Earth Science Week 2014

“Since October 1998, the American Geosciences Institute has organized this
national and international event
to help the public gain a better understanding and appreciation for the Earth
Sciences and to encourage stewardship of the Earth. This year’s Earth Science
Week will be held from October 12-18 and will celebrate the theme Earth’s
Connected Systems.”

I have celebrated this annual event in previous posts (although I seem to have
overlooked last year) with a specific focus on the admirable _Earth Science Literacy
Initiative
_and their [“Big Ideas” summary](https://throughthesandglass.typepad.com/through_the_sandglass/2012/10/earth-
science-week-the-big-ideas-videos.html). This captures the fundamentals of our
understanding of how our planet works and our relationship with it - the
basics of our engagement with geology.

In addition to what we know, what keeps science alive and fascinating are all
the things that we don’t. This year, for readers who have not come across them
already, I would like to draw attention to the superb series of recent posts
on
GeoLog,
the official blog of the European Earth Sciences Union. Titled [“The known unknowns - the outstanding 49 questions in Earth
sciences”](https://geolog.egu.eu/2014/10/03/the-
known-unknowns-the-outstanding-49-questions-in-earth-sciences-part-iii/),
these summarise the basic questions that continue to vex our profession and
stir controversy and debate, together with valuable links to appropriate
resources. The link is to the third in the series, and I have so far counted
25 questions, so there is clearly more intrigue to come. As the introduction
to the series states:

Science is about asking questions, as much as it is about finding answers.
Most of the time spent by scientists doing research is used to constrain and
clarify what exactly is unknown – what does not yet form part of the
consensus among the scientific community. Researchers all over the globe are
working tirelessly to answer the unresolved questions about the inner
workings of our planet, but inevitably new answers only lead to new
questions. What are the main questions that will keep Earth scientists busy
for many years to come?

What I would like to think is that these kinds of initiatives will provide
accessible and compelling materials that will stimulate young folk to become
geologists and not-so-young folk to enquire further.

Meanwhile, a note about my absence for the last few weeks - I have been
traveling. The image at the head of this post might provide a clue as to
where, as might the photo below. More will, inevitably, be revealed in the
near future.

[ ](https://geolog.egu.eu/2014/10/03/the-

known-unknowns-the-outstanding-49-questions-in-earth-sciences-part-iii/ “The
known unknowns – the outstanding 49 questions in Earth sciences (Part III)”)

__

Originally published at: https://throughthesandglass.typepad.com/through_the_sandglass/2014/10/earth-science-week-2014.html