Three Sisters of Glencoe in autumn, Credit: Milena Farajewicz/Geological Society – First prize

The Geological Society has announced its 2017 winners for the Earth Science Week photography competition ‘Our Restless Earth’.

The competition asked for images featuring the geology of the UK and Ireland on a theme of the moving and changing earth.

Milena Farajewicz took first place with ‘Three sisters of Glencoe in autumn,’ while second place went to Emma Smith for ‘Clifftop bowling overlooking Loch Maree.’

Retired geologist Kevin Privett took third place for ‘Limestone weathering, Gower,’ which is a close up image of a limestone formation taken in the Gower Peninsula.

Limestone weathering, Credit: Kevin Privett/Geological Society, EOS 100D with Canon EFS 18-135mm zoom,  1/200sec at f/6.3, ISO 200 – Third place

Kevin told Amateur Photographer: “I’ve always been interested in abstract and looking at the shapes of the rocks, so I took a few shots of the grey rock.”

“When you start looking closer, you start seeing the textures, the faults and the erosion – the little details,” he added. “Anyone can see them but I like to think I understand them as well and that gives me more satisfaction because I know what’s going on.”

The photography competition is part of The Geological Society’s Earth Science Week, which tries to promote geology to new audiences.

Kevin emphasised the importance of this: “With all these issues of global warming and climate change, volcanos, landslips and mudflows and all these things that are in the news, understanding geology is paramount to understanding how you deal with these ‘geo-hazards’ and you’ve got to do it properly.

“If people are interested in these things, then they care about them. If they’re not then they don’t.”

Clifftop bowling overlooking Loch Maree, Credit: Emma Smith/Geological Society – Second place

The winning images highlight the dynamic processes, which have shaped landscapes through the Earth’s tectonic history across the UK and Ireland.

The top 12 winning images will all feature in a 2018 calendar alongside being displayed at the Geological Society throughout October.

See the other ‘Our Restless Earth’ winning shots below.


Lulworth Crumple, Credit: Mark Godden/Geological Society

Connemara National Park, County Galway, Credit: Ankit Verma/Geological Society

Midges and rain, Glencoe, Credit: Mark Ainsley/Geological Society

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Laminated sandstones on Gullane beach, Credit: Milena Farajewicz/Geological Society

Assynt, Credit: Timothy Gregory/Geological Society

Sand Blown, Bridport West Bay, Credit: Giordano Battistel/Geological Society

‘Subterranean’ – White Scar Caves, Yorkshire, Credit: Gina Williams/Geological Society

Mam Tor, Credit: Wayne Brittle/Geological Society

‘The Amphitheatre’ near Giant’s Causeway, Credit: Nigel Bell/Geological Society