news 2009

A University of Plymouth-led team of international scientists has pioneered a novel geological technique and used it to shed new light on how the oceans form during ‘seafloor spreading’, the process that constantly ‘re-paves’ the crust of the Earth’s seas. This new approach was developed following a multi-million dollar Integrated Ocean Drilling Program (IODP) expedition to the mid-Atlantic ridge in the heart of the Atlantic Ocean, on board the research ship the JOIDES Resolution.

An archaeologist from the University of Sheffield has discovered a lost stone circle just a mile away from Britain's famous circle of standing stones at Stonehenge. The exciting new find on the west bank of the River Avon, has been dubbed "Bluestonehenge", after the colour of the 25 Welsh stones of which it was once made up.

A researcher from the University of Sheffield is contributing to the world´s largest project to explore the origins and impact of one of the most deadly forms of extreme weather - the tornado. Jacqui Wilmshurst, a PhD student from the University of Sheffield´s Department of Psychology, is part of a team of researchers working on the Verification of the Origins of Rotation in Tornados Experiment 2 (VORTEX2) which is tracking tornados in the USA to understand more about their origins and the effects they have on the communities which are at risk of being devastated by them.