geology

Oregon researchers have revealed how the Columbia River Gorge was shaped by the interplay of magma and water, creating its unique cliffs and waterfalls. Their study suggests ongoing geological changes due to subterranean magma activity.A new study shows that magma and water have jointly sculpted the Columbia River Gorge, with magma still influencing its landscape today.University of Oregon researchers are adding new details to the geological history of the iconic Columbia River Gorge, a wide river canyon that cuts through…

In addition to burying solid carbon or sprinkling it on fields, researchers are also turning waste biomass into liquid carbon—oil, essentially, that they pump back into the ground instead of pumping the fossil variety up. “What we do at the highest level is we make barbecue sauce—or liquid smoke for barbecue sauce—and then we inject it into old oil wells,” says Peter Reinhardt, CEO and cofounder of the carbon removal company Charm.They also do this with pyrolysis, which spits out solid char for agriculture, but also…

Titan orbits Saturn. Below Titan are the shadows cast by Saturn’s rings. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Space Science InstituteScientists have discovered strike-slip faults on the icy moons of our solar system, similar to those seen at the San Andreas fault in California. These faults occur when fault walls slide sideways past each other. New research from the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa, led by earth and space scientists, has explored and explained the origins of these geological features on Titan, Saturn’s largest moon,…

Professor Wenhao Sun shows off dolomite from his personal rock collection. Sun studies crystal growth of minerals from a materials science perspective. By understanding how atoms come together to form natural minerals, he believes we can reveal fundamental mechanisms of crystal growth, which can be used to make functional materials more quickly and efficiently. Credit: Marcin Szczepanski, Lead Multimedia Storyteller, Michigan Engineering.To create mountains from dolomite, a common mineral, it must periodically dissolve.…

Below is New York’s JFK Airport—notice the red hotspots of high subsidence against the teal of more mild elevation change. The airport’s average subsidence rate is 1.7 millimeters a year (similar to the LaGuardia and Newark airports), but across JFK that varies between 0.8 and 2.8 millimeters a year, depending on the exact spot.Courtesy of Leonard O OhenhenThis sort of differential subsidence can also bork much smaller structures, like buildings, where one side might drop faster than another. “Even if that is just a few…

Satellite image of a portion of the scablands captured on May 14, 2023, by the Operational Land Imager) on Landsat 8.Outbursts from Glacial Lake Missoula carved the Channeled Scablands in Washington state.In southeastern Washington state, neat grids of farmland stretch for miles across gently rolling hills. Dozens of different crops are grown on the valuable agricultural land of the Columbia Plateau. In some places, however, undulating streaks of scoured earth interrupt the array of angular plots and center-pivot…

Scientists have linked mass extinctions and climate change over the past 260 million years to massive volcanic eruptions and Earth’s astronomical cycles. This research, emphasizing the role of CO2 emissions in climate change, reveals an intricate connection between Earth’s geology and its position in space, distinct from modern, human-caused climate change.New research reveals that Earth’s geological history is tied to astronomical motions—not just the planet’s interior.A team of scientists has concluded that that has…

Using tools from geology and genetics, researchers are uncovering evidence of a shift in how the first living things ate, based on molecular fossils, organic traces from billion-year-old rocks. Present-day annelid worms, like earthworms and this bearded fireworm, have retained a gene to make some types of lipids that most animals have lost.Paleontologists, led by David Gold, are uncovering the evolution of early life through chemical traces in ancient rocks and genetic studies. They’ve discovered that changes in sterol…

Brick dates to the reign of Nebuchadnezzar II (ca. 604 to 562 BCE) based on the interpretation of the inscription. This object was looted from its original context before being acquired by the Slemani Museum and stored in that museum with agreement from the central government. Image courtesy of the Slemani Museum. Credit: Slemani MuseumIn a novel study, researchers utilized ancient Mesopotamian bricks to gain insights into Earth’s magnetic field changes 3,000 years ago. This archaeomagnetic approach provides a more…

Hundreds of thousands of people worldwide are killed annually by malaria and other diseases spread through the bite of mosquitoes, insects that date back to the age of dinosaurs. All of these bites are inflicted by females, which possess specialized mouth anatomy that their male counterparts lack.But it hasn't always been that way.Researchers said they have discovered the oldest-known fossils of mosquitoes — two males entombed in pieces of amber dating to 130 million years ago, during the Cretaceous Period, and found near…