Sometimes the geologic record obscures evidence of these important reversals in field direction, but statistical techniques ...

In the whole history of Earth's climate, few events are as extreme as those that geologists call "Snowball Earth." ...

In 250 million years, Earth’s continents may merge into a supercontinent so extreme that most mammals would struggle to survive.

From climate change to species loss and pollution, humans have etched their impact on Earth with such strength and permanence since the middle of the 20th century that a special team of scientists ...

A 2021 satellite photo shows off the recently uncovered Yilan crater in China, which is most likely the youngest impact structure on Earth. The incomplete ring is also the largest of its kind and only ...

Earth is truly unique among our solar system's planets. It has vast water oceans and abundant life. But Earth is also unique because it is the only planet with plate tectonics, which shaped its ...

The Department of Geology is about much more than rocks and minerals. Its faculty and students perform cutting-edge research on everything from how glaciers react to climate change to how molten lava ...

At first glance, Mars might seem rather different from our own planet. Mars is dry, with little atmosphere, and no liquid water on its surface. It is half the size of Earth, lacks a planetary magnetic ...

A thin slice of the ancient rocks collected from Gakkel Ridge near the North Pole, photographed under a microscope and seen under cross-polarized light. Field width ~ 14mm. Credit: E. Cottrell, ...

Scientists have long wondered why Earth's overall makeup doesn't fully match the mix of materials found in ancient meteorites. One hypothesis has been that our proto-Earth (what the earliest stages of ...

The Fellowship did not begin the Quest in the Shire; nor did the Quest end in the darkest depths of Mordor. There was no trekking through the Mines of Moria, and the Plains of Rohan remain untrod, for ...