Geoscience

A collaborative study by Chinese and Japanese scientists has uncovered evidence of ancient lower mantle flow fields beneath the Philippine Sea Plate, offering new insights into the Earth’s deep interior dynamics and the widespread presence of seismic anisotropy in the lower mantle.Scientists from China and Japan have identified unique features of the flow field in the lower mantle. Through their study of seismic anisotropy in the upper section of the lower mantle beneath the Philippine Sea Plate, they discovered that the…

Scientists from EPFL and Charles University find that microbial life thrives in mountain streams as glaciers shrink, based on global samples from the Vanishing Glaciers project. This “green transition” leads to increased primary production, altering local carbon and nutrient cycles. Credit: EPFL/Vincent de StarkA team of scientists from EPFL and Charles University in Prague have discovered that microbial life is set to thrive in mountain streams, as a result of ongoing glacier shrinkage. Their findings, published in…

An artist’s rendition of Titan’s landscape features a hazy atmosphere, dark dunes, and mirror-smooth lakes and seas that resemble Earth’s. On these bodies of liquid hydrocarbons, new research suggests that the appearance of “magic islands” may be caused by floating organic solids. Credit: NASA/JPL Saturn’s largest moon rains and snows ethane, methane, and fancier organic compounds. On the ground, accumulated chunks may calve like glaciers at the edges of the moon’s methane lakes, forming ephemeral, floating “magic…

Light microscope images of euglenoid cysts from the Triassic-Jurassic boundary (approx. 200 million years old) in the Schandelah-1 core in Germany (left) and from Triassic sediments in Winterswijk, the Netherlands (right). The specimens are between 20 and 30 micrometers in diameter. Credit: Bas van de Schootbrugge, Utrecht UniversityA 400-million-year evolutionary history.Euglenoids, a unique group of single-celled protists, occupy a mysterious niche, being neither fully plant nor animal. Unlike plants that solely rely on…

Image shows astronaut-geologist Harrison H. Schmitt standing next to a huge lunar boulder during NASA’s Apollo 17 mission in 1972. The scientists in this research used rock samples from this Apollo mission. Credit: NASA/Gene CernanNew research has uncovered the process behind the formation of unique magmatic rocks on the Moon, shedding light on their distinct composition and how they came to be on the lunar surface.New research has cracked a vital process in the creation of a unique rock type from the Moon. The discovery…

A study reveals subsidence issues on the U.S. East Coast, affecting over 2 million people and numerous infrastructures. Areas like Norfolk, Baltimore, and parts of New York City are particularly impacted. The study emphasizes the urgency for policy intervention due to potential risks to densely populated and property-rich regions. Credit: SciTechDaily.comThe East Coast of the U.S. is sinking, impacting major cities and infrastructure, with a significant population at risk. A new study calls for urgent policy action to…

Active dripstone formation in a side area of the “Kleine Teufelshöhle.” Credit: KIT (taken as part of the HEiKA Project Check Extrema)Researchers from Heidelberg and Karlsruhe use stalagmite for the reconstruction of regional and global climatic history.Tree-ring data, when integrated with information from stalagmites, has enabled a team of researchers, including geoscientists from Heidelberg University and the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, to access a distinctive archive for examining natural climate fluctuations…

A new study highlights Africa’s severe air pollution crisis and calls for urgent, collaborative action involving global and regional stakeholders. Solutions proposed include air quality monitoring, clean energy investments, improved waste management, eco-friendly technology, and infrastructure development to reduce pollution and address its disproportionate impact on vulnerable populations.A new report in Nature Geoscience has brought to light the challenge of air pollution levels in Africa and why international action is…

Terahertz (THz) spectroscopy is an emerging tool in oil shale resource evaluation, offering various applications such as oil identification and THz dating. Scientists are researching its potential, facing challenges but recognizing its significant future role in oil shale exploitation. Credit: SciTechDaily.comResearchers from China University of Petroleum (Beijing) offer a holistic insight into applying terahertz spectroscopy to characterize oil shale.The current understanding of the oil generation potential of oil shale…

MIT researchers have discovered that smectite, a clay mineral formed from plate tectonics, can sequester carbon effectively, influencing global climate over millennia. Their findings suggest that smectite has been instrumental in triggering past ice ages and offers potential for future climate change mitigation. Credit: SciTechDaily.com An accordion-textured clay called smectite efficiently traps organic carbon and could help buffer global warming over millions of years. MIT geologists have found that a clay mineral on…