News Earth Science Week
Published:6 October 2023
Join us as we celebrate Earth Science Week 8 -14 October 2023.
Whether you’re a student, teacher, or just someone who is passionate about the world around us, there’s something for everyone during Earth Science Week to learn more, discover and celebrate the many ways Earth science impacts our everyday lives.
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What's on?
Earthquake Tour: National Earthquake Alert Centre – Saturday 7 October 2.00pm – Geoscience Australia headquarters, Symonston, ACT
Have you ever felt the Earth move? Or wonder why earthquakes happen? Join us for a strictly limited Saturday earthquake-themed tour, including a visit to the National Earthquake Alerts Centre where you will meet a real earthquake scientist. Learn about earthquakes, what they are, why they happen and how Geoscience Australia is part of a 24/7 global network that monitors for earthquakes and protects Australians from tsunami. Find out more and register.
Meet a real earthquake scientist on this rare tour of the National Earthquake Alert Centre
Earth cache day – Sunday 8 October – Australia wide
Kick off Earth Science Week celebrations by exploring the world of geocaching. Geocaching is an outdoor recreational activity that uses GPS and other navigational techniques to hide and find containers, called geocaches or caches. To celebrate we will be awarding unique Geoscience Australia Geocoins! There will be four exclusive Geoscience Australia Geocoins awarded in each state and territory, a massive 32 coins in total are up for grabs.
On Sunday morning at 8.00am AEDT, a list of pre-determined existing EarthCaches will be published on the following sites:
- Geoscience Australia Facebook
- Geocaching Canberra
- Capital GeoBash
- Pilgrimage to the Nations Capital
- Capital GeoBash Website
- Capital GeoBash GC9PNFB event page
How it will work:
- Download the free (basic level) official Geocaching app to play and log your finds.
- Once a member, this will allow you to access the coordinates and log caches and for the Oz Mega Committee to track entries.
- On the day, you will need to make sure you are logged into the app and then log the Cache. As long as it is a new find for you and one of the chosen EarthCaches, your entry will be included.
- This means that everyone has the chance between the hours of 8.00am and 11.59pm AEDT on Sunday 8 October 2023 to find and log a nominated EarthCache.
On Monday 16 October, at the conclusion of Earth Science Week, The Oz Mega Committee and Geoscience Australia will randomly draw four names who have successful logged an eligible EarthCache from each state and territory during the challenge hours.
Recipients will be contacted via their listed contact details by the Oz Mega Committee on Tuesday 17 October.
Challenge rules:
- Only the 32 nominated EarthCaches qualify for the draw.
- One entry per cache per person.
- New logs only (i.e., you’ve never found this EarthCache before)
- Have fun!
Parliament House Open Day – Sunday 8 October – Australian Parliament House, Canberra
Visit Geoscience Australia’s exhibition at Australian Parliament House as part of the festivities celebrating the 35th anniversary of the House. Learn more about the materials used to build the heart of Australia’s democracy, and the surrounding geology of Canberra. Find out more.
Fuzzy Logic – Sunday 8 October 11am AEDT – Australia wide
Tune in to Fuzzy Logic, a weekly radio program dedicated to all things science, to hear Mardi McNeil, Claire Krause, and Jonathan Mettes talk about how we use Earth observations to monitor and manage marine and Antarctic environments. Listen live, or access the podcast after the show.
Earth Science Week Virtual Excursions – Wednesday 11 October – Online
Geoscience Australia is partnering with Virtual Excursions Australia to provide a full day of free Earth Science Week digital experiences for students on Wednesday 11 October. Sponsored by Geoscience Australia, the day will involve a series of virtual presentations and activities from a variety of Earth science related organisations, including a trivia session and a teacher professional development opportunity. Find out more and register.
Join our education team for an online virtual excursion through Virtual Excursions Australia
Special free public talk ‘Communicating multi-disciplinary geoscience: Lessons from the Trusted Environmental and Geological Information Program’ – Wednesday 11 October 11am – Geoscience Australia headquarters and online
The Trusted Environmental and Geological Information program provides geological data and resource potential assessments combined with groundwater, ecological and surface water information across four basin regions. This talk will showcase the multi-disciplinary program products designed to support clearer, faster decisions for better environmental, business and community outcomes. Register and find out more.
Paperbark Science Talk: Earthquakes Down Under! – Friday 13 October 6:30pm – Wildbark at Mulligans Flat Nature Reserve, Canberra
Are you curious about Earthquakes in Australia? Join Geoscience Australia Seismologist Thuany Costa de Lima for a fun, eye-opening talk exploring the seismicity beneath our feet!
Australia may not be known for large earthquakes, but they do happen, and more frequently than you may think. During this talk, Thuany explains why our continent shakes, the hidden forces shaping the land which are the main triggers for this natural (and human-induced) phenomenon, and what you can do to help monitor earthquakes. Find out more and register.
Wildbark Geoscience Walk – Saturday 14 October 10am – Wildbark at Mulligans Flat Nature Reserve, Canberra
Wildbark are running a guided Mulligans Flat Woodland Sanctuary geoheritage walk that will take you on a 430-million-year journey - from warm tropical seas of the Canberra Formation, past violently explosive volcanoes of the Mount Ainslie Volcanics to the present-day rolling hills and chain-of-ponds drainage system. Find out more about their event and book.
Tales and Trails: Rock n’ Roll – Saturday 14 October 10am – Wildbark at Mulligans Flat Nature Reserve, Canberra
Wildbark’s outreach staff will take the youngest among us on an adventure in the sanctuary, reading picture books are making arts and crafts along the way. Find out more about their event and book.
Geoscience Australia pop-up at Wildbark – Saturday 14 October 10am – Wildbark at Mulligans Flat Nature Reserve, Canberra
Geoscience Australia will be on the ground at Wildbark with a variety of free, hands-on geoscience activities for the whole family. Learn more about the properties of rocks, and what is underground. No bookings required – find us in the visitor centre at Wildbark between 10am and 2pm.
Dig into Earth Science Week at Mulligans Flat Nature reserve
'Behind the Scenes' National Mineral and Fossil Collection Tours – Monday 16 October 6.30pm and Thursday 19 October 6.30pm – Geoscience Australia Headquarters, Symonston, ACT
Join our Collections team for a behind-the-scenes tour of Geoscience Australia’s world class collection of minerals and fossils. See parts of the collection not normally open to the public and learn about the stories and science behind particular pieces – including those locked away in a special safe (with its own intriguing story!).
Register now, spots are limited:
Join us for a rare tour of the National Mineral and Fossil Collection – head behind the scenes and into our vault
POSTPONED/NEW DATE: TimeWalk Guided Tour – Saturday 4 November 10.30am – Geoscience Australia headquarters, Symonston, ACT
Take a walk through time on Geoscience Australia’s TimeWalk tour. On this tour, you’ll walk 1.1km through our landscaped gardens and discover Earth’s 4,600-billion-year history. Find out more and register for this special tour.
Note: Due to a family of beautiful magpies making the TimeWalk their home, in the interest of safety this tour has been rescheduled to after swooping season ends.
Take a walk through the Earth’s geological history on this special guided tour