August 19, 2014
New climate record challenges ideas about recent glaciations
Predicting how a changing climate and rising sea levels might impact humans in the future requires an understanding of how Earth has changed in …
The EARTH archive
Geology
Explore the archive by subject.
1236 articles · Page 46 of 52
August 19, 2014
R.I.P. Nereus
Nereus, the United States’ only full-ocean-depth submersible, was lost at sea on May 10, 2014. The unmanned and remotely operated vehicle was …
August 19, 2014
Nutrient runoff feeding Baltic Sea dead zone
Low-oxygen, or hypoxic, deep waters now extend over an area of about 60,000 square kilometers in the Baltic Sea, a tenfold increase compared to …
August 19, 2014
Mississippi sand still abundant
Flood control measures along the Mississippi River have likely saved countless lives, but the effects of upstream dams and containment on the …
August 19, 2014
Natural arsenic levels in Ohio soils exceed regulatory standards
A new study in which all 842 soil samples taken in Ohio had more arsenic than recommended by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) raises the …
August 12, 2014
Africa's impact is one that even the dinosaurs would have seen coming
The crater left by the infamous Chicxulub asteroid responsible for finishing off the dinosaurs about 65 million years ago, was more than 19 …
August 8, 2014
Floating nuclear plants may be safer from tsunamis
On March 11, 2011, a magnitude-9 earthquake just off the coast of Tohoku, Japan, set off a devastating tsunami that swamped the Fukushima Daiichi …
August 8, 2014
Sunken logs a delicacy for ocean bottom-feeders
Wood isn’t often on the menu for deep sea-dwelling critters, but for some species, there’s nothing like a tasty tree stump for dinner. Five years …
August 8, 2014
Volcanic ash feed southern ocean plankton
Ash plumes from volcanoes in South America and elsewhere may spur large blooms of plankton in otherwise barren parts of the Southern Ocean, but …
August 8, 2014
The subcontinent's sturdy mammals
India is home to some hardy mammals, according to a new study in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Researchers reported that 20 of …
August 8, 2014
Extra rib may be sign of mammoth decline
High rates of a congenital defect in woolly mammoths may offer evidence that inbreeding and environmental stress contributed to the animals’ …
August 8, 2014
South American fossils offer revised view of Gondwana assembly
Fossils of a known age have been found for the first time in rocks in Brazil that, although long-studied, had previously eluded scientists’ …
August 8, 2014
Warm river water melted Arctic sea ice
In September 2012, the area of the Arctic Ocean covered by sea ice was the smallest on record since satellite monitoring began in 1979. Several …
August 8, 2014
Longer season for Rocky Mountain wildflowers
A nearly 40-year study of Rocky Mountain wildflower phenology has found that almost two-thirds of species have changed their blooming patterns in …
August 8, 2014
Acid oceans followed Chicxulub impact
Within days after the massive Chicxulub impact that ended the Cretaceous Period 65.5 million years ago, a deluge of acid rain may have turned …
August 7, 2014
The Bay Area's next 'big one' could strike as a series of quakes
Californians are bracing for when the San Andreas Fault unleashes the next “big one,” but a new study looking at the paleoseismic history of the …
August 7, 2014
Valley fever's deadly history
The earliest recorded case of coccidioidomycosis was documented in Argentina in 1892, when a soldier was diagnosed with what was first thought to …
August 7, 2014
Valley Fever an occupational hazard for geoscientists
Geoscientists should take precautions against contracting Valley Fever — a sometimes-fatal infection with no known cure and no vaccine that is …
August 7, 2014
How to keep the flows out: Build a wall
The upper northern slopes of Mauna Loa are a painter’s palette of red, brown and black lava rocks. A cluster of scientific buildings composing …
August 7, 2014
Kilauea vs. Mauna Loa
In the 19th century, Mauna Loa was the most active volcano in the world. Today, Kilauea is the star. Tourism agencies, journalists, civil …
August 7, 2014
Changing the landscape: Geoscientists embrace 3-D printing
In a modest, low-slung room tucked in the back of Oregon State University’s Pacific Slope Archaeological Laboratory, a small box sits quietly …
August 4, 2014
Getting there & getting around the Aussie Outback
The Red Center’s gateway airports are Alice Springs and Ayers Rock/Uluru. Neither hosts direct flights from the U.S. but both are well connected …
August 4, 2014
Travels in Geology: Aussie Outback Adventure
Australia, having experienced little recent tectonic activity, is the world’s lowest and flattest continent on average. But don’t take that to …
August 4, 2014
Down to Earth With: Chris Strong
Being a weatherman is sometimes a thankless job, particularly when forecasts don’t pan out as expected. But the two-fold task of meteorologists — …