Fault scarps are in effect fossilised earthquakes. When the ground on one side moves relative to the other side, a step is left in the bedrock. Over time, erosion can reveal these long (up to tens of kilometres) scars in the landscape. The photo above, taken in the Apennine mountains in central Italy, shows a fault scarp close up, with a handy human in the frame for scale.
New research by a team including UCL’s Joanna Faure Walker and Birkbeck’s Gerald Roberts (in the photo) has studied fault scarps in the Apennines. Because they are visible signs of movements in the rock over millions of years, fault scarps can be used to reconstruct the behaviour of a fault over much longer timescales than is possible by observing the faults over human timescales.
Photo credit: Joanna Faure Walker (UCL IRDR)
Links
High resolution images
This image can be reproduced freely providing the source is credited
EU Referendum
EU referendum: UCL Provost’s message to students and staff
In light of the UK’s vote to leave the European Union, UCL President & Provost Professor Michael Arthur assures UCL students and staff from EU countries that they will continue to be as valued and as welcome as before. Professor Arthur also confirms that there will be no immediate changes to arrangements for EU staff and students.
Open Days
The Faculty participates in a number of open days throughout the academic year, including the UCL Undergraduate Open Days and the UCL Graduate Open Day.
Friends of Out@UCL
Professor Ivan Parkin - Dean, UCL Faculty of Mathematical and Physical Sciences
“I fully support the aims of the Friends of Out@UCL campaign. I have personal experience of the need for such a campaign and the difficulties that the LGBTQ+ community face.” Read more…
Snapshots from Space History
Online exhibition of historic space photos from the faculty’s planetary science archives.