February 15, 2018
Meteorite impacts may have kick-started ancient subduction
Earth in the Hadean Eon, between 4.56 billion and 4 billion years ago, was much too hot to support active plate tectonics as we know it today, …
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1236 articles · Page 14 of 52
February 15, 2018
Coal formation nearly froze Earth
Burning coal releases carbon dioxide, which warms the planet when the gas escapes into the air. On the flip side, coal formation sequesters …
February 9, 2018
Greenland's growing deltas: Combining historical and modern imagery to decode change in a telltale Arctic landscape
Greenland’s rivers are impressive, with fast, powerful flows of turbulent, milky waters descending from glaciers of the Greenland Ice Sheet, …
February 5, 2018
Double-dip La Nina blamed for Colorado's dry winter
In January 2017, skiers at Wolf Creek Ski Area in southern Colorado were enjoying a base snow depth of more than 350 centimeters — enough snow to …
January 22, 2018
No river meant no floods for ancient Indus settlements
Large Middle Eastern rivers like the Nile, Tigris, Euphrates and Tiber were critical for the development of early urban societies in Egypt, …
January 16, 2018
Geologic Column: Travels with Claudia: Rediscovering America
Claudia and I have been traveling together since we got married in February 1965. That summer and the following summer, she graciously agreed to …
January 16, 2018
Travels in Geology: Las Vegas: The scenery beyond the slots
Known for its dazzling neon lights, mega-casinos with nonstop gambling, high-end shopping and restaurants, and marquee shows, Las Vegas is an …
January 16, 2018
Mediterranean drawdown may have caused burst of volcanism
Between 5 million and 6 million years ago, during an event known as the Messinian Salinity Crisis (MSC), large amounts of seawater evaporated …
January 12, 2018
Benchmarks: February 12, 1986: France and the U.K. sign the Treaty of Canterbury, paving the way for the Chunnel
Since the tunnel connecting Britain and France beneath the English Channel opened in 1994, more than 390 million people and 320 million metric …
January 12, 2018
Looking under Lusi: Indonesian mud volcano linked to nearby volcanic complex
On May 29, 2006, a massive mud eruption in East Java, Indonesia, began spewing as much as 180,000 cubic meters — the volume of 72 Olympic-sized …
January 12, 2018
Geomedia: Books: Putting 'Seeds on Ice' to protect crop diversity
“Tucked away, deep underground, in a frozen corner of the Scandinavian north is the safety net for our food supply. The Global Seed Vault, on the …
January 12, 2018
Fossil reefs show sea level rose in bursts
Off the coast of Texas, a collection of fossil coral reefs sits under 60 meters of water — relics from 20,000 years ago, when the sea surface was …
January 12, 2018
Ice age didn't freeze Florida's category 5 hurricanes
A new study looking at turbidites off the coast of Florida shows that category 5 hurricanes may still have battered Florida even during the …
January 12, 2018
Mineral Resource of the Month: Titanium
by George M. Bedinger, USGS mineral commodity specialist PRODUCTION GEOLOGIC OCCURENCE Titanium is the ninth-most abundant element in Earth’s …
January 11, 2018
Mineral Resource of the Month: Zinc
by Christine Thomas, USGS mineral commodity specialist PRODUCTION GEOLOGIC OCCURENCE “Zinc is a ubiquitous element occurring in many rocks in …
January 11, 2018
Mineral Resource of the Month: Strontium
by Sheryl Singerling, USGS mineral commodity specialist PRODUCTION GEOLOGIC OCCURENCE Two strontium-bearing minerals, celestite (strontium …
January 11, 2018
Mineral Resource of the Month: Silicon
by Emily Schnebele, USGS mineral commodity specialist PRODUCTION GEOLOGIC OCCURENCE Almost 30 percent of Earth’s crust consists of silicon, the …
January 11, 2018
Mineral Resource of the Month: Fluorspar
By Michele E. McRae, USGS mineral commodity specialist PRODUCTION GEOLOGIC OCCURENCE Fluorspar, or fluorite, occurs in a variety of geological …
January 10, 2018
Congress mulls options for abandoned mines legislation
Amid the well-publicized discussions over healthcare, tax reform, the federal budget and disaster aid in summer and fall 2017, a quieter …
January 10, 2018
Beavers preserve wetlands in water-stressed areas
Once considered detrimental to ecosystems and nuisances where, for example, dams flooded farmland, beavers have been rhetorically touted in …
January 10, 2018
Isotopes suggest ancient turquoise mine was prolific
Few minerals are more iconic in the Desert Southwest than turquoise. The blue-green gemstone, which offers a stark contrast to the dusty red …
January 10, 2018
Unexpected nanoparticles trace coal pollution
Coal burning produces an array of chemicals and particulates that, when released into the atmosphere, contribute to pollution, poor air quality …
January 9, 2018
Mediterranean tsunami record may be overreported
Tsunamis are one of the most destructive natural hazards on Earth, sometimes even upstaging the major earthquakes that send the waves surging …
January 9, 2018
Small warm ponds: Ideal incubators for first life?
The first embers of life are thought to have emerged on Earth between 4.5 billion and 3.7 billion years ago, but how and where the initial sparks …