Frost quakes occur in boreal regions when rapidly expanding ice underground causes frozen soils to fracture. A recent frost quake in Finland has given scientists a rare look into how they form.
soils
Taking an Aerial View Underground
Wisconsin geologists are testing using drones equipped with thermal cameras to measure shallow soil depths in areas prone to groundwater contamination.
Leaded Soil Endangers Residents in New York Neighborhoods
New research documents dangerously high levels of lead in the soils of New York City parks and growing communities.
Minireservorios Podrían Salvar a Agricultores con Suelos Arenosos
Una tecnología de retención de agua subterránea recientemente reactivada podría conservar el agua y aumentar drásticamente el rendimiento de los cultivos en paisajes áridos con suelos arenosos como el África Subsahariana.
Soil Signals Tell of Landscape Disturbances
The lasting influence humans have on Earth’s critical zone—and how geologic forces have mediated those influences—is revealed in studies of soil and carbon migration.
Life Teems Below the Surface
Scientists are resolving how plants, microbes, and lithology sculpt the structure of the critical zone.
Using Dirt to Clean Up Construction
The construction industry is one of the world’s largest emitters of carbon dioxide. Whether it can reduce those emissions depends on replacing its most common building material.
Coastal Sediment Deficit Appears Smaller Than Previously Thought
With a deficit of sediment needed to compensate for relative sea level rise, a new study demonstrates that organic material cannot be ignored in evaluating mass and volume accumulation rates.
Downhill from Here: Landscape Positions and Greenhouse Emissions
In comparing soils from two tundra wetland landscape positions, landscape position is found to matter, and toeslopes are associated with higher greenhouse gas production.
Soil Remains Warmer and Drier After Long-term Warming Stops
Pausing a long-term soil warming experiment revealed that previously warmed plots remained both warmer and drier compared to plots which had not experienced previous soil warming.