Around 200 years ago, when conversion of land for agriculture became more widespread, the amount of sediment accumulating in riverbeds across the continent jumped tenfold.
history
Posted inNews
Rethinking Darwin’s Theory of Atoll Formation
Atolls have a long and complex history related to seafloor evolution, and Darwin’s model is only the beginning of the story.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Rising Seas and Agriculture Created Wetlands Along the U.S. East Coast
Most of the tidal marshes along the eastern coast of the United States formed within the past 6,000 years due to a combination of slowly rising seas and European colonization.
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A Lost Haven for Early Modern Humans
Sea level changes have repeatedly reshaped the Paleo-Agulhas Plain, a now submerged region off the coast of South Africa that once teemed with plants, animals, and human hunter–gatherers.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Ancient Ruins Reveal 8th Century Earthquake in Sea of Galilee
Research into past seismic activity shows northeast Israel is still vulnerable to large quakes.
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Chicago Wetlands Shrank by 40% During the 20th Century
A team of graduate students measured wetland and biodiversity changes during the 100 years following the reversal of the Chicago River.
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Kabuki Actor’s Forgotten Manuscript Yields Clues About 1855 Quake in Japan
Researchers analyzed a survivor’s account of the disaster to better understand future temblors.
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Mount Rushmore’s Six Grandfathers and Four Presidents
Living in Geologic Time: How long will it take for erosion to erase Mount Rushmore?
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Severe Cyclones May Have Played a Role in the Maya Collapse
Sediment cores from the Great Blue Hole reveal that a series of extreme storms hit the region after 900. The storms may have irreparably damaged an already stressed Maya population.
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Thinking Zinc: Mitigating Uranium Exposure on Navajo Land
An innovative clinical trial uses “two-way participation” between Navajo and medical communities to study the impact of zinc on mitigating health effects associated with uranium mining.