Tag

Volcanism

All articles tagged with #volcanism

science17 days ago•4 min saved

Million-Year Time Capsule in NZ Reveals Lost Birds Before Humans

A Waitomo cave in New Zealand yielded a million-year fossil cache—including 12 bird species, four frog species, and an ancient parrot related to the kākāpō—trapped between two volcanic ash layers dated at about 1.55 and 1.0 million years ago. This makes the site the oldest known North Island cave and offers a pre-human avifauna markedly different from later communities, illustrating how volcanic eruptions and rapid climate shifts reshaped ecosystems long before humans arrived (with estimates that 33–50% of species disappeared in that interval). The find fills a major gap in New Zealand’s fossil record and reshapes understanding of the islands’ natural history.

via ScienceDaily|

#birds #fossils #new-zealand

science1 month ago•5 min saved

Sturtian Snowball Wasn’t One Long Freeze—It Repeatedly Thawed and Refroze

Harvard researchers simulate the Sturtian glaciation (about 717–660 million years ago) as a cycle of glaciation and thaw driven by carbon-cycle feedbacks: volcanic CO₂ input and basalt weathering lowered CO₂ to trigger ice cover, while ongoing volcanism and reduced weathering during ice cover allowed CO₂ to build and melt, repeating for ~56 million years—reconciling the geological record and the survival of early aerobic life, with implications for exoplanet climates.

via Indian Defence Review|

#carbon-cycle #science #snowball-earth

science2 months ago•37 min saved

1.27-km mantle core uncovers Earth's hidden interior

Scientists pulled a 1,268‑meter section from the Earth’s mantle during JOIDES Resolution Expedition 399, a milestone in Earth science. The mantle rocks show less pyroxene and more magnesium than expected, suggesting more melting in the mantle than previously thought and offering new clues about how magma forms and powers seabed volcanism. The findings also hint that olivine reacting with seawater could produce hydrogen, a potential piece of life’s origin puzzle. The team, led by Professor Johan Lissenberg, will continue analyses, with the study published in Science.

via Earth.com|

#earths-interior #iodp #mantle

space-exploration2 months ago•72 min saved

Hawaiian lava lessons spark new clues on Venus’s hidden volcanism

Space.com reports that evidence from Magellan radar and atmospheric gases suggests Venus may still be volcanically active today, with future NASA missions like VERITAS expected to detect recent lava flows. In parallel, researchers studying Hawaii’s 2022 Mauna Loa eruption used private and public satellites plus machine learning to map lava thickness in 3D and identify a month-long underground heat buildup before eruption; they found lava thicker than about 20 meters cooled in roughly 21 months. These findings help calibrate Earth-based volcanic models and could improve how scientists spot and date Venusian lava flows, with results slated for the June 2026 issue of the Journal of Volcanology and Geothermal Research.

via Space|

#hawaii-eruption-2022 #mauna-loa #space-exploration

planet-earth2 months ago•78 min saved

Etna's magma hints at a previously unknown type of volcanism

A new study finds Mount Etna's lava originates from a melt in the mantle's low-velocity zone and rises through a tectonically complex zone at the Africa-Eurasia boundary, producing early silica-rich lava and later alkali-rich lava, suggesting Etna represents a previously unclassified form of volcanism that could be more widespread than scientists previously thought.

via Live Science|

#low-velocity-zone #mantle #mount-etna

space-and-spaceflight2 months ago•16 min saved

Mars Express Spots Dark Ash Creeping Across the Red Planet

ESA’s Mars Express captured a November 9, 2024 image showing a dark blanket of volcanic ash creeping over Mars near Utopia Planitia, contrasting with NASA’s 1976 Viking views. Scientists suggest the ash spread could be wind-driven or the dust covering it has been removed, indicating surface change over decades. The feature sits above ice beneath the surface and includes scalloped depressions that hint at periglacial processes, underscoring Mars’ volcanic history and ongoing landscape evolution mapped by Mars Express since 2003.

via Gizmodo|

#exomars #mars #mars-express

space-and-spaceflight4 months ago•15 min saved

Hidden Lava Tubes Hint at a Subsurface Network Beneath Venus

Researchers analyzing radar data from the Magellan mission detected what appears to be a large underground lava tube beneath Venus, near the Nux Mons region. The tube is about 1 kilometer wide, with a roof around 150 meters thick and a hollow cavity at least 375 meters high, marking the first confirmed subsurface feature on Venus and supporting long-held ideas about the planet’s volcanic activity. If confirmed, there may be more tubes beneath Venus’ surface, a task for upcoming radar-focused missions VERITAS and EnVision, planned to launch around 2031.

