2015

San Andreas May Be a 'Zipper' Fault

The San Andreas Fault super-imposed over the California landscape seen in a shuttle photo. Credit: Fuis, et al. A new exp…

Frictional heat dehydrates magma

The volcano Santiaguito in Guatemala. In contrast to the conventional view, new findings demonstrate that frictiona…

Researchers find evidence of cavity-dwelling microbial life from 3 billion years ago

Raman micro-spectroscopy. A, B: Thin section photomicrographs (left) and corresponding Raman intensity maps (right) of t…

Permian-Triassic Boundary Outcrop

Permian-Triassic Boundary Outcrop.This place is located at Austinmer, a coastal suburb between Sydney and Wollongong. …

Geologic formation could hold clues to melting glacier floodwaters

Geologists investigating an unusual landform in the Wabash River Valley in southern Illinois expected to find seismic…

Evidence of past volcanic activity in the Caribbean Sea

The Lesser Antilles island chain. Credit: Jacques Descloitres, MODIS Rapid Response Team, NASA/GSFC. Reconstructin…

Mystery of heat loss from the Earth's crust has been solved

Vent chimneys at the Von Damm Vent site. Credit: The National Oceanography Centre The first discovery of…

The Largest Tanzanite Crystal in the World

Photo credit TanzaniteOne  Tanzanite is the blue/violet variety of the mineral zoisite (a calcium aluminium hydroxyl…

Are Geologists Able to Drill to the Center of the Earth?

In a word, No. The center of the Earth is roughly 3,959 miles (6,371 km) down. The deepest hole that was ever drilled was …

Methane Emissions in Arctic Cold Season Higher Than Expected

Eddy covariance flux tower in winter in Atqasuk, Alaska, USA (Global Change Research Group, San Diego State University).…

Radioactive matter migrates more quickly through fractured carbonate rock

Natural radioactivity from uranium-bearing rock, N Saskatchewan. ( Researchers at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev …

Darwin's finches may face extinction

Mathematical simulations at the University of Utah show parasitic flies may spell extinction for Darwin's finches i…

Setting a new course for extracting uranium from seawater

Using high-energy X-rays, researchers discovered uranium is bound by adsorbent fibers in an unanticipated fashion. …

Gradients in the Earth's outermost core

Evidence that the outermost portion of the Earth’s core is stratified is provided by earthquake data reported by scient…

The Oldest Known Rock on Planet Earth

Fragment of Acasta gneiss The oldest intact rock found on Earth to date is from the Acasta Gneiss Complex of northwest…