A new study in Chile shows how small differences in rock type can drive large differences in erosion, vegetation, and river networks, illuminating the role of mineralogy in shaping landscapes.
Earth science
Posted inScience Updates
Sensing Potential, Scientists Refine Thermal Imaging of Ecosystems
At a recent “bake-off,” researchers judged thermal infrared cameras and developed guidelines for their consistent use in studying vegetation temperatures, which illuminate vital ecosystem processes.
Posted inEditors' Highlights
Will It Run Away? Documenting Creep Bursts in a Slow-Moving Landslide
After 11-years of monitoring a slow-moving landslide and its shear zone in Norway, scientists reveal a complex pattern of creep bursts that require a rethink of the driving mechanisms.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Ancient Climate Reconstruction Links Past and Future
A new map of climate conditions during the Pliocene epoch—the last time Earth’s carbon dioxide concentrations hit 400 parts per million—could offer clues about possible climatic changes in store for the 21st century.
Posted inEditors' Highlights
Which Greenland Outlet Glaciers have Subglacial Channels?
A new study provides insights into where the channels that drain subglacial water from underneath the Greenland Ice Sheet are most likely located.
Posted inNews
Magma Beneath Yellowstone Is Shifting Northeast
Though the volcano’s magma chambers could hold enough material for a caldera-forming event, none of them are likely to erupt soon.
Posted inNews
The Deleterious Dust of the Salton Sea
Coarse particulate matter deriving from California’s largest lake is linked to an increased risk of respiratory-related hospitalizations.
Posted inNews
Ice Core Records Shed Light on a Volcanic Mystery
By analyzing sulfur and volcanic ash entrained in ice cores, researchers pinpointed a caldera in the remote Kuril Islands as the site of an unidentified 19th century eruption.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Tracing Metals from Earth to Water to Life in the Yellow River
The mix of metals in China’s Yellow River stays relatively similar as it moves from the upper continental crust to biological life.
Posted inEditors' Vox
Turning Carbon into Stone: Unlocking Mineralization in Fractured Rock
Carbon mineralization is a promising solution for mitigating greenhouse gas emissions, but we must learn to optimize the complex interplay between reactions and mechanics in fractures to develop a scalable solution.