The Turkana Rift Zone in Kenya entered a critical stage in continental breakup about 4 million years ago.
geology
Posted inNews
Scientists Discover South America’s First Space Glass Fields, in Brazil
Tektites, rare natural glasses formed by ancient asteroid impacts, were found stretching across more than 900 kilometers of the country’s interior.
Posted inFeatures
Salt of the Earth: Vast Underground Salt Caverns Are Preserving Our History—and Just Might Power Our Future
From health spas to film storage, salt mine caverns have been put to use in surprising ways—and they’re now poised to contribute to the generation and storage of clean energy.
Posted inNews
Primordial Impact May Explain Why the Moon Is Asymmetrical
Analysis of surface samples from the Chang’e-6 mission suggests that an asteroid may have vaporized parts of the lunar mantle, suppressing volcanic activity on the farside of the Moon.
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A Mid-Ocean Ridge in the Norwegian Sea Pumps Out Hydrogen
Vent fluids collected from the Knipovich Ridge contain unexpectedly high concentrations of hydrogen, potentially produced by the degradation of organic matter.
Posted inENGAGE, News
Earth System Engineers Take Planetary Alterations to Extreme Scales
A new framework argues Earth scientists should employ the concept of ecosystem engineering across geologic time and space.
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To Find Critical Minerals, Look to Plate Tectonics
A study of “weird” Australian rocks suggests stores of niobium rose to the surface during the breakup of the supercontinent Rodinia.
Posted inEditors' Vox
When the Earth Moves: 25 Years of Probabilistic Fault Displacement Hazards
Surface ruptures causing earthquakes pose risks to infrastructure and human lives, but advances in models and data in the last few decades have improved our ability to mitigate their effects.
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Zircon Crystals Could Reveal Earth’s Path Among the Stars
Researchers found signs of melting in zircon crystals in the crust that correspond to our planet’s journey through the galaxy’s spiral arms.
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New USGS Map Offers an Interactive Look at the Rocks Beneath Our Feet
The Cooperative National Geologic Map is an interactive tool that builds on both cutting-edge technology and decades of mapping by geoscientists.