August 21, 2015
Ocean 'sneezes' spread algae-infecting virus
Microscopic phytoplankton, or microalgae, permeate ocean surfaces, sometimes forming huge blooms visible from space. Nutrient concentrations in …
The EARTH archive
September 2015
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42 articles · Page 2 of 2
August 21, 2015
Seismometers listen for falling rocks
Scores of natural rockfalls occur in California’s Yosemite Valley every year, often with little or no advance warning, posing hazards to people …
August 21, 2015
Oldest birds unearthed in China
The discovery of two well-preserved fossils in the Sichakou Basin of northeastern China has pushed back the known evolutionary record of birds by …
August 21, 2015
Ancient marine reptiles born alive and ready to hunt
Mosasaurs, giant marine reptiles found in all the world’s oceans during the Late Cretaceous, may have reached up to 18 meters in length, and they …
August 21, 2015
Earth-like atmosphere enough to set some exoplanets spinning
Earth is “Exhibit A” in showing that planetary rotation — which moderates global climate, keeps a lot of water in liquid form and generally makes …
August 21, 2015
Map shows where lightning zaps most
Lightning strikes far more often over land than sea and is more concentrated closer to the equator — both testaments to the greater atmospheric …
August 21, 2015
De-evolving the bird beak
The transition from dinosaurs with snouts to birds with beaks was a pivotal change in the evolution of dinosaurs into birds during the Late …
August 20, 2015
Comment: Exoplanets: Life on the Terminator
Small, cool, red dwarf stars are the most abundant type of star in the universe and compose most of our stellar neighborhoods. Red dwarfs also …
August 20, 2015
Energy Notes: February 2014-2015
U.S. Oil & Petroleum Imports (million of barrels per day) ' Oil and petroleum imports data are preliminary numbers taken from the American …
August 20, 2015
Mineral Resource of the Month: Bromine
Emily K. Schnebele, mineral commodity specialist for the U.S. Geological Survey, compiled the following information on bromine, which is …
August 20, 2015
Geologic Column: September 26, 1774: The man, the myth, the legend of Johnny Appleseed is born
You’ve probably heard about Johnny Appleseed, who, according to story and song, spread his apple seeds across America’s Midwest. But, unlike …
August 20, 2015
Down to Earth With: Engineer Jeffrey Bielicki
With degrees in mechanical engineering, business administration and public administration from a variety of prestigious universities, one might …
August 6, 2015
Geomedia: Toys: LEGO® geoscientists break through the brick ceiling
Many adults probably remember the childhood fun of LEGO® toys, the plastic bricks from which you could build forts, cars, houses, planes, cities …
August 6, 2015
Closing a gap in the tetrapod fossil record
The story of how fish evolved into four-legged land animals called tetrapods has long been left incomplete by a 15-million-year gap in the fossil …
August 6, 2015
Fate of atolls not necessarily tied to sea-level rise
The western Pacific Ocean is home to many atolls: rings of low-lying islands built from calcite sands and the erosional remnants of coral reefs. …
August 6, 2015
Thorny plant marks West African diamond deposits
Editor’s note: This story was updated on Oct. 9, 2015, to fix an error in the size of the kimberlite pipe. West Africa is famous for diamonds, …
August 6, 2015
Trip-planning resources
If you are thinking of making one or more of your field trips accessible, the International Association for Geoscience Diversity (IAGD), an …
August 6, 2015
Geology for everyone: Making the field accessible
On Oct. 18, 2014, at the annual meeting of the Geological Society of America (GSA) in Vancouver, British Columbia, the society hosted, for the …