Millions of years ago, an unprecedented geological event drastically transformed the Mediterranean landscape. During the Messinian Salinity Crisis, which occurred between 5.97 and 5.33 million years ago, the Mediterranean was cut off from the Atlantic Ocean. This isolation caused the near-total evaporation of the sea, leaving behind vast salt plains. However, new research published in […]
Geology
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A World Submerged Beneath the Pacific: Geologists Discover Enigmatic Ancient Tectonic Plates Where They Shouldn’t Be
Understanding the inner workings of our planet has always been a fascinating challenge for scientists. Now, a team of researchers has employed an innovative high-resolution model to study the Earth’s mantle structure, uncovering unexpected zones that could change our perception of the Earth’s internal processes. This advancement brings us a step closer to unraveling the […]
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Volcanic Eruptions Didn’t Doom the Dinosaurs: Fossil Molecules Reveal Meteorite Came 30,000 Years Later
For decades, scientists have debated the causes behind the mass extinction event that wiped out the dinosaurs 66 million years ago. While the Chicxulub meteorite impact has been widely regarded as the primary culprit, massive volcanic eruptions in India, known as the Deccan Traps, were also considered a potential factor. New research, however, reveals that […]
Posted inGeography
The Ancient Transantarctic Mountains That Split Antarctica in Two, A World You’ll Likely Never See Yourself
Hidden beneath the vast ice sheet that characterizes Antarctica, the Transantarctic Mountains rise as one of the longest and oldest mountain ranges on the planet. This range, extending over 3,500 kilometers from Cape Adare in Victoria Land to Coats Land in the Weddell Sea, forms a crucial geographic and geological boundary: the divide between East […]
Posted inGeography, Travel
The Pyramids of Euseigne: A Unique Geological Phenomenon in the Swiss Alps
The Pyramids of Euseigne, located in the Hérens Valley, are a unique geological phenomenon and one of the main natural attractions in the canton of Valais, Switzerland. These formations, rising majestically between 10 and 15 meters in height, are the result of glacial and erosion processes dating back to the last ice age, between 80,000 […]
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Scientists Discovered Coal Ash Contains Rare Earth Elements in Sufficient Quantities for Modern Technology Reducing Dependence on China
A team of researchers at the University of Texas at Austin has identified Rare Earth Elements (REE) in coal ash accumulated in the United States. This material, long considered a problematic industrial waste, could contain enough Rare Earth Elements to significantly bolster the national supply of these critical resources without requiring new mining activities. Coal […]
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How the Mediterranean Lost So Much Water 5.3 Million Years Ago That Its Level Was 1 Kilometer Below the Atlantic Ocean
A recent study led by a CNRS scientist analyzed the significant drop in the Mediterranean Sea level during the monumental geological event known as the Messinian Salinity Crisis. This event, which occurred between 5.97 and 5.33 million years ago, transformed the Mediterranean into a massive salt reservoir. Until recently, the way in which approximately one […]
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For the first time in history, scientists have found amber fragments in Antarctica, at a depth of 946 meters
For the first time in history, scientists have found amber fragments in Antarctica, thus closing one of the few remaining gaps in the world map of amber discoveries. This significant finding was made possible by a scientific expedition led by Dr. Johann P. Klages from the Alfred Wegener Institute (Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine […]
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Easter Island findings change everything we know about the Earth’s mantle and how it moves beneath the crust
Traditionally, textbooks have described the mantle as a viscous, well-mixed layer that shifts along with tectonic plates, much like a conveyor belt. This theory has been a cornerstone of geology for nearly a century but has been notoriously difficult to prove. Now, a study by geologists from Cuba, Colombia, and the Netherlands is challenging that […]
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“Brittle Stars” Help Identify a New Climatic Period in Earth’s History, Lasting from 50 to 450 AD
A group of researchers from the Department of Earth Sciences at the University of Pisa has identified a new climatic period on our planet, named the Ophiuroid Optimum, which spanned from 50 to 450 A.D. The study, published in the journal Scientific Reports, was conducted in collaboration with Ca’ Foscari University of Venice and the […]