via Gizmodo|

#lava-tube #radar #space-and-spaceflight

science4 months ago•31 min saved

Yellowstone’s Inch-High Uplift Doesn’t Signal Impending Eruption

USGS scientists report a roughly one-inch uplift over a 19-mile area near Yellowstone’s Norris Geyser Basin, likely due to deep magmatic activity about 10 miles beneath the surface. It’s considered part of the Norris Uplift Anomaly and does not indicate an imminent eruption of the park’s supervolcano. A separate Yellowstone study found deep-borehole microbes spike around earthquakes, revealing subsurface life dynamics with implications for life-detection on other worlds. In short, Yellowstone stays geologically active, but a cataclysmic eruption is not expected soon.

via Yahoo|

#norris-geyser-basin #norris-uplift-anomaly #science

space5 months ago•4 min saved

Venus May Hide Kilometer-Wide Lava Tubes Beneath the Surface

New modeling suggests Venus could harbor underground lava tubes up to about 1 kilometer wide, implying a vast subsurface network. Surface radar observations hint at ongoing volcanism, especially at Maat Mons and Idunn Mons, while simulations indicate explosive plumes could reach tens of kilometers into the atmosphere, informing future missions to study Venus's geology and atmospheric chemistry.

via Indian Defence Review|

#lava-tubes #planetary-science #radar-imagery

space5 months ago•73 min saved

Juno Spots Io's Most Powerful Volcanic Eruption Yet

NASA's Juno spacecraft captured what scientists describe as the solar system's most energetic eruption observed on Io, with multiple volcanoes lighting up simultaneously from a vast subterranean magma network. The Dec. 27, 2024 event, spotted by JIRAM during a flyby about 74,400 km above Io, released an estimated 140–260 terawatts of power and covered about 40,400 square miles (65,000 sq km). Io harbors around 400 active volcanoes driven by Jupiter's tidal forces. The synchronized eruption suggests interconnected magma reservoirs beneath Io's lava-encrusted surface, and future Io flybys will map new lava flows and ash deposits.

via Space|

#io #juno #jupiter

science5 months ago•34 min saved

Ice‑Covered Volcanoes May Wake Up as Ice Melts, Scientists Warn

Scientists warn that about 245 volcanoes are ice‑covered and could awaken as glaciers melt, releasing pressure and allowing more magma to form. Iceland’s Bardarbunga beneath Vatnajökull is a prime example—its 2014 eruption showed how ice‑bound volcanoes can erupt violently. Ongoing research links warming climate to potential increases in ice‑volcano activity, which could affect regions near ice‑covered volcanoes around the world, including parts of North and South America and Antarctica, with millions living within reach of possible eruptions.

via Yahoo|

#bardarbunga #climate-change #ice-volcanoes

science6 months ago•3 min saved

Ancient Volcano and Hidden Heat Source Discovered on the Moon

Scientists have discovered a deep-seated heat source beneath the Moon's surface in the Compton-Belkovich region, linked to ancient volcanic activity and radiogenic granite, indicating the Moon's interior remains geothermally active long after its volcanic period.

via The Daily Galaxy|

#granite #heat-source #lunar-geology

science1 year ago•5 min saved

Rhythmic Mantle Activity Sparks Africa's Continental Split and New Ocean Formation

Scientists have discovered rhythmic pulses of molten mantle rock beneath Ethiopia's Afar Rift, which influence the stretching and cracking of Earth's crust, potentially leading to the formation of a new ocean basin, and revealing a dynamic connection between deep Earth processes and surface geological activity.

via SciTechDaily|

#afar-rift #continental-breakup #mantle-plume

science1 year ago•5 min saved

Deep Earth Pulses and Magma Threats Beneath Africa

Scientists have discovered rhythmic pulses of molten mantle rising beneath Africa's Afar region, revealing a dynamic, pulsing mantle plume that influences tectonic rifting and ocean formation, with implications for volcanism and earthquakes.

via Phys.org|

#afar-rift #earths-interior #mantle-plume

science1 year ago•11 min saved

Unveiling the Secrets of Io, Jupiter's Volcanic Moon

Recent NASA Juno spacecraft data suggest that Io, Jupiter's volcanic moon, does not have a shallow magma ocean as previously thought, challenging existing theories about its intense volcanism driven by tidal heating, and raising questions about the internal structures of other tidally heated moons like Europa and Enceladus.

via WIRED|

#io #jupiter #magma-ocean