Multicellular life blossomed when Earth’s magnetic field was at an all-time low.
lava & magma
Posted inNews
A Magma Ocean Fuels This Exoplanet’s Atmosphere
The finding is an atmospheric first for astronomers but not for the planet.
Posted inNews
The Moon’s Mantle Did a Flip—and Scientists May Now Have Evidence
For decades, a lunar whodunit has puzzled scientists: Did the Moon’s internal layers flip during its formation? Old data might hold the evidence to solve this cold case.
Posted inEditors' Highlights
A Strong Pacific Plate Bends Under the Hawaiian Volcanic Chain
Two seismic studies reveal the volcanic loads and resulting flexure of the Pacific plate at the Hawaiian Ridge and, surprisingly, show no magmatic underplating.
Posted inNews
Iceland’s Recent Eruptions Driven by Tectonic Stress
Magma flow in the magmatic dike near Grindavík was among the fastest recorded. The processes driving that flow could be at play at volcanoes in Hawaii, off the African coast, and anywhere crustal plates split apart.
Posted inNews
Icelandic Fissure Finally Erupts
The position of the eruption and wind conditions are favorable. No one is in immediate danger, local officials said.
Posted inNews
Eruption Now Unlikely Near Icelandic Town
Scientists and local authorities had been tracking the eruption’s precursors for weeks and evacuated residents. Then the magma stalled.
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.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Some High-Threat Volcanoes Are Severely Understudied
Scientists have little understanding of where magma is stored along the Cascade Volcanic Arc or how its volcanoes could affect population centers.