All articles tagged with #geology
USGS researchers discovered that certain deep-sea metal sulfide rocks can spontaneously combust when brought to the surface. This finding highlights a significant safety risk for the emerging deep-sea mining industry, particularly regarding the handling of sulfide deposits rich in valuable metals.
A magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck Panama on October 9, 2026, followed by a 6.6 magnitude quake hours later. The tremors caused evacuations in the capital and structural damage in central provinces, but no deaths were confirmed by evening. The Panama Canal and Tocumen Airport resumed operations after brief pauses.
NASA’s Curiosity rover has released a new panoramic image of Mars taken at dawn on August 11, 2026. The photo, captured by the Mastcam instrument, reveals wind-carved rock formations known as yardangs on Mount Sharp. These structures, estimated to be three billion years old, are part of a geological layer that scientists find puzzling because it appears distinct from the mountain’s primary stratigraphy. The rover, which has climbed over one kilometer in elevation since landing in 2012, aims to reach these cliffs by 2027 or 2028 to analyze their origin.
NASA’s Curiosity rover has released a new image of dawn on Mars, highlighting wind-carved rock formations known as yardangs. These structures, located on Mount Sharp, are estimated to be 3 billion years old and represent a distinct geological layer added after the mountain’s primary formation. The rover, which has climbed over 1 kilometer since landing in 2012, aims to reach this specific layer by 2027 or 2028 for detailed analysis.
New data from an underground Canadian lab suggests Earth's mantle may not be uniformly mixed, with radioactive elements potentially concentrated in specific regions. This finding challenges the long-held assumption that deep rock is evenly distributed and could reshape understanding of planetary heat generation and geological activity.
A new field season at the Durupınar formation in eastern Turkey has intensified the debate over whether the site is a natural rock structure or the remains of Noah’s Ark. Researchers from Sivas Cumhuriyet University and Noah’s Ark Scans drilled over 60 feet into the site, collecting more than 300 soil samples. Preliminary reports indicate the absence of solid bedrock, with drilling encountering mainly soil and boulders. While some claim radar scans reveal man-made structures, official university statements emphasize that laboratory analysis is still underway and results are inconclusive. The findings challenge previous geological assessments that identified the site as a natural limestone formation, but no definitive proof of a man-made vessel has been confirmed.
A team from the University of Texas at Austin has determined that the Ames meteor impact crater in Oklahoma is approximately 100 million years younger than previously thought. New zircon crystal dating places the impact at 370 million years ago, aligning it with the Late Devonian Frasnian-Famennian mass extinction rather than the older Ordovician Meteor Event. This reclassification removes the crater from a proposed global asteroid ring theory and links it to a period of severe marine life loss, potentially influencing theories on whether extraterrestrial impacts or volcanic activity drove major extinctions.
Olympus Mons is currently the highest known mountain in the Solar System, rising 21.9 km from base to peak. However, it represents only 0.65% of Mars's radius. Other bodies like Io, Iapetus, and Vesta have higher percentage peaks relative to their sizes. Unmapped regions on Uranian and Neptunian moons and trans-Neptunian objects may hide taller features.
Researchers at the University of Texas at Austin have revised the age of the Ames meteor impact structure in Oklahoma, determining it formed approximately 370 million years ago rather than the previously believed 467.5 million years ago. This 100-million-year adjustment removes the crater from the Ordovician Meteor Event and aligns it with the Late Devonian period, specifically near the Frasnian-Famennian mass extinction. The study, published in Meteoritics & Planetary Science, utilized zircon crystal dating to correct earlier estimates that relied on fossil evidence, which had inadvertently incorporated older material churned up by the impact. This reclassification has significant implications for understanding the causes of major extinction events and the history of asteroid debris in Earth's orbit.
The Jack Hills in Western Australia contain zircon grains dating to 4.4 billion years ago, making them the oldest known rocks on Earth. These minerals, found in 3-billion-year-old sandstone, provide direct evidence of the planet's first crust and indicate the presence of surface water shortly after Earth formed, suggesting early conditions were cooler and potentially habitable.
Researchers at the Durupinar formation in eastern Turkey report that core drilling found no bedrock, only rich black soil, challenging the theory that the site is a natural geological feature. While some claim radar scans reveal man-made structures, experts note the findings are preliminary and unverified.
The 90-foot Hōlei Sea Arch in Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park collapsed into the Pacific Ocean between September 23 and 27, 2026. The National Park Service confirmed the loss, attributing it to long-term erosion and recent storm activity.
The Hōlei Sea Arch, a 90-foot landmark in Hawaii's Volcanoes National Park, collapsed into the Pacific Ocean between September 23 and 28, 2026. Formed 550 years ago by lava flows, the structure fell due to differential erosion, a process park officials had long predicted would eventually destroy the arch. The collapse occurred during a closure for Tropical Storm Nolo, with the structure confirmed standing on September 23 but missing when the park reopened on September 28.
Lake Vostok, hidden beneath 4 kilometers of Antarctic ice, is smaller in surface area than all Great Lakes but holds more water than four of them combined. Discovered via radar in the 1990s and first accessed by drill in 2012, this ancient body of water remains liquid due to immense pressure and geothermal heat. It serves as a critical analogue for extraterrestrial oceans on moons like Europa and Enceladus, though its exact volume and dimensions remain subject to significant measurement error.
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.