Geology
Earth’s Inner Core May Have an Inner Core
Echoes from earthquakes suggest that Earth’s solid inner core has its own core
Geology43 articles archived since 1845
Geology
Why Earth’s Inner Core May Be Slowing Down
The planet’s solid inner core might rotate at a different rate than the rest of the planet, and that rate might be changing
Geology
How Water Made Fire in an Indonesian Volcano
Heavy rains may have set off an outpouring of ash and gases from Indonesia’s volcano Semeru “like uncorking a soda bottle”
Geology
Why Mauna Loa and Other Hawaiian Volcanoes Are Different from Most
The magma that is fueling the first eruption of Hawaii’s Mauna Loa volcano in nearly 40 years is less likely to cause explosive effusions than magma at other volcanoes
Geology
Mauna Loa, Earth’s Largest Active Volcano, Just Woke Up after 38 Years
Hawaii’s Mauna Loa, the largest active volcano on Earth, erupted for the first time in nearly 40 years. Its eruptions tend to be shorter-lived than those of the other Big Island volcanoes, and its lava is more liquid and flows faster...
Geology
Hidden ‘Paleo Valleys’ Could Help California Survive Droughts
“Paleo valleys,” carved by ice age rivers and now underground, could provide spaces to recharge California’s depleted groundwater
Geology
The Milky Way’s Spiral Arms May Have Carved Earth’s Continents
A controversial new theory suggests the Milky Way galaxy’s arms sent comets hurtling toward early Earth, where impacts built new continental crust
Planetary Science
Extra Hard Space Diamonds May Have Formed in an Ancient Cosmic Collision
A new formation method for rare “lonsdaleite” diamonds may illuminate a better way to produce them on Earth
Geology
Ultra Rare Diamond Suggests Earth’s Mantle Has an Ocean’s Worth of Water
A diamond contains the only known sample of a mineral from Earth’s mantle—and hints at oceans’ worth of water hidden deep within our planet
Geology
New Classification Reveals Just How Many Ways Minerals Form
A huge number of minerals’ origins are tied to life on Earth
Geology
Ice-Covered Volcanoes Offer Secret Eruption Warning
Ice sheets amplify clues from Iceland’s hidden volcanoes
Natural Disasters
See Iceland Aglow in Volcanic Eruptions
A vivid look at Iceland’s recent resurgence of volcanic eruptions—and why the country could be in for 300 years of renewed volcanic activity
Engineering
Sandcastle Engineering: A Geotechnical Engineer Explains How Water, Air and Sand Create Solid Structures
Building the ultimate sandcastle
Geology
Backward-Flowing Rivers Can Destabilize Ice Shelves
“Estuaries” from the ocean onto the ice can cause fractures and contribute to sea-level rise
Geology
New Technology Monitors Collapsing Glaciers
Deep vibrations called infrasound can provide an early warning of ice avalanches’ speed and trajectory
Geology
Being LGBT in Geoscience Is like Being Invisible
For a field of science that has long recognized the need for diversity, geoscience has moved at a glacial pace to achieve it
Geology
New Mineral Discovered in Deep-Earth Diamond
The surprising find has never shown up in nature before and reveals secrets about the earth’s mantle
Geology
Thousands of Tiny ‘Ice Needles’ May Explain Mysterious Stone Patterns on Earth ... and Mars
These stunning patterns have an unlikely designer
Geology
Early Earth’s Slowing Rotation Helped Oxygen Build Up
The planet’s spin may have mediated critical atmospheric oxygen
Geology
Largest Known Undersea Volcanic Eruption Explains Odd Seismic Waves
Researchers tie the event to “swarm quakes” off the French island of Mayotte
