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Isua in Greenland Credit: Hanika Rizo

Traces of Earth’s early magma ocean identified in Greenland rocks

Geology Page - March 19, 2021

Despite ESA’s GOCE mission ending over seven years ago, scientists continue to use this remarkable satellite’s gravity data to delve deep and unearth secrets about our planet. Recent research shows how scientists have combined GOCE data with measurements taken at the surface to generate a new model of Earth’s crust and upper mantle. This is the first time such a model has been created this way – and it is shedding new light on the processes of plate tectonics. The new model produced in ESA’s 3D Earth study shows for the first time how dissimilar the sub-lithospheric mantle is beneath different oceans, and provides insight as to how the morphology and spreading rates of mid-oceanic ridges may be connected with the deep chemical and thermal structure. Credit: ESA/Planetary Visions)

Gravity mission still unearthing hidden secrets

A transmitted light view through a 200-micron section of a peridotite sample, showing the three main minerals - olivine (clear-green), orthopyroxene (grey-green) and garnet (pink). Credit: Dr Emma Tomlinson, Trinity College Dublin.

A new, clearer insight into Earth’s hidden crystals

The colorful banded Tepees are part of the Blue Mesa Member, a geological feature about 220 million to 225 million years old in the Chinle Formation in Petrified Forest National Park in Arizona. Credit: NPS

How rocks rusted on Earth and turned red

A graphic showing the convective heat cycle (red arrows) that drives plate tectonic motion (black arrows) on Earth. Heat flows toward subduction zones through the uppermost mantle layer, the asthenosphere. A computer model from Rice University finds that the asthenosphere can locally drag plates along with it rather than acting exclusively as a brake on plate movements as had been widely believed. (Image courtesy of Surachit/Wikimedia Commons)

Former piece of Pacific Ocean floor imaged deep beneath China

Arial view of the Bungle Bungle range, May 2016. Credit: Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license. Nichollas Harrison

How the Bungle Bungles got their stripes

Geology Page - March 17, 2020

Earth

Earth’s Mantle, Not Its Core, May Have Generated Planet’s Early Magnetic...

Geology Page - March 17, 2020

The rocks the team analysed are the oldest preserved mantle rocks. They allow us to see into the early history of the Earth as if through a window. Credit: UNSW

Building blocks for life on Earth arrived much later than we...

Geology Page - March 17, 2020

The grey line in the rock, running from the foreground away under the boulder towards the mountains, is one of the shear zones from the study area. Credit: Lucy Campbell

‘Fossil earthquakes’ offer new insight into seismic activity deep below Earth’s...

Geology Page - March 17, 2020

The rising Earth from the perspective of the moon.

What other planets can teach us about Earth

Geology Page - March 8, 2020

Benjamin Johnson of Iowa State University woks at an outcrop in remote Western Australia where geologists are studying 3.2-billion-year-old ocean crust. Photo by Jana Meixnerova. Photos provided by Benjamin Johnson.

Geologists determine early Earth was a ‘water world’ by studying exposed...

Geology Page - March 8, 2020

They may not look like much, but CI chondrites – small fragile meteorites as shown here – are thought to be our best compositional equivalents of the bulk material of our solar system.

Earth formed much faster than previously thought

Geology Page - February 21, 2020

The cruise is led by Ursula Röhl of MARUM (left) and Debbie Thomas of Texas A&M University (right). They are supported by the Expedition Project Manager Laurel Childress.

International team starts on drilling expedition

Geology Page - January 7, 2020

Structure layers of the earth.

Scientists Find Iron ‘Snow’ in Earth’s Core

Geology Page - December 22, 2019

Earth's layers

New insights into the formation of Earth’s crust

Geology Page - December 22, 2019

A schematic summary of the effect of the convergence rate. Upper image shows a slow convergence rate allows thermal difussion and a derived reduction of slab's density (positive buoyancy). Lower image shows how a faster convergence rate increases the slab's density promoting the negative buoyancy. Credit: Kittiphon Boonma, Scientific Reports

Study explores the density of the tectonic plates and why they...

Geology Page - December 22, 2019

The Sentinel-6A spacecraft sits in its clean room in Germany's IABG space test center. The satellite is being prepared for a scheduled launch in November 2020 from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. Credit: IABG

New Earth mission will track rising oceans into 2030

Geology Page - November 21, 2019

Earth

Telescopes and satellites combine to map entire planet’s ground movement

Geology Page - November 21, 2019

Hot Springs in Yellowstone National Park

How sulfur helped make Earth habitable before the rise of oxygen

Geology Page - November 7, 2019

Peaty sedimentary archive from a palm swamp collected with a Russian corer. (Image:Encarni Montoya)

A new study shows the evolution and changes of the vegetation...

Geology Page - November 7, 2019

A panoramic view of one of the Arico ignimbrite outcrops where the two units can be seen.(Image: Joan Martí)

A new study determines the influence of the topography over ...

Geology Page - October 4, 2019

This image shows the divisions between Earth’s layers. The ancient, continent-sized rock regions encircle the liquid outer core. Credit: Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory

New study suggests gigantic masses in Earth’s mantle untouched for more...

Geology Page - September 19, 2019

The mineral olivine contains melt inclusions (black dots), just a few micrometers in size. The geochemists isolated these inclusions and investigated the isotopic composition with mass spectrometers. Credit: Münster University - Felix Genske

Geochemists measure new composition of Earth’s mantle

Geology Page - September 16, 2019

The volcano Chimborazo, Ecuador, that Alexander von Humboldt surveyed in 1802. Photo: Spyros Theodoridis/CMEC

Why is Earth so biologically diverse? Mountains hold the answer

Geology Page - September 16, 2019

Earth's mantle (dark red) lies below the crust (brown layer near the surface) and above the outer core (bright red).

Earth’s fingerprint hints at finding habitable planets beyond the solar system

Geology Page - September 7, 2019

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The common name “coquí” describes various species of frogs in the genus Eleutherodactylus and is derived from two species’ distinctive chirping calls. The common coquí, Eleutherodactylus coquí, is the national symbol of Puerto Rico. Photo courtesy of Alberto Lopez Torres

Coquí fossil from Puerto Rico takes title of oldest Caribbean frog

April 10, 2020

The drumlins were formed by fast-moving ice floes instead of slow melting ice. Credit: WVU

Researchers unearth an ice age in the African desert

February 4, 2019

MORE ARTICLES

Paleoclimate researchers find connection between carbon cycles, climate trends

Warming pulses in ancient climate record link volcanoes, asteroid impact and...

Dinosaur-killing impact acidified oceans: study

The 37 kiloton 'Priscilla' nuclear test, detonated at the Nevada Test Site in 1957. Credit: US Department of Energy

Radioactive carbon from nuclear bomb tests found in deep ocean trenches