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Published on September 18, 2024

In September 2023, a tsunami triggered by a landslide in a Greenland fjord shook the Earth for nine days. According to a publication by 60 international scientists in the journal Science, the tsunami was caused by global warming and could be expected to recur.
The collapse of a mountain followed by a landslide in a fjord on the east coast of Greenland created a tsumami over 100 m high. The particularly large volume of 25 million m3 is equivalent to 15 times the volume of the Eiffel Tower, (…)

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Published on September 03, 2024

Cement is the world’s most widely used material. Despite centuries of intensive use and ever-increasing global demand, many fundamental physico-chemical questions about its nanoscale structure remain unanswered. An international research team has used neutron scattering techniques to study the dynamics of water inside concrete, one of the keys to its strength.
During the cement setting process, various nanoscopic phases, known as hydrates, are formed. Among these hydrates, calcium (…)

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Published on July 09, 2024

The tropical Andes are strongly affected by climate change, which is reflected in the retreat of the cryosphere and the degradation of permafrost conditions. This thermo-mechanical evolution of mountain massifs is leading to a significant increase in gravity hazard in the high mountains and adjacent valleys.
Historical records show that the valleys of the Peruvian Andes have suffered severe natural disasters over the last century, with tens of thousands of victims, notably in the (…)

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Published on June 03, 2024

Université Grenoble Alpes has honored ten PhDs graduating in 2023 whose thesis work was judged to be of exceptional quality. Eight academic thesis prizes, including one interdisciplinary prize, and two innovation thesis prizes. This year, one winner also received the social and environmental Responsibility Award. The awards will be presented at the "PhD Ceremony" on June 25, 2024.
Candidates were selected in advance by the thirteen Doctoral Schools of the Université Grenoble Alpes from (…)

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Published on April 25, 2024

At the beginning of April, the European Research Council (ERC) announced the results of the "ERC Advanced Grant 2023" call for established researchers. INSU is the host institution for 4 grants, including 1 to ISTerre awarded to Eric Larose for his project CRACK THE ROCK. Congratulations ! In 2024, the ERC will be funding 255 researchers with "Advanced" fellowships, worth a total of 652 million euros, as part of the Horizon Europe program. These grants enable scientists, recognized in (…)

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Published on February 12, 2024
UGA/CNRS press release

An international scientific team, including researchers from the Institut des Sciences de la Terre (ISTerre - CNRS/IRD/UGA/ Univ. Gustave Eiffel/USMB), has just discovered a reservoir of natural hydrogen in the depths of a chromite mine in Albania. This discovery, which opens up new prospects for the exploration of natural hydrogen, is the subject of an article published in Science magazine on February 8.
Natural, or geologic hydrogen (H2) has recently gained widespread interest due to (…)

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Published on January 26, 2024

New ambient background geophysical data provide an unprecedented 3D image of the deep geometry of the boundary between mantle and continental crust beneath the Western Alps, also known as the Moho. These high-resolution data enable the deep geometry to be correlated with sub-surface geological data.
These data show the presence of a cold, rigid mantle body located 20 kilometers below the Po plain south of Turin. This portion of the Adriatic mantle acts as an indentor, controlling the (…)

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Published on January 25, 2024

The western Alpine arc is characterized by moderate but constant seismic activity. Numerous studies (geodynamic and seismological, etc.) highlight the persistent scientific questions linked to Alpine dynamic processes and the associated rate of deformation (resulting from late continental collision phases), and to the assessment of seismic hazard and associated risks. Seismic monitoring in the northern French Alps was launched in 1987 with the installation of the first Sismalp seismological (…)

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Published on December 18, 2023

Simulation is an essential tool for improving people’s preparedness for disasters such as earthquakes, whose sudden and violent nature requires an effective emergency response. It can even be used by public authorities and crisis managers to implement the actions required to protect populations. With this in mind, a multi-disciplinary team of researchers, including two scientists from the ISTerre laboratory, has created an original computer model for the city of Beirut in Lebanon, which is (…)

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Published on December 04, 2023

The movement of rivers, mountains, oceans and sediments through geological time is central to the evolution of biodiversity on Earth.

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