Gibraltar

The Gibraltar subduction zone’s slow activity, revealed by new research, indicates it may soon accelerate and contribute to the closing of the Atlantic Ocean, marking a significant phase in the Earth’s geological evolution. This finding underscores the importance of subduction invasion in shaping our planet and highlights the potential for significant seismic activity in the area. Credit: NASAThe Earth’s lithosphere is divided into multiple tectonic plates, which are continuously moving. This movement leads to the…

Maps showing the evolution of the Gibraltar subduction zone from 30 million years ago to 50 million years into the future. From Duarte et al., 2024. Credit: João C. Duarte Our planet's lithosphere is broken into several tectonic plates. Their configuration is ever-shifting as supercontinents are assembled and broken up, and oceans form, grow, and then start to close in what is known as the Wilson cycle.…

It’s Sunday evening at the All’s Well bar in Gibraltar and the jukebox is playing non-stop John Otway songs. The great rock eccentric is leading fans in the call-and-response parts of his 2002 heavy-rock version of House of the Rising Sun, originally recorded at Abbey Road with 1,000 fans on guest vocals. The bar staff look on in amusement. “It was so special,” says Sarah Hatton, a 61-year-old lorry driver from Cornwall, afterwards. “John looked so happy.”This is John Otway’s Wee Rock weekend – named after one of his…

On the morning of August 24, a breezy late-summer wind carried a cascade of clouds over the Rock of Gibraltar.The windy waterfall captivated onlookers, and a view from the airport was filmed and shared as a timelapse on the Met Office Gibraltar's Twitter account.The London Gatwick @easyJet flight taxiing and taking off from @RAF_Gib this morning with the backdrop of some impressive #Levanter cloud over the Rock of #GibraltarThe #levanter cloud just keeps getting better today! #LevanterSpam pic.twitter.com/WYyOPktSij— Met…