News
Snowball Earth might have had a dynamic climate and open seas
5+ hour, 4+ min ago (601+ words) Rocks from a global ice age over 600 million years ago show records of an active climate Our planet's average temperature plummeted between 717 and 658 million years ago, causing a worldwide ice age dubbed Snowball Earth (illustrated). Over 600 million years ago, most…...
Earth’s core may hide dozens of oceans of hydrogen
1+ week, 2+ day ago (465+ words) Experiments suggest that Earth's core is up to 0.36 percent hydrogen by weight Earth's core may contain vast reserves of the element hydrogen, which can form water if it leaks into the oxygen-rich mantle. Hydrogen does not exist as liquid water…...
A long-lost tectonic fragment may be shaking Northern California
1+ mon, 3+ day ago (495+ words) Seismic tremors expose a trapped slab linked to the 1992 Mendocino quake The 1992 Cape Mendocino'earthquake, a magnitude 7.2 temblor, caused up to $75 million in damage to the region. It triggered landslides and a tsunami, and damaged roads, bridges and buildings. Here, a…...
An underwater volcano off Oregon didn’t erupt in 2025 after all. Why not?
1+ mon, 4+ week ago (856+ words) Signs now point toward a 2026 eruption of the volcano on the Axial seamount A high-definition camera keeps watch on a hydrothermal vent called Mushroom in the caldera of Axial seamount, just off the coast of Oregon, under about 1,500 meters of…...
Early Earth's belly held onto its water
2+ mon, 1+ week ago (378+ words) The deep mantle mineral bridgmanite excels at trapping water in high heat During Earth's earliest eon, the Hadean, the planet was covered with a deep ocean of molten magma (shown in this artist's rendition). As the magma cooled, it crystallized…...
Human-caused earthquakes are real. Here's why even stable regions can snap
2+ mon, 2+ week ago (592+ words) Healed faults store strength that can be released in a single jolt In 2017, a 5.4-magnitude earthquake rattled Pohang, South Korea, and caused widespread damage. The temblor was later linked to geothermal projects in the region. Sim1992/Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0) This…...
What causes the rainbow shimmer of ammolite gems?
3+ mon, 1+ week ago (386+ words) The colorful flair of ammolite jewelry comes down to crystalline thickness and spacing Ammolite gems are some pretty fabulous fossils. Their rainbow flair comes down to nanoscale features in their crystal plates. The jewels nabbed in the Louvre heist may…...
Seismic waves suggest Mars has a solid heart
5+ mon, 1+ week ago (594+ words) The purported solid inner core has a radius of about 600 kilometers From late 2018 to late 2022, NASA's InSight lander (illustrated) detected seismic waves on Mars to probe the Red Planet's interior. Mars may have a hardened heart. Marsquake reverberations detected by…...
Antarctic lake microbes have flexible survival strategies
5+ mon, 2+ week ago (642+ words) Genetic data reveal a hidden, subglacial ecosystem evolving in isolation" At a remote field camp in West Antarctica, scientists drilled through 1,100 meters of ice to reach the perpetually dark waters of the subglacial Lake Mercer. Scientists have gotten their closest-ever…...
A Mars rock analysis tool proved its mettle on a chance find from Arizona
5+ mon, 2+ week ago (634+ words) One researcher's find resembles a Martian sample whose spots could be a sign of ancient life Materials scientist Nicholas Heinz picked up this piece of weathered basalt with rust-colored specks on a hike in Arizona. It ended up resembling an…...