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For those who missed the session, Amy shares the science behind the tower and insights into the incredible journey of our planet’s atmosphere.
🧪 What are the main gases that make up our atmosphere today, and how is that different from the past?
Dr Amy Gentry:
“The atmosphere today is composed mainly of nitrogen (78%) and oxygen (21%) with some argon (0.9%) and then the rest is a mixture of different gases including greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide, but it hasn’t always been this way! The Earth is four and half billion years old and in that time the Earth and its atmosphere has changed dramatically. Going back to the early years of the planet, the primordial atmosphere was composed primarily of water vapour and carbon dioxide (and no oxygen) but as the planet evolved it had huge impacts on the atmosphere but as the atmosphere changed, this then caused huge changes for the planet! Our workshop at the Festival of Geology 2025 explored how the planet has transformed over billions of years on our journey through geological time.”
🧱 What was in each “layer” of the tower you built at the Festival?
Dr Amy Gentry:
“The “tumbling tower of time” that we built as part of our workshop was split into periods of geological time and the challenge was not only to get them all in the right order, but to build the tower carefully to make sure it didn’t fall down! We explored all the different periods of geological time, how long they were and how the planet has changed throughout the eons.”
🌍 How does studying the ancient atmosphere help scientists understand climate change today?
Dr Amy Gentry:
“Understanding the planets past is very important to understanding the planets future. Learning how the planet’s atmosphere and climate has changed throughout Earth’s history helps us understand how the Earth system works and we can see how much faster climate change is changing today.”
About GeoBus
GeoBus is a free virtual outreach programme run by UCL Earth Sciences, bringing Earth science alive for classrooms across the UK. Designed to spark curiosity and support STEM learning, GeoBus workshops cover everything from volcanoes and earthquakes to fossils and climate change.
Since launching in 2016, GeoBus has inspired thousands of young people through interactive, curriculum-linked activities—no actual bus required!
