Locally surprising floods aren’t so surprising in a continent-wide context.
continents
Posted inNews
Future Supercontinent Will Be Inhospitable for Mammals
Pangea returns in 250 million years, and it’s not looking good for us.
Posted inNews
Continental Breakup Shot Pink Diamonds to Earth’s Surface
What was once the world’s most prolific pink diamond mine has always been an anomaly. New research suggests that the end of an ancient supercontinent helped rocket its precious gems to the surface.
Posted inEditors' Highlights
Rift-to-Ridge: Mid-Atlantic Ridge Segments Imprinted During Rifting
A new seismic study shows that magmatism along the eastern North American rift margin was segmented, and that rift discontinuities influence formation of fracture zones along the Mid-Atlantic Ridge.
Posted inEditors' Highlights
Uncovering Mantle Heterogeneities Beneath Drifting Continents
Computational models of the composition and volumes of magmas during continental rifting evolution provide clues on the heterogeneities of the deep melting mantle.
Posted inEditors' Vox
The Seven-Ages of Earth as Seen Through the Continental Lens
The 4.5-billion-year record contained in Earth’s continental crust reveals a seven-phase evolution, from an initial magma ocean to the present-day environment in which we live.
Posted inNews
Billion-Year Rewind Tracks Supercontinents and Mantle Structures
Scientists have traced past pathways of tectonic plates back a billion years using computer models, with intriguing results. Incorporating geologic data as a check on model output, however, has proven tricky.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Tracing Water Particles Back in Time
Every summer, a low-oxygen pool settles off Canada’s western coast. A new study uses robust modeling to track the origins of the dense water.
Posted inEditors' Highlights
The Lost Topography Around Continental Rifts
Numerical models provide quantitative constraints on topography lost to erosion, showing how the sediment influx in a sedimentary basin reflects its tectonic and topographic evolution.
Posted inNews
Hot Springs Suggest How the Tibetan Plateau Became the Roof of the World
Helium isotopes found in water samples provide a snapshot of what lies beneath the plateau and stimulate debate within the geosciences community.