The UK 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, Edinburgh, Exeter, Imperial, Leeds, Manchester, Newcastle, Oxford, Plymouth, 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
Dr Annie Winson, British Geological Survey, UK
Community-driven natural hazard and physical vulnerability assessment – developing a collaborative understanding
Wednesday 23rd April 2025, 4 pm UK time
Register in advance for this webinar: https://ukri.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_jQPGz-PgTYOGepjgZhrtHQ
COMET+ Webinar
On 5th March 2025, COMET held a special webinar event to mark International Women’s Day, where we celebrated the work of three women scientists.
Rewatch at: COMET Webinar Series – UK Centre for Observation and Modelling of Earthquakes, Volcanoes and Tectonics
COMET Annual Report 2023/2024
The latest COMET Annual Report 2023/2024 is now available to view. Please click here.
COMET Webinars
UPCOMING…
12th February 2025
Dr Lin Shen, Columbia University, USA
Characterising seismic and volcanic hazards with advanced InSAR
Register in advance for this webinar: https://bristol-ac-uk.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_7fWvk94cT7en8anAn0viAQ
Watch the latest COMET+ and COMET webinars…
Dr Rita Kounoudis, University of Oxford, UK
Variable Thermal and Magmatic Modification of the East African Lithosphere
Stanley Yip, University of Leeds
Integrating measurements of deformation and degassing offers insights into magma compressibility and magmatic systems
Professor Tamsin Mather Elected Fellow of the Royal Society
Professor Tamsin Mather, COMET Scientist and Professor of Earth Sciences at the University of Oxford, is amongst the distinguished group of scientists who have been elected Fellows of the Royal Society this year.
Professor David Pyle awarded Geological Society Murchison Medal
COMET Scientist Professor David Pyle (University of Oxford) is the recipient of the 2024 Murchison Medal.
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.
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)
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 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: