Scientists have long interpreted shocked quartz as definitive evidence of a past meteorite impact, but the shock wave caused by lightning striking granite also produces this distinctive feature.
Geophysical Research Letters
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Juno Gets Spectacular View of Jupiter’s Aurora
The NASA spacecraft has taken images of Jupiter’s powerful aurora dancing around its poles, revealing never-before-seen details in their structure.
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Why Are Arctic Rivers Rising in Winter?
Increased glacial melt is boosting winter streamflows by filling aquifers, a new study on an Alaskan river suggests.
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When Ice and Lightning Align
A new technique can remotely sense strong electrical fields within storm clouds.
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What Controls the Shape of Steep Mountain Streams?
The shape of steep river streams changes systematically with channel slope, but field data and theoretical analysis reveal that slope is not the sole factor in setting a channel’s form.
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Tracing Land to Ocean River Transport with Cosmogenic Isotopes
Beryllium stored in marine sediments can help scientists study erosion and other environmental changes.
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On-the-Ground Measurements Overestimate Earth’s Albedo
Weather stations can be used to calibrate and validate albedo measurements from satellites, but they fail to account for variability across landscapes, overestimating how reflective our planet is.
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Observing Mercury’s Brilliant Flares from Earth
Researchers make the first short-term observation of sodium flares in Mercury’s exosphere.
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Offshore Wind Turbines Can’t Yet Withstand Category 5 Hurricanes
A new study suggests that more robust turbine design is needed to weather high winds.
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The Competing Climate Effects of Elevation and Albedo
Variations in surface reflectivity are as important as surface elevation changes in determining regional climate at nonpolar latitudes, according to a new modeling study.