Outreach

unterirdisch - The Geo-Show with Johannes Büchs, Hanover, Germany, August 2023

The science-show "unterirdisch" was last held during the annual colloquium of the deep drilling program IODP (International Ocean Discovery Program) and ICDP (International Continental Scientific Drilling Program) on 30 August in Hanover. More than 600 school kids participated with great enthusiasm. The event took place in the main auditorium of the University of Hanover.

Together with German TV presenter Johannes Büchs, geoscientists such as Aglaja Blanke (GFZ Potsdam), Stephan Homrighausen (GEOMAR) and Sven Merseburger (University of Hanover) explained how the turbulent history of our planet can be tracked from drill cores and rock samples. The drill cores, obtained by kilometre-deep drilling into terrestrial and marine sediments, help to better understand e.g. tsunamis, volcanic eruptions, raw material potentials and the causes of climate change.

In addition the scientists reported vividly about life on board of a drilling vessel during the week-long expeditions. A special highlight of the show was a broadcast via live stream to the German research vessel SONNE in the Indian Ocean and to the world’s largest refrigerator, the drill core store at MARUM at the University of Bremen. Numerous prizes such as little minerals and fossils were given away in an interactive quiz.

The show was organized by the University of Hanover, the Federal Institute for Geosciences and Natural Resources (BGR), the German Research Foundation (DFG) and IODP and ICDP Germany.

The science-show "unterirdisch" is held annually at changing venues in connection with the IODP/ICDP colloquium.