready for the analytical tests!
Our 1300HR is ready for the analytical tests!
January 16, 2026 at 2:01 PM
Successful first session of 2026 on our 7f with Katie Schofield from Durham University @durhamearthsci.bsky.social. She’s analysing volatile elements in apatite for her volcanology PhD project with Prof. Humphreys.
Our 1300HR is ready for the analytical tests!
Our 1300HR is ready for the analytical tests!
Anyone looking for a good teaching example of the importance of understanding your analytical blanks (background) could do worse than this. 🧪
Are our bodies full of microplastics or not? There’s a way to resolve this debate, and scientists must hurry | Debora MacKenzie
Are our bodies full of microplastics or not? There’s a way to resolve this debate, and scientists must hurry | Debora MacKenzie
This week’s furore is microplastics researchers’ ozone moment. If they fail, the powerful plastics lobby will step into the breach, says science journalist and author Debora MacKenzie
www.theguardian.com
January 16, 2026 at 11:47 AM
Anyone looking for a good teaching example of the importance of understanding your analytical blanks (background) could do worse than this. 🧪
Reposted by Prof Col Macpherson
How long did it take for T. rex to grow from a hatchling into a bus-sized bone-cruncher?
Longer than we used to think! Maybe up to 40 years!
Exciting new research by @histo-holly.bsky.social & team. My thoughts @cnn.com
edition.cnn.com/2026/01/15/s...
Longer than we used to think! Maybe up to 40 years!
Exciting new research by @histo-holly.bsky.social & team. My thoughts @cnn.com
edition.cnn.com/2026/01/15/s...
It took 35 years for T. rex to become fully grown | CNN
Tyrannosaurus rex lived longer and took more time to reach its maximum size than previously thought, according to a new study.
edition.cnn.com
January 16, 2026 at 10:59 AM
How long did it take for T. rex to grow from a hatchling into a bus-sized bone-cruncher?
Longer than we used to think! Maybe up to 40 years!
Exciting new research by @histo-holly.bsky.social & team. My thoughts @cnn.com
edition.cnn.com/2026/01/15/s...
Longer than we used to think! Maybe up to 40 years!
Exciting new research by @histo-holly.bsky.social & team. My thoughts @cnn.com
edition.cnn.com/2026/01/15/s...
Perhaps if you exert enough pressure they might form a solid solution? ⚒️🧪
January 15, 2026 at 9:46 PM
Perhaps if you exert enough pressure they might form a solid solution? ⚒️🧪
Reposted by Prof Col Macpherson
Our new paper on earthquake records in the Cascadia Subduction Zone is out today!
The goal of our work is to reduce uncertainty in the timing and frequency of large earthquakes by investigating how and where subduction earthquake-triggered deposits are formed. 🧪⚒️🌊
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
The goal of our work is to reduce uncertainty in the timing and frequency of large earthquakes by investigating how and where subduction earthquake-triggered deposits are formed. 🧪⚒️🌊
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Widespread abyssal turbidites record megathrust earthquake-triggered landslides and coseismic deformation in the Cascadia subduction zone
Lower slope failures produce abyssal turbidites that record shaking and coseismic deformation during megathrust earthquakes.
www.science.org
January 14, 2026 at 9:31 PM
Our new paper on earthquake records in the Cascadia Subduction Zone is out today!
The goal of our work is to reduce uncertainty in the timing and frequency of large earthquakes by investigating how and where subduction earthquake-triggered deposits are formed. 🧪⚒️🌊
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
The goal of our work is to reduce uncertainty in the timing and frequency of large earthquakes by investigating how and where subduction earthquake-triggered deposits are formed. 🧪⚒️🌊
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
On my first visit to @scrippsocean.bsky.social at the start of a two-year postdoc I went to a pizza party on the Scripps Pier and got crapped on by a pelican.
Scripps Pier in La Jolla, San Diego, California
#sandiego #lajolla #beach #surfing #sunset #scrippspier #scripps #landscapes_lovers #photography
#sandiego #lajolla #beach #surfing #sunset #scrippspier #scripps #landscapes_lovers #photography
January 14, 2026 at 4:44 PM
On my first visit to @scrippsocean.bsky.social at the start of a two-year postdoc I went to a pizza party on the Scripps Pier and got crapped on by a pelican.
The first (and for first few year only) lecturer in @durhamearthsci.bsky.social when it opened in October 1924. @durham.ac.uk Also northeast lad by birth in Gateshead. ⚒️🧪🌍
January 14, 1890, birthday of English geologist Arthur Holmes. He made not one but two major contributions to our understanding of how the Earth works...
January 14, 2026 at 11:09 AM
The first (and for first few year only) lecturer in @durhamearthsci.bsky.social when it opened in October 1924. @durham.ac.uk Also northeast lad by birth in Gateshead. ⚒️🧪🌍
As process mnemonics go, this is right up there ...
We've got ISSUES. Literally.
We scraped >100k special issues & over 1 million articles to bring you a PISS-poor paper. We quantify just how many excess papers are published by guest editors abusing special issues to boost their CVs. How bad is it & what can we do?
arxiv.org/abs/2601.07563
A 🧵 1/n
We scraped >100k special issues & over 1 million articles to bring you a PISS-poor paper. We quantify just how many excess papers are published by guest editors abusing special issues to boost their CVs. How bad is it & what can we do?
arxiv.org/abs/2601.07563
A 🧵 1/n
January 13, 2026 at 5:39 PM
As process mnemonics go, this is right up there ...
Reposted by Prof Col Macpherson
Research by Professor Clare McGlynn in our Law School is behind a new law being implemented in England and Wales to criminalise the creation of non-consensual sexual deepfake images using AI. Find out more 👉 www.durham.ac.uk/news-events/...
January 13, 2026 at 4:30 PM
Research by Professor Clare McGlynn in our Law School is behind a new law being implemented in England and Wales to criminalise the creation of non-consensual sexual deepfake images using AI. Find out more 👉 www.durham.ac.uk/news-events/...
Reposted by Prof Col Macpherson
#Mayon #volcano (Philippines): continuous glowing avalanches as eruption intensifies - The eruption at the volcano is intensifying. As the summit lava dome grows, it produces continuous incandescent rockfall and pyroclastic flows traveling down the Mi-isi, Bonga and Basud gullies.
The PHIVOLCS ...
The PHIVOLCS ...
Mayon volcano (Philippines): continuous glowing avalanches as eruption intensifies
www.volcanodiscovery.com
January 9, 2026 at 5:05 PM
Reposted by Prof Col Macpherson
🚨Professorship at St Andrews🚨
We are recruiting a Professor in Earth Sci (incl atmos, oceans, climate) @earthscista.bsky.social @uniofstandrews.bsky.social
Ideal candidate is a leading researcher with interests in impact/outreach. Deadline 23/3/26!
www.vacancies.st-andrews.ac.uk/Vacancies/I/...
We are recruiting a Professor in Earth Sci (incl atmos, oceans, climate) @earthscista.bsky.social @uniofstandrews.bsky.social
Ideal candidate is a leading researcher with interests in impact/outreach. Deadline 23/3/26!
www.vacancies.st-andrews.ac.uk/Vacancies/I/...
Chair in Earth Sciences - AC2672
Chair in Earth Sciences - AC2672,
Earth and Environmental Sciences
Salary: Grade 9/Negotiable
Start Date: September 2026
,
<p style="margin-right: 22.7pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: bl...
www.vacancies.st-andrews.ac.uk
January 5, 2026 at 9:26 AM
🚨Professorship at St Andrews🚨
We are recruiting a Professor in Earth Sci (incl atmos, oceans, climate) @earthscista.bsky.social @uniofstandrews.bsky.social
Ideal candidate is a leading researcher with interests in impact/outreach. Deadline 23/3/26!
www.vacancies.st-andrews.ac.uk/Vacancies/I/...
We are recruiting a Professor in Earth Sci (incl atmos, oceans, climate) @earthscista.bsky.social @uniofstandrews.bsky.social
Ideal candidate is a leading researcher with interests in impact/outreach. Deadline 23/3/26!
www.vacancies.st-andrews.ac.uk/Vacancies/I/...
