The Midcontinent Rift has characteristics of a large igneous province, causing geologists to rethink some long-standing assumptions about how this giant feature formed.
plate tectonics
Posted inResearch Spotlights
An Ancient Sea Once Separated the Pacific and Indian Oceans
Seafloor under the hypothesized East Asian Sea vanished 10 million years ago as surrounding plates swallowed it up, according to new reconstructions of plate tectonics in the Philippine Sea region.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Revising the Displacement History of New Zealand's Alpine Fault
A reinterpretation of structural and paleomagnetic data suggests that New Zealand's Alpine Fault accommodates a far greater percentage of geologically recent plate motion than previously thought.
Posted inScience Updates
Understanding Slow Slip and Tremor on Plate Boundaries
Chapman Conference on Slow Slip Phenomena; Ixtapa, Mexico, 21–25 February 2016
Posted inScience Updates
Ocean Floor Networks Capture Low-Frequency Earthquake Event
Last August, stations on a newly deployed permanent ocean floor observation network recorded rarely seen, very low frequency signals from shallow earthquakes.
Posted inScience Updates
Understanding Volcanic Eruptions Where Plates Meet
A new project elucidates the relationships between tectonics and volcanic systems and how they influence hazards on Italy's Mount Etna and Vulcano and Lipari islands.
Posted inNews
Richard P. Von Herzen (1930–2016)
Richard P. Von Herzen, a pioneer of marine heat flow studies who helped validate plate tectonics and discover oceanic hydrothermal vents, passed away on 28 January 2016. He was 85.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Massive Ancient Tectonic Slab Found Below the Indian Ocean
Scientists discover a surprisingly positioned tectonic plate, buried below the southern Indian Ocean, that spans the entire mantle.
Posted inScience Updates
Investigations of Shallow Slow Slip Offshore of New Zealand
Recent and upcoming studies of the Hikurangi margin east of New Zealand shed light on previously undetectable tectonic movements.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Alaska's Semidi Segment Could Unleash a Devastating Tsunami
Study reveals structures along the Alaskan convergent margin capable of generating a powerful tsunami directed toward the United States's West Coast.