The EARTH archive
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37 articles · Page 1 of 2
January 11, 2019
In the middle of the Atlantic, 1,600 kilometers off the coast of Portugal, lie the Azores, an archipelago comprising nine remote islands, each …
December 21, 2018
Lunar observers have long noted mysterious “swirls,” patterns of alternating bright and dark shading, adorning the lunar surface. The popular …
September 10, 2018
An active volcano in central Ecuador may be the largest musical instrument on Earth: After eruptions in 2015, Cotopaxi’s newly configured crater …
August 3, 2018
Hawaii seems like an ideal place to nurture a budding volcanologist. Kilauea, on the Big Island, is one of the world’s most active volcanoes. And …
July 3, 2018
Most iron ore comes from sedimentary deposits. However, a sizeable minority is mined from volcanic rocks, including those found along the Coastal …
July 3, 2018
In recent years, volcanic activity at Nicaragua’s Masaya Volcano has been relatively benign, with small eruptive episodes occasionally producing …
June 5, 2018
With a little imagination, it’s not hard to see a natural hazard map of Indonesia as a dartboard with many bull’s-eyes. Throw a dart anywhere in …
April 10, 2018
Underwater volcanic eruptions happen every day, but because of the vastness of the ocean and the great depth of water blocking the view, catching …
January 12, 2018
On May 29, 2006, a massive mud eruption in East Java, Indonesia, began spewing as much as 180,000 cubic meters — the volume of 72 Olympic-sized …
November 15, 2017
Most of the world’s lithium is mined in South America and Australia. New research suggests that the United States may have its own untapped …
October 18, 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, …
October 13, 2017
The 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens was a pivotal event in the geologic careers of many volcanologists. Maybe it drove them to the geosciences, …
October 3, 2017
Kilauea Volcano, on Hawaii’s Big Island, has been erupting continuously since 1983, mostly releasing relatively slow-moving lava flows, although …
September 18, 2017
When it comes to U.S. volcanoes, most people think of Hawaii, Alaska, or Mount St. Helens and Mount Rainier in the Pacific Northwest. Ask them …
June 22, 2017
Volcanoes never cease to fill me with awe. Volcanism has been a part of Earth’s history since the planet formed about 4.6 billion years ago, and …
May 17, 2017
With two rovers patrolling the surface of Mars, six spacecraft orbiting above it, and scientists here on Earth studying the Red Planet from afar, …
May 15, 2017
Changbaishan Volcano in northeastern China, on the border with North Korea (where it’s known as Mount Paektu), is steeped in superstition, having …
April 27, 2017
Earth has numerous volcanoes, both active and extinct — some of which continue to tower over landscapes long after they finished erupting. On the …
March 29, 2017
Eruptions from seafloor volcanoes and cycles of global glaciations may seem unrelated, but new research suggests otherwise, indicating that …
March 23, 2017
Few destinations are as steeped in mystique as Easter Island. Located in the southeastern Pacific nearly 3,700 kilometers west of Chile, and more …
March 20, 2017
In 2006, a large eruption occurred on the seafloor about 1,000 kilometers off the coast of Mexico. Geochemical dating of the erupted lava …
February 16, 2017
Beneath a Bolivian volcano called Cerro Uturuncu sits one of Earth’s largest-known magma reservoirs, the Altiplano-Puna Magma Body (APMB), which …
January 25, 2017
With two rovers patrolling the surface of Mars, six spacecraft orbiting above it, and scientists here on Earth studying the Red Planet from afar, …
December 27, 2016
In January 1914, Japan’s most active volcano, Sakurajima, erupted violently, covering the nearby city of Kagoshima in a layer of ash. The lava …
