Geology News

March 2, 2025

Top Headlines

School of Rock: Properties of Rocks in Fault Zones Contribute to Earthquake Generation

Feb. 26, 2025 — A study looking at a small region in Japan has shown that the properties of fault zone rocks really matter for the generation of ...

Giant Ice Bulldozers: How Ancient Glaciers Helped Life Evolve

Feb. 25, 2025 — New research has revealed how massive ancient glaciers acted like giant bulldozers, reshaping Earth's surface and paving the way for complex life to flourish. By chemically analyzing crystals in ancient rocks, the researchers discovered that as ...

Research Provides New Detail on the Impact of Volcanic Activity on Early Marine Life

Feb. 24, 2025 — New analysis of ancient fossilized rocks known as stromatolites, preserved in southern Zimbabwe, suggests strong links to hydrothermal nutrient recycling, 'meaning that early life may in part have ...

Animals as Architects of Earth: First Global Study Reveals Their Surprising Impact

Feb. 17, 2025 — Animals are not just inhabitants of the natural world -- they are its architects. A new study has revealed how hundreds of species shape the landscapes we depend on, from vast termite mounds visible ...

Latest Headlines

updated 11:17pm EST

Research Reveals How Earth Got Its Ice Caps

Feb. 14, 2025 — The cool conditions which have allowed ice caps to form on Earth are rare events in the planet's history and require many complex processes working at once, according to new ...

Earth's Inner Core Is Undergoing a Transformation

Feb. 10, 2025 — Earth's inner core is undergoing structural transformation. Located 3,000 miles below the Earth's surface, the inner core is anchored by gravity within the molten liquid outer core. Until now the ...

Anomaly in the Deep Sea

Feb. 10, 2025 — Beryllium-10, a rare radioactive isotope produced by cosmic rays in the atmosphere, provides valuable insights into the Earth's geological history. A research team has discovered an unexpected ...

Meteorite Discovery Challenges Long-Held Theories on Earth's Missing Elements

Feb. 5, 2025 — Earliest inner solar system planetesimals shaped the inventory of moderately volatile elements in terrestrial ...

Scientists Develop Groundbreaking Biosensor for Rare Earth Element Detection

Feb. 4, 2025 — Synthetic biologists have developed a prototype for an innovative biosensor that can detect rare earth elements and be modified for a range of other ...

Life-Bearing Water Arrived on Earth Later Rather Than Sooner

Feb. 3, 2025 — Scientist have concluded water did not arrive as early during Earth's formation as previously thought, an insight that bears directly on the question of when life originated on the planet. The ...

Oceanic Plate Between Arabian and Eurasian Continental Plates Is Breaking Away

Jan. 29, 2025 — An international research team has investigated the influence of the forces exerted by the Zagros Mountains in the Kurdistan region of Iraq on how ...

Unveiling Japan's Geological History Through Volcanogenic Massive Sulfide Deposits

Jan. 27, 2025 — Dating key tectonic events in Japan's geological history has long been often challenging due to poor microfossil preservation from intense heat due ...

Underwater Mud Volcanos Are a Haven for Marine Organisms

Jan. 27, 2025 — One would think that a volcano was not the most hospitable place for living organisms. However, the Borealis Mud Volcano, at 400 m water depth, acts as a sanctuary for a number of marine ...

Approaching the Red Planet from the Kitchen

Jan. 26, 2025 — Using syrup and baking soda, research has demonstrated the formation mechanism of rootless cones, small volcanic landforms commonly found on Earth and Mars. The study clarified, through an ...

Claims for the World's Deepest Earthquake Challenged by New Analysis

Jan. 23, 2025 — The magnitude 7.9 Bonin Islands earthquake sequence, which ruptured deep within the earth near the base of the upper mantle, did not include an aftershock that extended to record depths into the ...

Subterranean 'Islands': Strongholds in a Potentially Less Turbulent World

Jan. 22, 2025 — Deeply hidden in Earth's mantle there are two huge 'islands' with the size of a continent. New research shows that these regions are not only hotter than the surrounding graveyard of ...

New Evidence Suggests Megaflood Refilled the Mediterranean Sea Five Million Years Ago

Jan. 21, 2025 — A new study provides compelling new evidence that a colossal 'megaflood' refilled the Mediterranean Sea, ending a period during which the Med was a vast expanse of salt flats. The study ...

