September 21, 2015
Kennewick Man related to modern Native Americans
After two decades of controversy surrounding the origins of Kennewick Man — a 9,000-year-old skeleton found on the banks of the Columbia River in …
The EARTH archive
October 2015
Explore the archive by subject.
44 articles · Page 2 of 2
September 21, 2015
Ancient asteroids boiled Earth's oceans
The asteroid that wiped out the remaining dinosaurs — save for the avian variety — 66 million years ago was roughly 10 kilometers wide. Long …
September 21, 2015
Source of Red Sea's mysterious cannon earthquakes revealed
For decades, people living along Egypt’s Red Sea coast have reported hearing loud blasts accompanying the small earthquakes that regularly jolt …
September 21, 2015
Aerosols help mitigate ill effects of Amazon fires
Forest fires across the Amazon Basin — many of which are set intentionally to clear land for human use — burn thousands of square kilometers each …
September 21, 2015
Dinosaurs used the same nests repeatedly
Fossil dinosaur eggs and nests offer clues about dinosaur development and behavior: Based on past work, for example, scientists have thought that …
September 18, 2015
Energy Notes: March 2014-2015
U.S. Oil & Petroleum Imports (million of barrels per day) ' Oil and petroleum imports data are preliminary numbers taken from the American …
September 18, 2015
Mineral Resource of the Month: Iodine
Emily K. Schnebele, a mineral commodity specialist for the U.S. Geological Survey, compiled the following information on iodine, which is …
September 17, 2015
Step one: Soil testing
The first step in planning a community or backyard garden should always be to get the soil tested, getting a read on not only pH and nutrient …
September 17, 2015
Down to Earth With: Glaciologist Erin Pettit
If it has to do with frozen water, Erin Pettit has probably studied it. As an associate professor of geology and geophysics at the University of …
September 4, 2015
Toxic Gardens: The long legacy of urban lead
From a toxicological point of view, soaring lead levels in the home environment represented one of America’s lowest points — but efforts to …
September 4, 2015
Sculpting the Alps
Mountains typically get steeper the higher you climb. The European Alps are an exception: Beginning at altitudes between about 1,500 and 2,000 …
September 4, 2015
Declining U.S. water use a challenge for models
Americans are using less water today than they have at any time since 1970, according to a report by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), which has …
September 3, 2015
Vital seconds: The journey toward earthquake early warning for all
It is a cool foggy morning in San Mateo, Calif. A small ray of light has just peeked through my window. I listen to the birds chirping as I …
September 3, 2015
Getting there and getting around Hells Canyon
The closest major airports to Hells Canyon are Missoula, Mont., Boise, Idaho, and Spokane, Wash. If you book a multiday trip with a reputable …
September 3, 2015
Damming the salmon
In the 1940s, the state of Idaho decided that the Salmon River would be left to flow freely while the Snake would be developed for hydroelectric …
September 2, 2015
Travels in Geology: Rafting the Pacific Northwest's heavenly Hells Canyon
Why would you ever visit a place called Hells Canyon? Especially given how hard it is to get there: Few roads and only steep, difficult trails …
September 2, 2015
Jelly volcano reveals eruption trigger
What makes a volcano erupt? Over the years, scientists have proposed a litany of potential triggers, but there’s always room for one more. With …
September 2, 2015
Injection experiment offers new view of fluid-filled faults
Scientists have known since the late 1960s that injecting fluids underground can cause earthquakes if those fluids find their way into slip-prone …
September 2, 2015
Gender equity in dino bones
Modern birds like cardinals and peacocks offer some of the most dramatic examples of sexual dimorphism on Earth, with males and females varying …
September 2, 2015
Ancient floods degassed Lake Kivu
The deep, cold waters of Lake Kivu — a stratified volcanic lake in the East African Rift Valley on the border of Rwanda and the Democratic …