Using modern techniques, scientists tested an old hypothesis about carbonate mud production to shift the thinking about rocks that are used as seawater archives and a source of petroleum.
geochemistry
Posted inResearch Spotlights
How Mars Lost Steam
Solar winds are not the main culprit in stripping the planet’s atmosphere, a new study suggests.
Posted inFeatures
Isotope Geochemists Glimpse Earth’s Impenetrable Interior
Painstaking measurements of isotopes and their relative abundance in rocks have illuminated the hidden inner Earth and our planet’s origins and shadowy past for much of the preceding century.
Posted inEditors' Vox
Unravelling the Past Using Elements and Isotopes
A new book explores chemostratigraphy, a fascinating and relatively young branch of geoscience, presenting the latest developments and applications.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Researchers Bring Early Martian Water Chemistry to Life
Lab experiments constrain conditions necessary for a key mineral to have formed in ancient lagoons and a crater lake.
Posted inNews
“Eco-friendly” Flame Retardant May Have Eco-poor Breakdown
These flame retardants replaced earlier chemicals known to degrade into environmentally harmful by-products. The newer compounds may do the same thing.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
A Novel Approach Reveals Element Cycles in the Ocean
Dissolved thorium isotopes light the way to a more thorough understanding of how different elements enter marine environments—and how long they stay there.
Posted inScience Updates
In Search of Life Under the Seafloor
A multinational research team drilled into the seafloor to see whether chemical processes in exposed shallow mantle rocks could generate nutrients to support life in the subsurface.
Posted inFeatures
Interpreting Mosaics of Ocean Biogeochemistry
Advances in technology and modeling capabilities are driving a surge in progress in our understanding of how ocean ecosystems mix and mingle on medium to small scales.
Posted inNews
Extinct Megatoothed Shark May Have Been Warm-Blooded
Preliminary results from a recent study may begin to shed light on why megalodons died out before the most recent ice age.