Sticky substances secreted by microbes may help create landforms on Earth. And new research shows that these substances are more preserved in iron-rich sediment. Mars is decidedly iron-rich (it’s the Red Planet, after all), so the new study adds to evidence that microbe goo could help researchers explain landform creation there. “I think this is […]
geomorphology
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Seafloor Shapes on the Flanks of Mid-Ocean Ridges Linked to Magma Supply
New research suggests the source of morphologic variation on mid-ocean ridges might be deeper than scientists thought.
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Did These Curious Rock Formations Inspire the Great Sphinx?
New research says it’s plausible the Great Sphinx started life as a geomorphological oddity known as a yardang.
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Desert Landscape Evolution Controlled by Storm Intensity
A new study in the Negev Desert finds that long-term erosion of a desert escarpment occurs in drier areas where intense storms are most frequent.
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Ancient Mars May Have Had a Cyclical Climate
Hexagonal structures in sediments are evidence of repeated wet and dry conditions on the Red Planet.
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Las plantas construyen dunas pero pueden acelerar la erosión durante tormentas fuertes
Cuando las olas golpean las dunas con vegetación, se forman áreas anegadas frente a las plantas, lo que facilita que la arena sea arrastrada por la corriente más fácilmente. Sin embargo, las plantas aún son necesarias para formar las dunas en primera instancia.
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Mud Could Have Made Meandering Rivers Long Before Plants Arrived
New evidence from 1.2-billion-year-old rocks suggests that single, sinuous channels could have formed in muddy floodplain sediments without the stabilizing help of vegetation.
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Plants Build Dunes but Can Speed Erosion During Severe Storms
When waves hit vegetated dunes, waterlogged areas form in front of plants, making for sand that’s easier to wash away. But you still need plants to form dunes in the first place.
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Supersized Potholes Discovered off South African Coast
Curious circular pits off South Africa’s Eastern Cape coast are larger than any similar feature previously recorded. Their origin remains a morphological mystery.
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As the Arctic Warms, These Rivers Are Slowing Down
The Arctic is warming up, but instead of large rivers migrating faster, they’re actually slowing down because of shrubification.