We Can Make Fertilizer More Efficiently Under the Surface of the Earth

Jan. 21, 2025 — Instead of relying on energy-hungry reactors to generate high temperatures and pressure, researchers are looking underground at Earth's natural heat and forces to cook up ammonia for fertilizer. ...

Oil Extraction Might Have Triggered Small Earthquakes in Surrey, England

Jan. 9, 2025 — A series of more than 100 small earthquakes in Surrey in 2018 and 2019 might have been triggered by oil extraction from a nearby well, suggests a new ...

Scorching Climate Drove Lampreys Apart During Cretaceous Period

Jan. 8, 2025 — A new study finds that one of the hottest periods in Earth's history may have driven lampreys apart -- genetically speaking. The work could have implications for how aquatic species respond to ...

Researchers Unlock Probable Hot Spots for Critical Metals

Jan. 8, 2025 — New research has identified the probable locations for critical metals needed to support a green ...

Earth's Air War: Explaining the Delayed Rise of Plants, Animals on Land

Jan. 7, 2025 — If you like the smell of spring roses, the sounds of summer birdsong, and the colors of fall foliage, you have the stabilization of the ozone layer to thank for it. Located in the stratosphere, where ...

Pluto-Charon Formation Scenario Mimics Earth-Moon System

Jan. 7, 2025 — A researcher has used advanced models that indicate that the formation of Pluto and Charon may parallel that of the Earth-Moon system. Both systems include a moon that is a large fraction of the size ...

Denali Fault Tore Apart Ancient Joining of Two Landmasses

Dec. 27, 2024 — New research shows that three sites spread along an approximately 620-mile portion of today's Denali Fault were once a smaller united geologic feature indicative of the final joining of two land ...

Origins of Lunar Water and Its Connection to Earth's Early History

Dec. 19, 2024 — Scientists have unveiled groundbreaking research on the origins of lunar water, offering insights that could reshape our understanding of the Earth-Moon system and the broader solar system. The ...

Diversity of Novel Hydrothermal Vent Styles on the Arctic Ocean Floor

Dec. 19, 2024 — A new study about Earth's northernmost seafloor hydrothermal system shows even more variety in vent styles than previously thought. The study has important implications for understanding the ...

Scientists Solving Meteorological Mysteries on Mars

Dec. 19, 2024 — Scientists are changing our understanding of climate and weather on Mars and providing critical insights into Earth's atmospheric processes as ...

Prehistoric Rock in Japan Reveals Clues to Major Ocean Anoxic Event

Dec. 17, 2024 — Researchers analyzed radioisotopes in layers of fossilized volcanic ash. Decay of uranium to lead within tiny crystals enabled scientists to precisely pinpoint dates for certain events. They ...

Unlocking the Journey of Gold Through Magmatic Fluids

Dec. 16, 2024 — When one tectonic plate sinks beneath another, it generates magmas rich in volatiles such as water, sulphur and chlorine. As these magmas ascend, they release magmatic fluids, in which sulphur and ...

New Simulation Method Sharpens Our View Into Earth's Interior

Dec. 16, 2024 — How does the Earth generate its magnetic field? While the basic mechanisms seem to be understood, many details remain unresolved. A team of researchers has introduced a simulation method that ...

Antarctica's Irregular Heartbeat Shows Signs of Rapid Melting

Dec. 10, 2024 — Geoscientists have created a new climate record for early Antarctic ice ages. It reveals that the early Antarctic ice sheet melted more rapidly than previously ...

Massive Asteroid Impacts Did Not Change Earth's Climate in the Long Term

Dec. 4, 2024 — Two massive asteroids hit Earth around 35.65 million years ago, but did not lead to any lasting changes in the Earth's climate, according to a new ...

Unveiling a Century of Stress and Deformation: Insights from Kilauea Volcano's 1975 Earthquake

Dec. 2, 2024 — Scientists assessed an unprecedented 120 years of data from K lauea Volcano on Hawai'i Island, uncovering, for the first time, century-spanning patterns of deformation and stress changes. They ...

New Research Provides an Improved Understanding of Earthquake Hazards in the Permian Basin

Dec. 2, 2024 — A new collection of published papers offers the most detailed and comprehensive breakdown yet of how water injected into the Permian Basin during oil and gas operations is changing subsurface ...