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 […]
iron
Posted inNews
Penguin Poop May Flush Iron into the Southern Ocean
Nutrients from the seabirds’ guano fuels the growth of carbon-storing phytoplankton, but penguin populations have plunged in the past 4 decades.
Posted inNews
Hydrogen May Push Some Exoplanets off a Cliff
High-pressure reactions of hydrogen and iron could explain gaps in the distribution of exoplanets.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
El hierro está en el centro de este debate de las ciencias de la Tierra
Un nuevo estudio investiga el estado del hierro en el interior del planeta. Los hallazgos tienen repercusiones para comprender la estructura del núcleo interno.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Iron Is at the Core of This Earth Science Debate
A new study investigates iron’s form at the planet’s interior. The findings have repercussions for understanding the inner core’s structure.
Posted inEditors' Highlights
New Mechanism for “Giant” Greigite Growth in Deep-Sea Sediments
Understanding greigite formation pathways in sediments is a prerequisite for assessing the marine iron-sulfur-carbon cycle and yield reliable near-syn-sedimentary paleomagnetic records.
Posted inEditors' Highlights
Abiotic Life and Energy on Water-Rich Rocky Celestial Bodies
The discovery of tiny crystals of the iron-rich hydroxychloride kuliginite in New Caledonia provides new insights into the hydrogen production from mantle rocks and saline water.
Posted inFeatures
Is Earth’s Core Rusting?
If subduction carries hydrous minerals deep into Earth’s mantle, they may “rust” the iron outer core, forming vast sinks of oxygen that can later be returned to the atmosphere.
Posted inEditors' Vox
Using Hematite to Decipher Past Climates and Environments
The magnetic and color properties of the mineral hematite give clues to past environmental conditions and is being used for paleoclimatic reconstruction.
Posted inEditors' Highlights
Zero-valent Iron in the Oxidizing Atmosphere?
A comparative study of urban, semi-urban, and rural sites reveals that the species of atmospheric iron varies depending on location.