Fifty years after the birth of modern plate tectonics theory, a group of researchers highlights three key examples of how our planet’s shape-shifting outer layer has altered our climate.
paleoclimatology & paleoceanography
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Oceans Vented Carbon Dioxide During the Last Deglaciation
A new boron isotope record from South Pacific marine sediments offers a more complete picture of ocean-atmosphere carbon dioxide exchange during the late Pleistocene.
Posted inNews
Dusting Off the Arid Antiquity of the Sahara
New research on the geochemistry of Canary Islands paleosols shows that the Sahara has been an arid dust producer for at least 4.8 million years.
Posted inNews
Gravel Gives Clues to the Strength of Paleotsunamis
The roundness of sediment deposits may shed light on how big tsunamis were in the past and how to evaluate hazards in the future.
Posted inNews
600 Years of Grape Harvests Document 20th Century Climate Change
A 664-year record of grape harvest dates from Burgundy, France, reveals significantly warmer temperatures since 1988.
Posted inNews
The Flickering Sky Islands
In the Andes, islands in the sky flicker, and evolution kicks into high gear.
Posted inEditors' Highlights
Lomonosov: The Crater That Started a Martian Mega Tsunami
Three billion years ago, on Mars, the shores of an ocean may have been flooded by a mega-tsunami. Now the crater left by the bolide impact that probably triggered the tsunami has been identified.
Posted inNews
Newly Discovered Fossil Species Named After Star Wars Starship
The 500-million-year-old species is a distant relative of today’s crabs, spiders, and insects.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
An Integrated History of the Australian-Antarctic Basin
The first basin-wide compilation of seismic and geologic data shows that both margins experienced similar sedimentation patterns prior to the onset of Antarctic glaciation.
Posted inFeatures
The Tides They Are a-Changing
The twice-daily ebb and flow of the sea have the power to change the planet. Weak tides could have allowed Earth to freeze over, and strong tides may have given vertebrates a leg up on land.