Tag

Subsurface

All articles tagged with #subsurface

biology1 month ago•16 min saved

Deep Beneath the Great Lakes, a Hidden World of Fungi and Tardigrades Emerges

Researchers drilling into the Antrim Shale beneath the Great Lakes found a vibrant underground ecosystem: 689 fungal species (including 13 new ones) alongside tardigrades and worms, forming a subterranean food web fed by ancient organic matter. Isotopic dating links the water to the Ice Age, last in contact with surface about 11,000 years ago, suggesting deep subsurface biodiversity may be underestimated and could influence carbon cycling.

via Gizmodo|

#biology #fungi #great-lakes

space1 month ago•3 min saved

Juno Reveals Subsurface Heat Beneath Io, Solar System's Most Volcanic Moon

NASA's Juno spacecraft, using its Microwave Radiometer, detected heat rising beneath Io’s surface during two close flybys, revealing a subsurface temperature gradient of more than 40°F a few feet deep. The heat could come from a conductive crust or cooling lava flows and underscores Io's extreme tidal heating, offering insights into volcanism and potentially informing studies of subsurface oceans on other worlds.

via Gizmodo|

#io #juno #jupiter

science1 month ago•13 min saved

Mars's Subsurface: The Real Frontier in the Search for Life

Mars’s surface is harsh today, so if life ever existed it may have retreated underground to environments from metres to kilometres deep where rock, ice, and radiolytic chemistry could provide energy. While some models and Earth analogues suggest plausible habitats, there is no direct evidence of life beneath Mars; current samples reach only a few centimetres, and the envisioned deeper habitats—potentially many kilometres down—remain unprobed. The upcoming Rosalind Franklin/ExoMars drill could sample to about two metres, but confirming deep underground life would require access far deeper than any mission yet attempted.

via Space Daily|

#astrobiology #deep-biosphere #life

science2 months ago•36 min saved

Antarctica Unveils Continent-Sized Subsurface Enigma

Scientists have identified a vast subsurface feature beneath Antarctica described as a continent-sized megastructure, revealed through new geophysical imaging (radar and seismic data). The discovery could reshape understanding of the continent’s geology and influence models of ice dynamics and past climate, with ongoing research to determine its origin and nature.

via Yahoo|

#antarctica #geology #geophysics

space3 months ago•4 min saved

Subsurface Ice Detected in Permanently Shadowed Lunar Craters Spurs Moon-Base Prospects

ISRO’s Chandrayaan-2 radar data reveal signatures consistent with buried subsurface ice beneath the floors of four doubly-shadowed craters in the Moon’s south polar region, including a 1.1‑km Faustini inner crater with a lobate rim that hints at an ice-rich impact. The ice lies in permanently dark, ultra-cold craters, preserved for billions of years, and could provide water and fuel for future human missions, making these regions highly strategic for lunar exploration and resource utilization.

via The Times of India|

#chandrayaan-2 #ice #moon

astronomy5 months ago•4 min saved

Mars Might Host a Planetwide Subsurface Water Network

A study of 24 enclosed Martian craters in the northern hemisphere finds evidence for a planetwide groundwater system that persisted after surface water declined, with water migrating into deep, interconnected underground reservoirs likely fed by a vast ancient ocean about 3–4 billion years ago. Minerals such as clays and carbonates at several sites suggest habitable conditions in the subsurface and the potential preservation of biosignatures in buried sediments.

via The Daily Galaxy|

#astronomy #groundwater #life

science8 months ago•3 min saved

Massive Subsurface Rock Formation Reveals Island's Ancient Roots

A recent study reveals a massive, lighter rock slab beneath Bermuda, nearly 13 miles thick, which lifts the island above the oceanic crust. This discovery challenges previous understanding of Bermuda's volcanic origins, suggesting the island sits on a buoyant, ancient intrusion rather than a recent volcanic hotspot, and highlights the island's unique geological history.

via Royal Gazette | Bermuda|

#bermuda #geology #science

astronomy2 years ago•4 min saved

"Surprising Discovery: Saturn's Moon Mimas Harbors Hidden Ocean"

Evidence from orbital mechanics and tidal forces suggests that Saturn's moon Mimas has a subsurface ocean, contradicting its heavily cratered surface. The ocean likely formed relatively recently, possibly within the last 3 million years, due to tidal heating. This discovery adds Mimas to the growing list of Solar System objects with subsurface oceans and raises questions about its history and interactions with other moons and Saturn's rings.

via Ars Technica|

#astronomy #mimas #ocean

science3 years ago•2 min saved

Unveiling Earth's Hidden Microbes in Hot Springs' Depths

Geomicrobiologist Karen Lloyd and her team have been exploring the roles of microorganisms that inhabit the deep subsurface of the Earth, particularly in hot springs and volcanoes. By collecting fluids from various locations around the world, they aim to understand how these microbes contribute to the cycling of essential elements and provide valuable information on hot-spring safety to local communities. Their goal is to build a global dataset that sheds light on how microbes thrive in extreme environments deep inside the planet.

via Nature.com|

#geomicrobiology #hot-springs #microorganisms