Geoscientists

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…

Researchers discovered new undersea faults on the Pacific plate, some of which are thousands of meters below the surface of the ocean and hundreds of kilometers long. Credit: NOAA/NASA GOES Project A team of geoscientists from the University of Toronto is shedding new light on the century-old model of plate tectonics, which suggests the plates covering the ocean floors are rigid as they move across the Earth's mantle.…

A groundbreaking study spanning 66 million years reveals a sobering view of Earth’s climatic trajectory, showing that current CO2 levels last appeared 14 million years ago, far earlier than previous estimates. This international research effort, taking seven years to complete, highlights the profound sensitivity of our climate to greenhouse gases and the lasting impact these have over millennia. The study’s findings underscore the urgency for informed climate policy, providing a detailed past-to-present analysis that…

Junchuan Fan and Gautam Thakur helped develop MapSpace, a land-use modeling framework developed from natural language data, geotagging and global location data. Credit: Lena Shoemaker/ORNL, U.S. Dept. of Energy When geoinformatics engineering researchers at the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory wanted to better understand changes in land areas and points of interest (POIs) around the world, they turned to…

Utah State University geochemist Dennis Newell collects data from a spring along the Cantwell segment of Alaska's Denali Fault. He and colleagues published findings in the Geology, citing evidence of mantle-to-crust connections that increase the possibility of a future major earthquake. Credit: Jeff Benowitz The 1,200-mile-long Denali Fault stretches in an upward arc from southwestern Alaska and the Bering Sea eastward to…

Geochemistry of 14 hot springs in the flat-slab and back-arc regions of Peru. a Piper diagram showing the major ion chemistry and TDS for flat-slab springs (FSS) and back-arc springs (BAS; note Sp. 4 TDS). b Principal component analysis (PCA) based on the measured aqueous, gas, and isotope geochemistry. Springs separate into four groups FSS into A&B; BAS into C&D, with one major exception (Sp. 9). This lower temperature BAS falls into PCA group…

Carbonate rock samples collected from the North China Craton. Credit: Christina Franusich for Virginia Tech.Although the oceans from ancient times have disappeared, the events that occurred in them have been recorded in rocks. By examining these rocks, we can connect Earth’s past to its present and future, gaining a deeper understanding of our planet’s history.Could nitrate be responsible for algae, flowers, and even your neighbors? A group of geoscientists from Virginia Tech has uncovered evidence that suggests the…

Carbonate rock samples collected from the North China Craton. Credit: Photo by Christina Franusich for Virginia Tech Is nitrate responsible for algae, flowers, and even your neighbors? A team of Virginia Tech geoscientists have unearthed evidence that may indicate yes. The team's findings, recently published in Science Advances,…

Occurrence of interpersonal mistreatment or incivility in the workplace over the prior 12 months presented by (a) gender, (b) race and ethnicity, (c) sexual orientation, (d) career stage, and (e) ability status. Stars represent significant differences between demographic groups for specific behaviors. Credit: Earth's Future (2023). DOI: 10.1029/2022EF002912 A first-of-its-kind workplace climate survey of Earth and space…

Seismograph reading when LSU's Jayden Daniels scored the overtime touchdown. Credit: LSU Geology & Geophysics department Fans inside and outside Tiger Stadium erupted with excitement as they watched their team beat Alabama in overtime. At the same time, a seismometer on LSU's campus captured the excitement, recording two distinctive seismic wave events. The first came at 10:03 p.m. after LSU football quarterback Jayden…