geology
Cracking a mystery about Vesta, our solar system’s second largest asteroid
How did the troughs form?
Earth’s first puff of oxygen may be thanks to volcanoes
Scientists track down a puzzling early burst of oxygen on Earth.
Explaining a billion-year gap in the fossil record
A puzzling — and huge — break in the geological record finally might be explained.
New research solves the mystery of magnetic moon rocks brought back on Apollo
Surrounding Earth is a powerful magnetic field created by swirling liquid iron in the planet’s core. Earth’s magnetic field may be nearly as old as the Earth itself – and […]
The magnetosphere waxes and wanes every 200 million years
Yes, the magnetosphere is weakening. It does that from time to time.
The most terrifying pterosaur yet is discovered
Meet your new flying nightmare: Thapunngaka shawi.
How to take Earth’s inner temperature with erupted sea glass
Scientists look to erupted sea glass — lava that erupted in the ocean and was instantly chilled by the surrounding water — to take Earth's temperature.
Earth’s solid metal inner core is growing more on one side than the other
The eastern inner core located beneath Indonesia's Banda Sea is growing faster than the western side beneath Brazil.
Ancient Greek military ship found in legendary, submerged Egyptian city
Long before Alexandria became the center of Egyptian trade, there was Thônis-Heracleion. But then it sank.
A comet impact may have paved the way for human civilization
The Younger Dryas impact hypothesis argues that a comet strike caused major changes to climate and human cultures on Earth about 13,000 years ago.
Rumbling: New Zealand supervolcano needs to be monitored
The Taupo volcano was responsible for one of the most violent eruptions on record.
New crystal produced with gunpowder is stronger than diamond
Scientists created the mineral lonsdaleite in a lab and tested its strength using sound waves — before it was obliterated.
Cause of worst mass extinction ever found
A new study reveals what caused most life on Earth to die out during the end-Permian extinction, also known as the Great Dying.
Every 27.5 million years, the Earth’s heart beats catastrophically
Geologists discover a rhythm to major geologic events.
Massive fossil find in California includes mastodon, petrified forest
Mastodons, rhinos, and even camels — all in the great state of California.
Tarantulas: How 120-million-year-old creatures conquered the globe
A study from Carnegie Mellon University tracks the travels of tarantulas since the Cretaceous period.
‘Hidden’ magma pools under volcanoes may pose alarming eruption threats
A recent study of Iceland's Krafla volcanic caldera suggests hidden magma pools may be lurking under many of the world's volcanic systems.
A new warning sign to predict volcanic eruptions?
Satellite imagery can help better predict volcanic eruptions by monitoring changes in surface temperature near volcanoes.
Rain, caves, and miracles: New study connects weather to ancient tales
A new study provides a possible scientific explanation for the existence of stories about ancient saints performing miracles with water.
Did Earth eat the protoplanet it crashed into long ago?
A new study makes a compelling case for the origin of unexplained masses of underground rock causing changes to the Earth's magnetic field.
Lightning may have provided a key mineral for early life on Earth
How do you get usable phosphorus into a system? A new study suggests lightning can do the trick.
Humans still similar to first animals without heads, arms, or skeletons
555-million-year-old oceanic creatures share genes with today's humans, finds a new study.
Stonehenge stones came from an even older Welsh stone circle
Waun Maun was an ancient Welsh stone circle that had an awful lot in common with Stonehenge.
New animation shows a billion years of continental drift
A new model of plate tectonics offers a chance to look back a billion years with new found accuracy.
A 62-year-old Russian mystery (and conspiracy theory) has been solved
Some mysteries take generations to unfold.
Mars had up to 20 separate ice ages, discover scientists
A new study analyzed Martian glaciers to discover that the planet had numerous ice ages.
NASA images of Mars reveal largest canyon in the solar system
Valles Marineris on Mars is 10 times longer and three times deeper than Earth's Grand Canyon.
Four scenarios for the next supercontinent
The arc of geological history is long, but it bends towards supercontinents – so, what will the next one look like?
Study finds surprising link between the Moon and methane leaks in the Arctic
Researchers from Norway discover that the Moon's tides influence the release of methane from the ocean floor.
Ancient Puebloans used ice caves to survive droughts
Carbon dating allows us to know exactly when ice was melted for drinking water in pre-Columbian America.