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Earth Science

All articles tagged with #earth science

Deep Earth Core Dynamics Drive Decadal Shifts in Day Length
science6 days ago

Deep Earth Core Dynamics Drive Decadal Shifts in Day Length

A new study in Nature identifies gravitational, electromagnetic, and topographic coupling between Earth's inner core and mantle as the primary drivers of multidecadal changes in the length of a day. Researchers Huifeng Zhang and Mathieu Dumberry found that gravitational torque from the inner core primarily influences these shifts, while the other two mechanisms act as buffers. These deep interior interactions have altered the day's length by several milliseconds between the early 1970s and 2021, offering new constraints on the physical properties of Earth's deep layers.

via AOL.com|
#earth-science#geophysics#inner-core
New study links rapid Earth tipping to dinosaur-era sea level shifts
science9 days ago

New study links rapid Earth tipping to dinosaur-era sea level shifts

A new study in Science suggests Earth’s solid crust has tipped over multiple times in the last 320 million years, causing significant sea level changes during the Jurassic and Cretaceous periods. Researchers used ancient flooding maps to identify four rapid 'true polar wander' events, challenging previous views that this process was slow or negligible. These shifts, which occur as the planet reorients to balance mass distribution, may have profoundly impacted global climate and biology, though the exact triggers remain unknown.

via Gizmodo|
#climate-change#earth-science#geology
New Study Links Brazil’s Black Diamonds to Ancient Impacts and Deep Mantle Formation
science11 days ago

New Study Links Brazil’s Black Diamonds to Ancient Impacts and Deep Mantle Formation

A new study published in Gondwana Research proposes that carbonado, the porous black diamonds found in Brazil and Central Africa, formed deep within Earth’s mantle rather than at the surface. Researchers Attila Demény and colleagues analyzed samples from Brazil’s Tombador Formation, finding that their glassy surfaces likely resulted from later fluid dissolution rather than direct impact melting. The team suggests that ancient cosmic impacts may have driven rapid subduction, carrying carbon-rich organic material from the surface into the mantle, where extreme pressure transformed it into diamond. This hypothesis explains the stones’ unique porous structure and mixed mineral content, though it remains a theoretical model lacking definitive proof of a specific impact event.

via ScienceAlert|
#carbonado#diamond-formation#earth-science
Weakening Earth Magnetic Field May Alter Climate via Cosmic Ray Ionization
science-and-environment11 days ago

Weakening Earth Magnetic Field May Alter Climate via Cosmic Ray Ionization

Earth's magnetic field has weakened by 9% over the last two centuries, potentially signaling an upcoming pole reversal. While this does not cause current global warming, a reversal could increase atmospheric ionization from cosmic rays by 13% at sea level, potentially influencing cloud formation and future climate patterns.

via skyatnightmagazine.com|
#atmospheric-ionization#climate-change#cosmic-rays
Inner Core Gravity Tug-of-War Explains Decadal Shifts in Day Length
science12 days ago

Inner Core Gravity Tug-of-War Explains Decadal Shifts in Day Length

A new study published in Nature identifies gravitational torque from Earth's inner core as the primary driver of multidecadal changes in the length of a day. Researchers Huifeng Zhang and Mathieu Dumberry found that this gravitational influence competes with electromagnetic and topographic forces at the core-mantle boundary, which act as resisting mechanisms. These deep interior interactions have altered the day's length by several milliseconds between 1964 and 2019, providing new constraints on the physical properties of Earth's deep layers, including the viscosity of the inner core and the conductivity of the lowermost mantle.

via yahoo.com|
#core-dynamics#earth-science#geophysics
Deep Earth Gravity Tug-of-War Explains Decadal Shifts in Day Length
science14 days ago

Deep Earth Gravity Tug-of-War Explains Decadal Shifts in Day Length

A new study in Nature identifies gravitational torque between Earth's inner core and mantle as the primary driver of multidecadal changes in the length of a day. Researchers Huifeng Zhang and Mathieu Dumberry found that this gravitational influence competes with electromagnetic and topographic coupling, which act as buffers. These deep interior interactions have altered the day's length by several milliseconds between the early 1970s and 2021, providing new constraints on the physical properties of Earth's deep layers.

via WIRED|
#core-dynamics#earth-science#geophysics
Record-Breaking El Niño Prompts California Emergency Declarations Amid U.S. Preparedness Gaps
earth-science16 days ago

