Hurtling towards Iran and we’ve been keeping a steady eye on Ahmadinejad’s antics. Unfortunately in the past few weeks his inappropriate comments at the UN and the ongoing nuclear debate mean British-Iranian relations are at a pretty all time low. The official FCO policy is that it’s fine to go…
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We’ve made it down to the surreal, Dali-esque region of Cappadocia in central Turkey. Whilst this involves a significant detour off the North Anatolian fault, we decided to come here because it provides yet another fascinating example of how earthquakes can shape people’s lives and profoundly effect the local geography….
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When we first began researching the trip we spoke to Dr Ioannis Papanikolaou, a Greek earthquake geologist, telling him we wanted to find out about any possible benefits of fault lines. His answer was immediate… when you come to Greece you’ll see. And driving from Nafpaktos to Athens we did….
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A headline we read the other day summed it up.. “Scientists can’t predict earthquakes but toads might be able to” It was about a study published in the Journal of Zoology which claimed that toads had detected the L’Aquila earthquake days before it struck. Zoologist Dr Rachel Grant studying toads…
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Given that we are trying to understand the impact a fault line can have on people’s lives, our journey wouldn’t be complete without a visit to the astonishing Mount Parnassus along the Corinth Rift – a fault line that has potentially influenced more people’s lives than can ever be imagined,…
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Our aim all along has been to shun motorways and get as close as possible to fault lines themselves. Little did we expect, however, to be able to bed down in the crater of a volcano, our mats gently warmed by the earth below, inhaling air that has been proven…
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As well as talking to people wherever we go, we’ve been seeking out the most dramatic points in the landscape that demonstrate the fault line. Nowhere are the two plates that have created Iceland more obvious and the geography more tangible than at Thinvellir, which is precariously situated on the…
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One of our more nerve-racking days. The long bone-shaking drive through the interior came to an end and we reached Hekla – one of Iceland’s most active volcanoes, also known as the ‘Gateway to Hell’. It has erupted over 20 times, and is surrounded by miles and miles of lava…
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As soon as we get on the road we stop. There’s just so much to see here, it’s crazy. Around every bend is another hot spring or volcano. We drive for miles and miles over twisted lava fields and endless black deserts. Sometimes it feels like we are in Mongolia….
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Geologically speaking, Fault Line Living truly began today with us visiting the dramatic ‘start’ of the fault line we are following in Iceland – the Mid-Atlantic Ridge – a massive 18,000 km rift between two of the earth’s major tectonic plates. We visited the point at which the ridge enters…
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