August 22, 2017
Venturing into Argentina
We chose to spend most of our time on the Chilean side of Patagonia, although you could just as easily decide to spend your entire trip on the …
The EARTH archive
Geology
Explore the archive by subject.
1236 articles · Page 18 of 52
August 22, 2017
Travels in Geology: Patagonia: The ends of the earth
Certain place names conjure up a sense of remoteness that verges on the mythical: Timbuktu, Outer Mongolia, the Yukon. For me, prime among these …
August 17, 2017
Ancient wildfires suggest rising atmospheric oxygen helped end past ocean anoxia
Many times throughout Earth’s history, oxygen levels in the world’s oceans have decreased dramatically in episodes called oceanic anoxic events …
August 16, 2017
Getting there and getting around Bolivia's Antiplano
“Bolivia’s main gateway, El Alto International Airport (LPB), is located 13 kilometers southwest of the country’s capital, La Paz. It hosts …
August 16, 2017
Travels in Geology: Sky-high adventure on Bolivia's Altiplano
Nestled between two ranges of the rugged Andes Mountains, the Altiplano is a vast, windswept plateau that stretches more than 900 kilometers from …
August 16, 2017
Geologic Column: Musings on the autumn equinox
Last month, many of us in the U.S. celebrated a relatively rare event — a full solar eclipse. That event, and the fact that the metal roof of my …
August 16, 2017
Comment: A pitch to study BREW: The beer-renewable energy-water nexus
Over the past few years, the food-energy-water nexus has become trendy for multidisciplinary systems-level research as it ties together three of …
August 16, 2017
Down to Earth With: Paleontologist Lisa D. White
As a college student at San Francisco State University, Lisa D. White’s first choice of major was photography. She was drawn to landscapes, and …
August 15, 2017
Benchmarks: September 23, 1806: Lewis and Clark's Corps of Discovery returns from the West
It’s been called the greatest camping trip of all time. Statues, counties, waterways, mountains, military vessels, and even two colleges bear the …
August 15, 2017
Ice (Re)Cap: September 2017
From Antarctica to the Arctic; from polar caps, permafrost and glaciers to ocean-rafted sea ice; and from burly bears to cold-loving microbes, …
August 15, 2017
Dehydrated sediment layer made Sumatra quake stronger
Subduction zones are notorious for unleashing great earthquakes and tsunamis, such as the 2004 magnitude-9.1 Sumatra quake that caused shaking …
August 15, 2017
Reconstructing ancient oxidant levels and their climatic effects
Oxidants in the troposphere, such as ozone and hydroxyl radicals, influence the life spans of other atmospheric components, including pollutants …
August 11, 2017
Coatings may prevent pipeline clogs
When ice forms in household water pipes, blockages and expansion can cause the pipes to burst. Similar problems can arise in the transportation …
August 10, 2017
A mammoth king: Was the legend of King Hygelac in "Beowulf" inspired by a fossil find?
As far-fetched as it may seem, the death of a woolly mammoth thousands of years ago on an island in the Rhine-Meuse River Delta, near present-day …
August 10, 2017
Earthquakes make volcanoes more — and less — gassy
Triggering of volcanic emissions by earthquakes has been observed since antiquity. The Roman naturalist and philosopher Pliny the Elder proposed …
August 10, 2017
Transylvanian ice cave reveals European winter climate record
Over the last 10,000 years, water dripping into a cave in Transylvania has frozen into one of the largest and oldest cave glaciers in the world. …
August 10, 2017
Young Costa Rican lavas might reflect pockets of primordial mantle
During the Archean, between 4 billion and 2.5 billion years ago, Earth’s super-heated young mantle produced a unique type of lava known as …
July 21, 2017
Geologic Column: Alternative history: Earth in a funhouse mirror
Thanks to Kellyanne Conway, we have all become familiar with the term “alternative facts,” but how about alternative or counterfactual history? …
July 21, 2017
Down to Earth With: Cave microbiologist Hazel Barton
In the early 1990s, when Hazel Barton was pursuing her doctorate in medical microbiology at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center in …
July 19, 2017
Evidence of devastating drought found beneath the Dead Sea
The Dead Sea, a landlocked lake bordered by Israel, Jordan and Palestine, is nearly 10 times saltier than the ocean. And it’s getting saltier. …
July 19, 2017
Eavesdropping on Old Faithful
The Old Faithful geyser in Yellowstone National Park has erupted predictably within a 10-minute window every hour for more than 150 years, but …
July 19, 2017
Nineteenth-century cows muddied Southern California continental shelf
When offshore ecosystems deteriorate, scientists often look at changing ocean conditions, urban runoff or fishing as potential explanations. Cows …
July 18, 2017
Getting there and getting around Austria's Salzkammergut
“Salzburg boasts Austria’s second-busiest airport, with nonstop flights to cities throughout Europe and connecting flights to a number of North …
July 18, 2017
Travels in Geology: Austria's Salzkammergut: World heritage preserved in salt
In Austria’s famous salt district, the Salzkammergut, the long arc of European history, so palpable to North American visitors wherever they …