The Moon was a lot closer to Earth 2.46 billion years ago, and the shorter distance contributed to shorter days.
Australia
Posted inNews
A Mysterious Dome Reveals Clues to Australia’s Miocene History
The Nullarbor Plain has been relatively untouched by geological forces, leaving traces of the continent’s deep past.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Surprise Hydrological Shifts Imperil Water Resources
Mounting evidence suggests the need for improved water planning strategies and revamped hydrological models.
Posted inNews
A Spike in Wildfires Contributed to the End-Permian Extinction
An upward trend in fossilized charcoal indicates that wildfires may have contributed to extinctions during the Great Dying.
Posted inNews
Tree Mortality Risk Surges in Australian Rain Forests
Researchers link vulnerability to “atmospheric drought” associated with climate change.
Posted inEditors' Highlights
Using Artificial Intelligence to Study Convection
Machine learning techniques are used to examine relationships between the large-scale state of the atmosphere, the convection total area, and the degree of organization in northern Australia.
Posted inScience Updates
“Landslide Graveyard” Holds Clues to Long-Term Tsunami Trends
A new project looks to unearth information about and learn from ancient underwater landslides buried deep beneath the seafloor to support New Zealand’s resilience to natural hazards.
Posted inNews
The Ocean Is Still Sucking Up Carbon—Maybe More Than We Think
Recent studies looking at carbon-sequestering microbes suggest we still have a lot to learn about the ocean’s biological carbon pump.
Posted inEditors' Highlights
Transient Mantle Flow Triggers Morphotectonic Activity in Asia
Changes in mantle dynamics following the Australian collision in southeast Asia triggered fast and intense morphotectonic activity at the surface.
Posted inNews
Australian Wildfires Linked to Ozone Layer Depletion
New research shows that the Black Summer bushfires damaged the ozone layer, eliminating a decade’s worth of progress.