Record-Breaking El Niño Prompts California Emergency Declarations Amid U.S. Preparedness Gaps

A record-breaking El Niño has officially formed, with sea surface temperatures in the central equatorial Pacific surpassing all previous records. Experts warn the U.S. is poorly prepared for the compounding impacts, which may include 450,000 heat-related deaths and global temperatures resembling 2040 levels by 2027. While California has declared a state of emergency to mobilize resources, preparedness remains uneven across the nation, with significant gaps in federal funding and local infrastructure.

via Gizmodo|
#california#climate-change#disaster-preparedness
RNA Sparks Life: Earth’s Habitability Window Opens Around 4.33 Billion Years Ago
earth-science18 days ago

RNA Sparks Life: Earth’s Habitability Window Opens Around 4.33 Billion Years Ago

A Nature Communications study using 3D impact modeling suggests Earth cooled enough for an RNA-based origin of life between about 4.4 and 4.3 billion years ago, with optimal conditions around 4.33 billion years ago. While this narrows the timeline for the RNA world, it doesn’t pin down the exact moment life began, since liquid water, nutrients and other environmental factors must align; zircon evidence of liquid water by ~4.4 Ga supports the window and the work also informs questions about habitability on Mars.

via Gizmodo|
#early-earth#earth-science#hydrothermal-systems
Utah’s Hidden Rock Glaciers Store Climate-Ready Freshwater
earth-science19 days ago

Utah’s Hidden Rock Glaciers Store Climate-Ready Freshwater

Geologists have mapped hidden ice in Utah’s Mount Timpanogos rock glaciers, estimating about 396 million gallons (roughly 600 Olympic-sized pools) of ice with an average thickness of about 61.7 feet, and found evidence ice is still forming. These climate-resilient water stores could help inform future drought management and account for a large share of the state’s freshwater supply.

via Gizmodo|
#climate-change#earth-science#permafrost
science22 days ago

Hear the Ancient Flip: Earth's Magnetic Reversal Revealed

Scientists recreated the sound of Earth's 41,000-year-old magnetic reversal (the Laschamps excursion) using ESA Swarm data and ancient records, showing the field weakened to about 5% of its normal strength for centuries before flipping orientation for around 440 years and then staying far weaker than today. The event aligns with climate signals and megafauna extinctions and even ancient cave art, while today the field is weakening again with the North Pole drifting and the South Atlantic Anomaly expanding. Researchers caution that another reversal is not imminent, but ongoing monitoring of geomagnetic changes and space weather is essential.

via sciencealert.com|
#climate-change#earth-science#geophysics
Deep Mantle, Hidden Water: New Iron Minerals Could Store Earth's Ancient Water
earth-science24 days ago

Deep Mantle, Hidden Water: New Iron Minerals Could Store Earth's Ancient Water

A new Nature Geoscience study suggests Earth’s mantle could hide an ancient water reservoir. In lab experiments simulating conditions about 1,800 miles beneath the surface (roughly 2 million atmospheres and 2,500°C), scientists formed two iron oxyhydroxide minerals, Fe5O12Hx and Fe7O12Hx, that can trap water across deep-mantle conditions and may host primordial or recycled water near the core–mantle boundary. While it’s not yet proven these minerals occur naturally, the findings offer a potential deep-Earth water store and shed light on the mantle’s role in Earth’s water cycle and interior structure.

via Gizmodo|
#deep-earth#earth-science#high-pressure-experiments
Seismic Survey Maps a 2.4-Mile-Deep Rock Cap Beneath Yellowstone's Caldera
earth-science1 month ago

Seismic Survey Maps a 2.4-Mile-Deep Rock Cap Beneath Yellowstone's Caldera

A team deployed 650 geophones and a 53,000‑pound vibroseis truck at 110 roadside stops to image Yellowstone’s crust, revealing a sharp, roughly 100‑meter‑thick boundary about 3.8 kilometers (2.4 miles) below the caldera that marks the top of the magma reservoir. The upper portion is about 86% solid rock with 14% pore space of melt and volatiles, suggesting the system is not an open magma tank and helping explain its long quiescence. This high‑definition boundary improves hazard modeling and ongoing monitoring, without indicating an imminent eruption.

via Space Daily|
#earth-science#geophysics#magma-reservoir