November 15, 2016
Coral Reef Roundup: December 2016
With multiple threats facing our coral reefs — from climate change to overfishing — and scientists continually studying the coral reefs beneath …
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1236 articles · Page 24 of 52
November 15, 2016
Nutrient deficiency delayed life after mass extinction
After Earth’s most severe mass extinction, life took up to 9 million years to recover — millions of years longer than after other extinction …
November 15, 2016
Small-scale factors influence mantle flow under the seafloor
In December 2011, scientists and technicians aboard the research vessel Marcus G. Langseth dropped several ocean-bottom seismometers into the …
November 15, 2016
Tilted Himalayan temples hold clues to past shaking
The Himalayan Mountains have not been raised gently. The ongoing collision between India and Asia that has uplifted the highest mountain range on …
November 15, 2016
Cloud feedbacks drive climate sensitivity
Fly over the tropical or subtropical oceans and you’ll see a white blanket of clouds covering the blue-green water. These low clouds, typically …
November 15, 2016
Why tectonic plates lurch forward when they break
When continents rift, they often do so slowly at first, but then they can suddenly speed up. Why they suddenly go faster instead of rifting at a …
November 15, 2016
Ancient plankton communities stressed before mass extinction
Changes in our modern ecosystems, such as declines in biodiversity and invasive species, are similar to those that preceded the first of Earth’s …
November 7, 2016
The path to gypsum is four steps long
Drywall and plasters made from both natural and manufactured gypsum are commonly used in home and building construction around the world, in part …
October 20, 2016
Persistent Pacific warmth overshadows El Niño
The El Niño of 2015–2016, dubbed a “super El Niño,” was officially declared over in May, bringing to a close one of the strongest El Niño events …
October 20, 2016
Frosted forams foil radiocarbon dating
Climate studies often rely on radiocarbon dating of tiny shells in seafloor sediments to pinpoint the timing of when warming or cooling events …
October 20, 2016
Geologic Column: Digital divorce!
My desire to postpone mental aging by writing Geologic Columns for EARTH got me thinking about the impact of the digital revolution. Our …
October 20, 2016
Comment: Understanding Earth in the wider sense of science
“It isn’t easy being an organism. In the whole universe, as far as we yet know, there is only one place, an inconspicuous outpost of the Milky …
October 20, 2016
Down to Earth With: Volcanologist Kayla Iacovino
When Kayla Iacovino enrolled as a freshman at Arizona State University in 2005, she thought she might become an astronaut. But, after a field …
October 18, 2016
Toad behavior linked to climate change
Fowler’s toads — listed as endangered in Canada — hibernate for eight months to escape harsh winter conditions. They bury themselves up to a …
October 18, 2016
New magma chamber discovered beneath New Zealand
New Zealand is no stranger to volcanism, but a newly discovered magma chamber 9.5 kilometers below the surface was an unexpected find for …
October 18, 2016
Cave dripwater records wildfires
Water seeps through soil and bedrock before dripping from the roof of a cave and carries with it elements of the outside world and its climate …
October 17, 2016
Electric fields lift dust into the air at massive scales
During the Dust Bowl of the 1930s, black blizzards of dust enveloped the Great Plains, destroying crops. When farmers heard a crackling sound …
October 14, 2016
When Earth hit the reset button on life: New research on the Permian-Triassic mass extinction
About five years ago, paleobiologist Matthew Clapham was walking along Panther Beach on California’s coast when something caught his eye. He …
October 14, 2016
Today's weather forecast: Good with a strong chance of improvement
When people look to their phones, computers or TVs for weather forecasts, they want the forecasts to be accurate and timely. What goes into …
September 28, 2016
Ancient landslide gave us Zion Canyon
It took about 20 seconds for the Sentinel rock landslide to tumble into Zion Canyon, but those seconds changed the landscape for thousands of …
September 27, 2016
Travel specs
Booking a climb up Kilimanjaro can be a little daunting. I recommend first figuring out your climbing details and then figuring out how you will …
September 27, 2016
Celebrity climb
One billion people are without access to clean water today. When glacial deposits like the one atop Kilimanjaro melt away, that number will …
September 27, 2016
Travels in Geology: Climbing Mount Kilimanjaro: From parasitic cones to equatorial glaciers
Zahra Hirji Against the backdrop of a clear blue sky, Mount Kilimanjaro stands still and tall, posed above Tanzania as if modeling for a …
September 22, 2016
Travels in Geology: The Midwest's Little Egypt
Lots of people may be delaying the family vacation this year, waiting for rosier economic times. Road trips, however, might still be in the …