Geology

The Wealth Under Afghanistan

Credit: Image of map courtesy of the USGS and composite image by Patricia Waldron By: Patricia Waldron, Inside Science (Inside Science)-- People living in Afghanistan have mined precious gems from their land, such as lapis lazuli, since the times of the E ...

Article - Inside Science - Sep 17 2014 - 7:00am

Erosion Rate And Previous Extent Of Interior Layered Deposits On Mars Revealed By Obstructed Landslides

Landslides on Mars typically have runout distances much larger than equivalent features on Earth, and therefore can interact with older landforms that are distal to the failure scarp. Regardless of the exact formation mechanism of these landslides, it is ...

Article - Tomasz Nowakowski - Sep 19 2014 - 6:07pm

Could There Really Be Such A Thing As Volcano Season?

Volcano season. Some think it's the time of the year. Credit: EPA By Robin Wylie, University College London ...

Article - The Conversation - Sep 26 2014 - 7:01am

The Glaciers Of Mars

Planetary geologists have speculated for decades that glaciers might once have crept through Valles Marineris, the 2,000-mile-long chasm that constitutes the Grand Canyon of Mars. Using satellite images, astronomers have identified features they say might ...

Article - News Staff - Sep 29 2014 - 5:01pm

Why Japan’s Deadly Ontake Eruption Could Not Be Predicted

Phreatic eruption: Mount Ontake. Credit: EPA/Ministry of Land, Infrastructure By Rebecca Williams, University of Hull Mount Ontake, Japan’s second-highest volcano, erupted killing at least 31 people on September 27. Since then, there has been feverish spe ...

Article - The Conversation - Sep 30 2014 - 7:30pm

California Earthquakes: 3 Areas Of San Andreas Fault System Overdue

Four urban sections of the San Andreas Fault system in Northern California have stored enough energy to produce major earthquakes, according to a new study of 'fault creep', and three fault sections, near Hayward, Rodgers Creek and Green Valley, ...

Article - News Staff - Oct 13 2014 - 5:20pm

Hydraulic Fracturing Correlated To Earthquakes In Ohio

Hydraulic fracturing, commonly called fracking, is a way to extract natural gas from shale rock, by using a modern process to inject a high-pressure water mixture at the rock to release the gas inside. By all accounts it has been an environmental boon, re ...

Article - News Staff - Oct 14 2014 - 5:35pm

Journey To The Center Of The Earth Finds Primordial Signatures From The Early Solar System

A study of Samoan volcano hotspots has found evidence of the planet's early formation still trapped inside the Earth. Volcanic island chains such as Samoa can contain ancient primordial signatures from the early solar system that have survived for bi ...

Article - News Staff - Oct 16 2014 - 5:00pm

Great Earthquakes Doubled In The Most Recent 10 Year Period- What That Means

Since December 2004 there have been 18 quakes of 8.0 or greater on the moment magnitude (Mw) scale – a rate more than twice that seen from 1900 to mid-2004. Some of that difference could be due to unprecedented advances in technological and scientific cap ...

Article - News Staff - Oct 21 2014 - 10:05am

The World's Continents Weren't Always Created In The Way That We Thought

How many continents can you count on one hand? Image: Chones By Nick Rawlinson, University of Aberdeen ...

Article - The Conversation - Oct 23 2014 - 2:01pm