A new analysis of lava from the deep mantle indicates that water-soaked dust particles, rather than a barrage of icy comets, asteroids, or other bodies, delivered water to the newly forming Earth.
lava & magma
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Dating Lava Domes in California's Salton Trough
Scientists use a trio of techniques to resolve the age and duration of rhyolite volcanism of the Salton Buttes.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
A Magmatic Seafloor Source at an Ultraslow-Spreading Ridge
An ultraslow-spreading stretch of the Southwest Indian Ridge is thicker than expected: both tectonic and volcanic processes may be feeding the growing seafloor there.
Posted inFeatures
What Lies Deep in the Mantle Below?
For decades, scientists have probed Earth's remote mantle by analyzing how seismic waves of distant earthquakes pass through it. But we are still challenged by the technique's limitations.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Found: The Submarine Source of an 1891 Eruption Near Sicily
Analysis of a volcano may help explain why some eruptions produce volcanic balloons–hollow chunks of lava that encase a gas-filled cavity.
Posted inNews
Traces of Glass-Eating Microbes Found in Ancient Lake Bed
A serendipitous discovery of tiny tunnels in lava that cooled rapidly under fresh water could help scientists search for life on Mars.
Posted inNews
Research Shines Light on Asthenosphere's Contribution to Hot Spots
What role does the asthenosphere play in midplate volcanism?
Posted inNews
Scientists Engage With the Public During Lava Flow Threat
How do scientists communicate with the public during natural disasters, such as lava flows?
Posted inNews
Continuing Bardarbunga Eruption Fuels Scientific Research
How are scientists taking advantage of Iceland’s Bardarbunga eruption, which shows no signs of slowing down?
Posted inScience Updates
Toward Another Lava Lake in the Virunga Volcanic Field?
Earlier this year, a red glow became visible atop Nyamulagira, a volcano in the East African Rift. Helicopter flights soon confirmed lava fountains inside a pit crater on the volcano's central caldera.