geologic

Boxes display the interquartile range (IQR); open circles display median values and solid dots display means; vertical lines display 5th and 95th percentiles; and horizontal lines display the full range of each distribution. Credit: Carnegie Mellon College of Engineering Carbon capture and sequestration (CCS), the process of capturing and storing atmospheric carbon dioxide, is one method of reducing the amount of carbon dioxide…

Even a mile underground, our planet is teeming with microbes. Scientists long assumed that these subterranean microbial communities, which dwell in aquifers and geothermal wells, saw little ecological change. But recent research suggests that their populations are actually quite dynamic, shifting species composition within days rather than centuries—and geologic activity, such as when rocks split from compression or expansion, could be behind such changes. Aquatic bacteria and viruses living below Earth’s surface are…

Schematic of major instrumental arrays and activities of SZ4D. Credit: Carnegie Institution for Science A new report, co-authored by Carnegie's Diana Roman, presents a plan for an ambitious interdisciplinary initiative aimed at advancing understanding of the processes that trigger earthquakes, tsunamis, landslides, and volcanic eruptions where tectonic plates converge. …

Lake Mead. Credit: Josh Hawkins/UNLV As the climate crisis continues to affect the American West, sunken boats and human remains aren't the only surprises to be revealed by record-low water levels at Lake Mead. Sedimentary rocks that hadn't been seen since the 1930s are now exposed along the constantly changing shoreline, and a UNLV study of the deposits has discovered that many of these rocks also contain ash from volcanoes…