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The Welsh name Yr Wyddfa is now used for the mountain instead of Snowdon by the national park authority. Malgosia Janicka/Shutterstock.

Welsh place names are being erased – and so are the stories they tell

Welsh place names often reflect local legends, fauna and topography. The coining of English names to replace them has sparked an ongoing campaign to protect them.
The Byron Scar, left behind by an undersea landslide. Colours indicate depths. Samantha Clarke

Scars left by Australia’s undersea landslides reveal future tsunami potential

The ocean floor off Australia’s east coast bears the scars of numerous subsea landslides, which have potentially triggered tsunamis over the past several millennia.
Today’s maps boast incredible detail and accuracy - but Smith’s were pretty good. Ordnance Survey

Two centuries of map-making – from William Smith’s survey to satellites

This year marks the 200th anniversary since William Smith published his life’s work, a geological map of England and Wales, in 1815. While “Strata Smith” and his map are well-known among geologists, this…
3D visualisation of the mega-canyon. Jonathan Bamber, University of Bristol

Mega-canyon discovered beneath Greenland ice sheet

A previously unknown canyon has been discovered in Greenland, hidden beneath the ice. It is at least 750 kilometres long. To put that in perspective, imagine a ten kilometre wide gorge, up to 800 metres…

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