The lowest Permian formation in NE England is known as the Yellow Sands. This afternoon it looked positively golden. 🧪⚒️
January 5, 2026 at 5:08 PM
The lowest Permian formation in NE England is known as the Yellow Sands. This afternoon it looked positively golden. 🧪⚒️
My brilliant dog agrees that your dog is brilliant 🐕
January 1, 2026 at 3:14 PM
My brilliant dog agrees that your dog is brilliant 🐕
👏
CONGRATULATIONS to @geogdurham.bsky.social's own Dave Roberts and Colm O'Cofaigh who have both been awarded the prestigious Polar Medal by the King in the 2026 New Year's Honours List. Such a well-deserved achievement for two excellent colleagues! ❄️🍾🥂
durhamglaciology.wordpress.com/2025/12/30/p...
durhamglaciology.wordpress.com/2025/12/30/p...
Polar Medal for two Durham glacial geologists
We are delighted to announce that Professors Colm O’Cofaigh and Dave Roberts have been awarded the prestigious Polar Medal in the King’s New Year Honours list, which recognises outstanding achievem…
durhamglaciology.wordpress.com
December 30, 2025 at 9:14 PM
👏
Spent the last couple of nights in the Perthshire town of Comrie, also known as as Shaky Toun due to the frequency of earthquakes ⚒️🧪
Perth and Kinross tops the UK’s earthquake activity charts for 2025
Seismologists at BGS have published data on the number of seismic events over the past 12 months with over 300 earthquakes recorded.
www.bgs.ac.uk/news/perth-a...
Seismologists at BGS have published data on the number of seismic events over the past 12 months with over 300 earthquakes recorded.
www.bgs.ac.uk/news/perth-a...
December 29, 2025 at 12:42 PM
Spent the last couple of nights in the Perthshire town of Comrie, also known as as Shaky Toun due to the frequency of earthquakes ⚒️🧪
Reposted by Prof Col Macpherson
A wonderful reminder from physicist and author Sean M. Carroll. 📖
December 28, 2025 at 4:12 PM
A wonderful reminder from physicist and author Sean M. Carroll. 📖
How to just walk into Mordor
December 28, 2025 at 4:41 PM
How to just walk into Mordor
Make a Bond movie academic:
Diamonds Are Forever: The continental lithospheric mantle as a repository for subducted carbon.
Diamonds Are Forever: The continental lithospheric mantle as a repository for subducted carbon.
Make a Bond movie academic:
Moonraker: high and low plausible ROI of asteroid mining and Earth Orbit resource gathering weighted to account for scalable de-orbital delivery of captured material
Moonraker: high and low plausible ROI of asteroid mining and Earth Orbit resource gathering weighted to account for scalable de-orbital delivery of captured material
make a Bond movie academic:
Casino Royale: The Political Economy of Capitalism & Global Finance, by Susan Strange
Casino Royale: The Political Economy of Capitalism & Global Finance, by Susan Strange
December 26, 2025 at 8:03 PM
Make a Bond movie academic:
Diamonds Are Forever: The continental lithospheric mantle as a repository for subducted carbon.
Diamonds Are Forever: The continental lithospheric mantle as a repository for subducted carbon.
Reposted by Prof Col Macpherson
#Home Reef #volcano (Tonga Islands): new effusive eruption with two lava flows - A new effusive period at the volcano started over the past days.
Following a strong thermal anomaly detection in the Sentinel-2 satellite imagery from 17 ad 22 December, new lava flows appear to be commenced descend...
Following a strong thermal anomaly detection in the Sentinel-2 satellite imagery from 17 ad 22 December, new lava flows appear to be commenced descend...
Home Reef volcano (Tonga Islands): new effusive eruption with two lava flows
www.volcanodiscovery.com
December 24, 2025 at 8:02 PM
Kilauea has put on its Christmas lights 🌋⚒️🧪
www.youtube.com/live/gXKuUyK...
www.youtube.com/live/gXKuUyK...
[V3cam] Kīlauea volcano, Hawaii (south Halemaʻumaʻu crater)
YouTube video by USGS
www.youtube.com
December 24, 2025 at 10:17 AM
Kilauea has put on its Christmas lights 🌋⚒️🧪
www.youtube.com/live/gXKuUyK...
www.youtube.com/live/gXKuUyK...
Probably just a dodgy kebab after a night in the Bigg Market
December 24, 2025 at 10:13 AM
Probably just a dodgy kebab after a night in the Bigg Market