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Geology

All articles tagged with #geology

Subduction's Hidden Role in Earth's Oxygen-Breathing Atmosphere
science55 minutes ago

Subduction's Hidden Role in Earth's Oxygen-Breathing Atmosphere

A new study ties Earth’s oxygen buildup to the subduction of carbon and sulfur: when subduction runs cooler, more C and S are carried into the mantle, later returning to the surface via volcanism and scavenging oxygen; warmer subduction releases more of these elements toward the surface, boosting atmospheric O2. The timing matches major oxygenation events (Great Oxygenation ~2.4–2.0 Ga and later boosts) and tracks with the cooling Earth and supercontinent cycles (Columbia, Gondwana, Pangaea). The findings suggest oxygen levels result from a complex interplay of biology, deep Earth chemistry, and plate tectonics.

via Ars Technica|
#atmosphere#earth-science#geology
Dante’s Inferno sketched an impact-physics blueprint, a researcher argues
science4 days ago

Dante’s Inferno sketched an impact-physics blueprint, a researcher argues

A Space Daily piece reports Timothy Burbery’s claim that Dante’s Inferno encodes a structural analogy to large planetary impacts: the nine circles resemble multi-ring crater basins, with the central Mount Purgatory analogizing antipodal seismic uplift. It’s presented as a humanities interpretation—reading the poem through modern impact science—part of the literary-geomythology idea that ancient narratives may preserve awareness of catastrophic threats before science explained them. The article stresses that this is not empirical evidence of Dante’s knowledge, but a tight, specific parallel rather than a data-driven claim, and notes the broader debate about myth and catastrophe in ancient literature.

via Space Daily|
#dante#geology#impact-cratering
Ancient undersea slab keeps Bermuda afloat, study finds
world13 days ago

Ancient undersea slab keeps Bermuda afloat, study finds

Scientists used more than two decades of seismic data to map Bermuda’s subsurface and found a light, ~12-mile-thick slab of ancient rock beneath the island. Formed 30–35 million years ago, this slab floats under the crust and keeps Bermuda elevated above the sea without current volcanism, explaining the island’s buoyancy and challenging the classic mantle plume model. The findings tie Bermuda’s uplift to broader mantle convection processes and link to the region’s gravity and magnetic anomalies around the Bermuda Rise.

via Daily Express|
#bermuda-rise#bermuda-triangle#geology
When Global Rain Reshaped Life: The Carnian Pluvial Episode and the Rise of Dinosaurs
geology13 days ago

When Global Rain Reshaped Life: The Carnian Pluvial Episode and the Rise of Dinosaurs

Around 234 million years ago, Earth experienced a long, uneven climate shift—the Carnian Pluvial Episode—where dry periods gave way to bursts of heavy rainfall for about one to two million years. This intensified rivers, accelerated soil weathering, and disrupted ecosystems, wiping out many marine and land species but also reshaping food webs. Amid the chaos, dinosaurs—previously minor players—expanded as other groups declined, a turnover that helped set the stage for their later dominance and shaped the evolution of life on both land and sea.

via ZME Science|
#carnian-pluvial-episode#carnian-pluvial-event#climate-change
science20 days ago

JWST Reveals Basaltic, Airless Surface on Rocky Exoplanet LHS 3844 b

JWST’s infrared observations of the rocky exoplanet LHS 3844 b reveal a dark, airless basalt-like surface, suggesting it lacks Earth-like crust and significant water. The study proposes two surface scenarios—recent volcanism with a fresh basalt surface or a heavily space-weathered regolith—with current data favoring the latter due to the absence of sulfur dioxide. Further JWST observations will help distinguish surface texture and composition to resolve the ambiguity.

via Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian|
#exoplanets#geology#jwst
Ancient Seas, Modern Cliffs: New Study Rewrites the Twelve Apostles’ Origin
science21 days ago

Ancient Seas, Modern Cliffs: New Study Rewrites the Twelve Apostles’ Origin

A new study in the Australian Journal of Earth Sciences shows the Twelve Apostles formed from Miocene-era seabed rocks, with the Port Campbell Limestone deposited roughly 14 to 8.6 million years ago and a warm interval around 14.1–13.8 million years ago recorded by abundant foraminifera fossils. Tectonic uplift began about 8.6 million years ago, lifting the rocks above sea level and enabling coastal erosion to sculpt headlands, arches, and eventually the sea stacks—an ongoing process following the last ice age. The rocks are ancient, but the iconic formations are geologically recent, highlighting how long-term tectonics and coastal dynamics shape the landscape.”

via Indian Defence Review|
#coastal-erosion#earth-science#foraminifera
From Sea Floor to Sea Stacks: Unveiling the Twelve Apostles' Formation
science23 days ago

From Sea Floor to Sea Stacks: Unveiling the Twelve Apostles' Formation

New research uses high‑resolution mapping and fossil analysis to pin down the Twelve Apostles’ formation: Miocene seas deposited limestone about 14 to 8.6 million years ago (with the Gellibrand Marl around 14–15 Ma and Port Campbell Limestone forming later), followed by crustal compression and tilting that began around 8.6 Ma. The dramatic sea stacks took their present form in the last 20,000–23,000 years as sea levels rose after the last glaciation, with ongoing erosion causing collapses (one in 2005, another in 2009) and the landscape continuing to evolve as a climate record from the Miocene.

via ScienceAlert|
#climate-history#geology#plate-tectonics
Pink Granite Unmasks a Hidden Giant Beneath Antarctica’s Ice
environment25 days ago

Pink Granite Unmasks a Hidden Giant Beneath Antarctica’s Ice

Pink granite boulders found in the Hudson Mountains led British Antarctic Survey scientists to a massive granite deposit buried under Pine Island Glacier—roughly 100 km wide and 7 km thick, dating to about 175 million years ago. Gravity surveys tied surface pink rocks to a deep underground structure, offering new clues about past ice-flow and how the glacier may respond to climate change, with implications for future sea level rise; the discovery enhances ice-modeling and sheds light on Antarctica’s geological history.

via Earth.com|
#antarctica#environment#geology
East Africa Rift Could Split the Continent, Forming a New Ocean, Study Finds
science26 days ago

East Africa Rift Could Split the Continent, Forming a New Ocean, Study Finds

Scientists say the Turkana Rift in East Africa is nearing a final breakup that could eventually separate the eastern part of Africa from the rest of the continent and create a new ocean. Using seismic data, researchers show the region is further along in continental rifting than previously thought, with early oceanic crust forming near Afar; the process began millions of years ago and, if it continues, could occur over a few million years, reshaping Africa’s geography and tying into the region’s rich fossil record.

via Yahoo|
#africa-breakup#continental-rifting#east-africa
East Africa Rift Thinning Points to a Possible New Ocean
science27 days ago

East Africa Rift Thinning Points to a Possible New Ocean

Seismic data reveal the Turkana Rift in East Africa is thinning far more than previously thought, with the crust at the rift center about 13 km thick compared with well over 35 km away, signaling an advanced necking stage toward eventual continental breakup and ocean formation. The process began millions of years ago and will take millions more to unfold, while subsidence and sedimentation here also help preserve an unusually rich fossil record, influencing interpretations of human evolution and past climates.

via SciTechDaily|
#continental-breakup#east-africa#geology