June 12, 2018
Mineral Resource of the Month: Sulfur
By Lori E. Apodaca, USGS mineral commodity specialist PRODUCTION GEOLOGIC OCCURRENCE Sulfur is one of the few elements found in elemental form in …
The EARTH archive
April 2018
Explore the archive by subject.
42 articles · Page 1 of 2
April 18, 2018
Geoscience on Film: Roadcuts and rockfalls in mountainous Mizoram
Doug Prose, formerly a geologist with the U.S. Geological Survey, has co-produced documentaries showcasing Earth and the geosciences with his …
April 11, 2018
Geomedia: Television: "One Strange Rock" is Superlative
If I only had one word to describe the new 10-part National Geographic documentary series “One Strange Rock,” produced by Darren Aronofsky and …
April 10, 2018
How Borneo got its elephants
Elephants may not seem like islanders, but a small population lives on the Southeast Asian island of Borneo. How and when the animals arrived on …
April 10, 2018
Lidar preserves record of destroyed theropod tracks
In 2011, the first theropod dinosaur tracks ever discovered in Arkansas were uncovered at an active gypsum quarry near Nashville in the …
April 10, 2018
Origins of plant photosynthesis illuminated
Photosynthesis, the process by which plants harness sunlight to make their food, is a defining feature of plants and an important evolutionary …
April 10, 2018
Radium levels suggest Arctic Ocean chemistry is changing
Rising temperatures have already caused changes in the Arctic environment, like diminishing sea ice and thawing permafrost. Now, it appears that …
April 10, 2018
Whatever happened to thagomizers and other tail weapons?
Stegosaurus wielded a spiked tail — dubbed a “thagomizer” by cartoonist Gary Larson and informally adopted by paleontologists — which the …
April 10, 2018
Hot tropics drove out ancient reptiles, but they came back
About 252 million years ago, massive volcanic eruptions in what is now Siberia rapidly warmed Earth, resulting in the end-Permian mass extinction …
April 10, 2018
Battery recycling underlies elevated lead in African soils
Of all the recycling industries in the world, lead-acid battery recycling is one of the most profitable — and one of the most toxic. In the U.S., …
April 10, 2018
Unprecedented exploration of undersea volcano yields surprising results
Underwater volcanic eruptions happen every day, but because of the vastness of the ocean and the great depth of water blocking the view, catching …
April 10, 2018
World's longest underwater cave found in Mexico
In January, scientists and underwater explorers working with the Great Maya Aquifer (Gran Acuífero Maya, or GAM) project discovered the world’s …
April 10, 2018
Down to Earth With: National Park Service senior paleontologist Vincent Santucci
When Vincent Santucci was hired in 1985 to work as a seasonal ranger in South Dakota’s Badlands National Park, he assumed the most formative part …
April 9, 2018
Getting there and getting around Oman
Oman’s main gateway is Muscat International Airport (MCT), which offers service to most major Middle Eastern and European cities. There are no …
April 9, 2018
Slumgullion: Colorado's natural 'lab' offers insights into landslides worldwide
In southwestern Colorado, a centuries-old “laboratory” looks out on the snowy peaks of the Lake City Caldera in a remote section of the San Juan …
April 9, 2018
From farm to filter: Restored wetlands remediate nitrogen pollution
Nitrogen giveth and nitrogen taketh away: It’s been estimated that roughly half of the world’s population today could not exist without nitrogen …
April 9, 2018
Geomedia: Books: Solar eclipses past, present and future
On Aug. 21, 2017, a total solar eclipse traversed across the United States, from the western coast of Oregon to the eastern shores of South …
April 3, 2018
Earth's "hum" heard at ocean bottom
Lapping waves or crashing surf may come to mind for most people when they imagine the sounds of the ocean. But the ocean has other voices as …
March 30, 2018
Where on Earth? - April 2018
Clues for April 2018: This 1.1-square-kilometer Alpine lake lies at an elevation of 1,578 meters and is part of the host mountain range’s first …
March 27, 2018
Geologic Column: Over the hills and far away
Tom, he was a piper’s son, He learnt to play when he was young, And all the tune that he could play Was “Over the Hills and Far Away." – …
March 23, 2018
Travels in Geology: Underground awe in France: The caves of the Causses
The Causses du Quercy Natural Regional Park, usually just called “the Causses” (pronounced like “coast” without the “t”), in south-central France …
March 23, 2018
Getting there and getting around the Causses
Toulouse is the best gateway to the Causses region. Toulouse-Blagnac Airport hosts plenty of flights to connecting cities in Europe, but no …
March 22, 2018
Pairing geoheritage and economic development: China's Guizhou Province offers a modern model
As I admired an immaculately preserved colony of 230-million-year-old crinoids lying next to an equally impressive skeleton of a sharp-toothed …
March 20, 2018
Acid rain triggered deadly Chinese landslide
On June 5, 2009, a catastrophic landslide killed 74 people in southwestern China. But a lack of recent earthquake activity or heavy rainfall left …