The Turkana Rift Zone in Kenya entered a critical stage in continental breakup about 4 million years ago.
Earth’s crust
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Seismic Attenuation Techniques Reveal What Lies Beneath Taiwan
A new imaging modality explores the complex subduction‐collision transition zone below southern Taiwan.
Posted inEditors' Vox
Hydrothermal Heat Flow as a Window into Subsurface Arc Magmas
What can warm fluids in arc crust tell us about how much magma is lurking underground? Hydrothermal heat fluxes provide constraints on the supply of magma from the mantle in subduction zones.
Posted inFeatures
Drilling Down to Open Up New Understanding of Earth’s Continents
Scientists have drilled into Earth’s crust for decades to understand natural hazards, past climates, energy resources, and more. They’ve only scratched the surface of what we can learn.
Posted inNews
Volcanism Could Lead to Less, Not More, Atmospheric CO₂
The atmospheric concentration of carbon dioxide temporarily fell by 50% immediately preceding a period of intense volcanism, likely because of increased weathering, new results reveal.
Posted inEditors' Highlights
Tectonic Modifications Shape Surface Environment and Landscape
Earth observation through ambient noise tomography explains links between tectonic modification, ancient geological records, and landscape evolution.
Posted inEditors' Highlights
A New Way to Measure Quartz Strength at High Pressure
Direct stress measurements inside deforming quartz reveal how its strength changes with temperature, improving models of continental crust deformation.
Posted inEditors' Vox
Hydrothermal Circulation and Its Impact on the Earth System
From a gathering of scientists at a uniquely well-preserved section of ancient oceanic crust came a monograph investigating the latest in hydrothermal fluxes and seawater chemistry.
Posted inEditors' Highlights
The Invisible Brake: Near‑Surface Cooling Stalls Giant Dyke Swarms
Sill-based pressure reconstructions show Mull’s giant dykes had eruption-capable pressures, but near‑surface groundwater cooling increased magma viscosity and stalled lateral propagation.
Posted inNews
The Ridgecrest Earthquake Left Enduring Damage in Earth’s Deep Crust
The shallow crust has recovered since California’s 2019 quake, but damage persists at depths greater than 10 kilometers.