Geophysics

Recent advancements have enabled scientists to detect underground nuclear tests with 99% accuracy, significantly improving global security monitoring capabilities. This method, which efficiently differentiates nuclear explosions from natural seismic events, relies on existing seismic data and supports the enforcement of international surveillance against clandestine nuclear testing. (Artist’s concept.) Credit: SciTechDaily.comThanks to a significant scientific breakthrough in detection methods, conducting secret…

Recent research reveals climate change’s significant impact on river flow seasonality, particularly in the high northern latitudes, with about 21% of surveyed stations showing significant seasonal flow alterations.A recent study has found that climate change is impacting the timing of river flows, especially in the higher northern regions. River flow patterns, which shift with the seasons, are crucial for managing floods and droughts, ensuring water security, and maintaining the health of global biodiversity and…

University of Toronto geoscientists have made a significant breakthrough in plate tectonics, discovering that the Pacific Plate is not as rigid as previously thought but is instead torn by large undersea faults. This challenges traditional views and suggests a more complex interaction between oceanic plates and the Earth’s mantle. Credit: SciTechDaily.comResearch indicates that the Pacific Plate is being torn apart at undersea plateaus across the ocean, due to the weight of the oceanic plate subducting along the Western…

The Seattle fault zone, a network of shallow faults threatening the Puget Sound region, has a new origin story based on a study published in Tectonics that suggests its formation around 55 million years ago due to tectonic deformation. This study, revealing ancient volcanic island interactions with the North American plate, aims to enhance hazard modeling for the densely populated area.Magnetic evidence indicates that the dangerous Seattle fault zone may have originated from the continent’s edge splitting in half over 50…

An artistic illustration about Theia impacting the proto-Earth. Credit: Hernan Canellas/image courtesy of ASURecent research indicates that Earth’s mantle contains two large blobs, remnants of Theia, the ancient planet whose collision with Earth led to the moon’s creation. This discovery offers fresh insights into the moon’s formation and Earth’s early history.In the 1980s, geophysicists made a startling discovery: Two continent-sized blobs of unusual material were found deep near the center of the Earth, one beneath the…

Scientists have discovered anomalous rocks on the Moon with unique dust properties that change how sunlight is reflected, suggesting new geological insights and potential magnetic anomalies. The meter-high rocks discovered in the work are located near the Reiner K crater in the “Reiner Gamma” region, which has a magnetic anomaly. Credit: NASA LRO/NACA research group examines the interplay between dust and large rocks, uncovering potentially anomalous stones.The surface of our Moon is almost completely covered in dust.…

A volcano that had rumbled for weeks erupted in southwestern Iceland, spewing semi-molten rock into the air in a spectacular show of Earth's power in the land known for fire and ice.The eruption that started Monday night occurred about four kilometres from the town of Grindavik, the Icelandic Meteorological Office said. The town near Iceland's main airport was evacuated in November after thousands of earthquakes damaged homes and raised fears of an imminent eruption.On Tuesday, fountains of orange lava shot into the…

Artist’s view of Mars’ interior structure showing a molten layer at the base of the mantle and above the core. The purple line shows the path followed in Mars by the waves generated by the meteorite impact that occurred on September 2021 and diffracted along the CMB. The blue line represents the path followed by a seismic wave reflected at the top of the molten basal layer. Credit: IPGP / CNES / N. Starter Recently, a team of scientists involved in NASA’s InSight mission completed an analysis of seismic data recorded on…

Researchers discovered that the Earth’s lower mantle becomes more viscous at depths of 800 to 1,200 kilometers, due to bridgmanite-enriched rocks. These rocks, with larger grain sizes, affect geophysical and geochemical processes. Prof. Dr. Tomoo Katsura and his international research team at the Bavarian Research Institute of Experimental Geochemistry and Geophysics, University of Bayreuth, have discovered why rocks in the Earth’s interior suddenly become more viscous at depths of 800 to 1,200 kilometers. The cause of…

The meteorite NWA 13188 was found in Morocco in 2018.Photo: Albert JambonFive years ago, a partially crusted, dark red meteorite crashed in the Sahara desert and was sold in Morocco. Meteorites, almost exclusively, are of extraterrestrial origin, but this chunk seemed weirdly familiar, leading scientists to believe that it originated from the same planet where it ended up thousands of years later. What Is Planet Nine and Why Can’t We Find It?During the 2023 Goldschmidt Conference on geochemistry, held from July 9 to 14…