Scientists are resolving how plants, microbes, and lithology sculpt the structure of the critical zone.
Earth science
Next Steps for the Critical Zone
In October, Eos examines a pivotal point for a field of science that’s starting to make a name for itself.
Demystifying Critical Zone Science to Make It More Inclusive
A new network that embraces scientists with wide-ranging experiences and expertise aims to solve the challenges of Earth’s critical zone.
Critical Zone Science Comes of Age
The developing field, which unites Earth scientists to examine the planet’s surface as a single, unified entity, is unraveling the complex, interconnected processes that support life on Earth.
Strain Rate: The Overlooked Control on Earthquake Depth
Regional strain rate may play as significant a role as temperature in governing the depth distribution of earthquakes in mantle lithosphere.
A River Ran Through It
The history of river system in southeast Tibet and Indochina reconstructed using the ages of thousands of zircon sand grains in modern and ancient river sediments.
J. Casey Moore (1945–2020)
This polymath Earth scientist pioneered multidisciplinary studies of subduction zones on land and at sea.
A Mechanism for Shallow, Slow Earthquakes in Subduction Zones
Slow earthquakes beneath the accretionary prism updip from the locked portion of a subduction zone can be caused by basaltic blocks embedded in a shale matrix.
Citizen Science Reduces Risks from Combusting Coal-Mine Wastes
A community-based citizen science study on spontaneously combusting coal-mine waste heaps in Myanmar underpins the development of risk management plans to protect individuals and communities.
Orson Anderson (1924–2019)
This pioneer in the field of mineral physics contributed mightily to our understanding of mineral properties at high temperatures and high pressures and of Earth’s interior.