Welcome to COMET

The Centre for Observation and Modelling of Earthquakes, Volcanoes and Tectonics (COMET) uses satellite measurements alongside ground-based observations and geophysical models to study earthquakes and volcanoes, and help understand the hazards they pose.

A national-scale community with considerable size and impact, COMET brings together world-leading scientists across the British Geological Survey (BGS) and 14 UK universities: Bristol, Cambridge, Cardiff, East Anglia, Exeter, Imperial, Leeds, Manchester, Newcastle, Oxford, Plymouth, Portsmouth, Sheffield and UCL. We work closely with the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC), National Centre for Earth Observation (NCEO) and European Space Agency (ESA), as well as many other national and international partners.


COMET+ Webinar

Speaker: Fabien Albino, Institute of Earth Sciences (ISTERRE)

Title: Using local GNSS observations for improving InSAR atmospheric corrections over tropical volcanoes

Date: Wednesday 27th March 2024 at 4pm UK time (4pm UTC / 5pm CET / 9am PDT)

For details on how to register:  COMET Webinar Series – Centre for the Observation and Modelling of Earthquakes, Volcanoes and Tectonics (nerc.ac.uk)


PhD Opportunity

Fully funded PhD project at the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences at the University of Manchester funded by COMET and the University of Manchester on volcanic degassing and ground deformation processes.


COMET Celebrates International Women’s Day 2024

Today we celebrate all our amazing women at COMET and introduce you to some members of the COMET Directorate.


Professor David Pyle awarded Geological Society Murchison Medal

COMET Scientist Professor David Pyle (University of Oxford) is the recipient of the 2024 Murchison Medal.


COMET+ Webinar

Re-watch the latest COMET Webinar:

Speaker: Grace Nield, Durham University

Title: Solid Earth Deformation in the Antarctic Peninsula


Observations and models of Icelandic eruption lead to new understanding of volcanic systems

COMET Scientist Andy Hooper contributed to a paper published in Science on 8th February 2024 that sheds light on the processes behind the formation of large magma-filled cracks under the earth.

Read our news story here.


COMET Annual Report 2022/2023

The latest COMET Annual Report 2022/2023 is now available to view.  Please click here.


COMET Fieldwork Guidelines

Help make research fieldwork in Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences a safer, more equitable, and inclusive space.

Find out more here: Fieldwork Guidelines – Centre for the Observation and Modelling of Earthquakes, Volcanoes and Tectonics (nerc.ac.uk)


Watch the latest COMET webinar

Miss Cindy Lim Shin Yee/ Dr Lin Shen/Dr Samantha Engwell present Webinar on International Women’s Day, celebrating the brilliant work by women scientists.


Türkiye-Syria Earthquakes, February 2023

Read the full COMET article here.


The Global Waveform Catalogue

The Global Waveform Catalogue hosted by COMET is now available and fully interactive.


 COMET Director’s public lecture 

COMET Director Professor Tim Wright presented a free public lecture, ‘Monitoring our hazardous planet from space’, as part of the Royal Astronomical Society’s Bicentenary celebrations on 25th September 2020. Watch (or rewatch!) the lecture on YouTube: