Geology

Composition Of Earth's Mantle Revised

The makeup of the Earth's lower mantle, which makes up the largest part of the Earth by volume, is significantly different than previously thought. ...

Article - News Staff - Aug 26 2014 - 4:30pm

Ring Of Fire Tectonic Plate Is Cooling- And Shrinking

The tectonic plate that dominates the Pacific "Ring of Fire" is not as rigid as most assume, and it's getting less fiery. according to researchers at Rice University and the University of Nevada.  ...

Article - News Staff - Aug 27 2014 - 10:31am

Snail's Tales: The Rise And Fall Of The Tibetan Plateau

The rise of the Tibetan plateau, the largest topographic anomaly above sea level on Earth, is important for both its profound effect on climate and its reflection of continental dynamics. For a new study, Katharine Huntington and colleagues employed a cut ...

Article - News Staff - Aug 29 2014 - 1:00pm

Magma Plumes In The Earth's Interior Crack Continents

Researchers say that magma columns in the Earth's interior can cause continental breakup – under the right circumstances. In some parts of the Earth, material rises upwards like a column from the boundary layer of the Earth's core and the lower m ...

Article - News Staff - Sep 5 2014 - 6:00pm

When Bardarbunga Burps, Is Lava Far Behind?

ESA Satellites are showing clouds of sulfur dioxide exiting from Iceland’s Bardarbunga volcano. It may be mostly hidden underneath the Vatnajokull glacier in the center of the country but Bardarbunga isn't shy about saying hello, it has had up to 400 ...

Blog Post - Hank Campbell - Sep 10 2014 - 9:30am

Seismic Tension Building Near Istanbul

By tracking seismic shifts, researchers say they may be able to predict a major quake off the coast of Istanbul. When a segment of a major fault line goes quiet, it can mean one of two things- an inactive “seismic gap” which is the result of two tectonic p ...

Article - News Staff - Sep 10 2014 - 3:04pm

Younger Dryas: Microscopic Diamonds Suggest Cosmic Impact Caused It

American cars didn't cause all climate change, no matter what you may have read. Around 13,000 years ago, a sudden, catastrophic event caused drastic climate change and much of the Earth was plunged into a period of cold climatic conditions and droug ...

Article - News Staff - Sep 12 2014 - 8:00am

Life On Mars? Nakhla Martian Meteorite Has A Clue

A tiny fragment of Martian meteorite 1.3 billion years old contains a 'cell-like' structure, which investigators say once held water, according to findings published in Astrobiology. While investigating the Martian meteorite, known as Nakhla, Dr ...

Article - News Staff - Sep 15 2014 - 10:30am

Early Earth- Now A Lot Less Like Hell

The 500 million years after Earth formed were not the hot, lava-filled Hell commonly portrayed, it may have had oceans, continents and active crustal plates- a lot like we have today. This alternate view of Earth's first geologic eon, called the Hade ...

Article - News Staff - Sep 15 2014 - 2:00pm

The Wealth Under Afghanistan

Credit: Image of map courtesy of the USGS and composite image by Patricia Waldron By: Patricia Waldron, Inside Science (Inside Science)-- People living in Afghanistan have mined precious gems from their land, such as lapis lazuli, since the times of the E ...

Article - Inside Science - Sep 17 2014 - 7:00am