March 2016

Unraveling a geological mystery using lasers from space

Shaped like an upturned boat, drumlin hills (pictured above) are found clustered together in their hundreds and thousa…

USGS: Risk of 2016 quake increases, especially in Oklahoma

This image provided by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) shows the USGS forecast for damage from natural and induced eart…

Alaska volcano ash cloud covers 400 miles, cancels flights

Pavlof Volcano in Alaska Erupts With Massive Ash Cloud A “red” level aviation alert has been issued following the …

Lavacicle Caves

The Geology of Lavacicle Caves. Stalactites in Arnarker lava tube Icelandic cave Lavacicle Caves The generic …

Pink Meteorite Reveals Rare Unstable Element

Close-up of a meteorite sample, showing a ceramic-like refractory inclusion (in pink). Refractory inclusions are the olde…

Ancient Super-eruptions in Yellowstone Hotspot Track 'Significantly Larger' Than Expected

Ancient Super-eruptions in Yellowstone Hotspot Track 'Significantly Larger' Than Expected. The volcanic ashfall re…

Making magma helps researchers understand volcanoes

Making magma helps researchers understand volcanoes The best way to figure out how something is made is to take it ap…

The Difference Between Minerals and Crystals

Minerals and crystals are two terms that are often used interchangeably, but they have slightly different meanings. Mine…

What Are the Benefits of Volcanoes?

What Are the Benefits of Volcanoes? The Paluweh volcano; Copyright: Tom Pfeiffer. Volcanoes are renowned for their d…

The Oldest Mountains on Earth

Barberton Mountain Land Most scientists agree that the Barberton Greenstone Belt in South Africa is the oldest moun…

Australian Geologists Discover Meteorite Older Than Earth

A meteorite fragment believed to be older than Earth itself has been discovered in Australia, and it almost washed away befo…

New Form of Carbon Is Harder than Diamonds

Diamond is the ultimate gemstone For those looking for cheap diamonds, they might want to cozy up to researchers at …