Home Earth

Earth

Latest

The Earth has a layered internal structure with the crust, upper mantle, mantle transition zone, lower mantle, outer core, and inner core from the surface to the center. In the Earth’s formation stage at approximately 4.6 billion years ago, the heavy metal components were separated from silicates and sank in the magma ocean, and a core formed at the center of the Earth. In this core-mantle separation process, partitioning of noble gases between the core and mantle occurred. Credit: Taku Tsuchiya, Ehime University

A deep reservoir of primordial helium in the Earth

Geology Page - May 8, 2021

From left, University of Wyoming students Shane Scoggin, Adam Trzinski and Jessie Shields are part of new research investigating crustal melting in western North America. Here, they examine igneous rocks in the Snake Range of Nevada. Credit: Jay Chapman

Scientists probe mysterious melting of Earth’s crust in western North America

$DeMMO field team from left to right: Lily Momper, Brittany Kruger, and Caitlin Casar sampling fracture fluids from a DeMMO borehole installation. Credit: ©Matt Kapust$

Earth’s crust mineralogy drives hotspots for intraterrestrial life

Isua in Greenland Credit: Hanika Rizo

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

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

The early Earth was hotter than it is today and this affected the strength of the crust and mantle.

International study sheds new light on the transformation of the Earth’s...

Geology Page - April 17, 2020

Volcanic gas emissions in Northern Iceland

New geochemical tool reveals origin of Earth’s nitrogen

Geology Page - April 17, 2020

The team's experiments compared carbon's compatibility with the silicates that comprise the Earth's mantle (outer circle) to its compatibility with the iron that comprises the planet's core (inner circle) while under conditions mimicking the Earth's interior during its formative period. They found that more carbon would have stayed in the mantle than previously thought. Credit: Rebecca Fischer, Elizabeth Cottrell and Marion Le Voyer, Kanani Lee, and the late Erik Hauri.

Most of Earth’s carbon was hidden in the core during its...

Geology Page - April 2, 2020

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

1 234...29 Page 3 of 29

MOST POPULAR

Kasolite

May 8, 2014

Prehistoric landslide discovery rivals largest known on surface of Earth

November 20, 2014

Iron-silica particles helped shield cyanobacteria like these, which played a key role in the oxygenation of Earth's atmosphere according to new research from UAlberta.

Iron-silica particles unlock part of the mystery of Earth’s oxygenation

August 8, 2018

A fresh surface rupture of the Kekerengu fault, taken 4 days after the Kaikoura earthquake, with lead author Jesse Kearse leaning next to a curved slickenline (the subject of this article). Photo credit - Professor Tim Little (Victoria University of Wellington).

Curved slickenlines preserve the direction of rupture propagation

July 14, 2019

MORE ARTICLES

Study Models Tsunami Risk for Florida and Cuba

The research potentially has wide implications for the materials sector and industry. Credit: Monash University

Mineral Researches

Rare earth unlocks copper, gold and silver secrets

plate tectonics

California rising

Mission to ‘Mars’