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 […]
Geology
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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 […]
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Anomalous El Niño Events Caused the Largest Mass Extinction in Earth’s History
A groundbreaking study published in Science, co-led by researchers from the University of Bristol and China University of Geosciences (Wuhan), has uncovered new insights into the causes of the most catastrophic mass extinction in Earth’s history: the Permian-Triassic extinction. This event, which took place around 252 million years ago, wiped out approximately 90% of marine […]
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A massive undersea avalanche devastated the northwest coast of Africa 60,000 years ago
A study from the University of Liverpool has unveiled the colossal scale and devastating impact of a massive underwater avalanche that struck the northwest coast of Africa some 60,000 years ago. This research, published in Science Advances, provides unprecedented insights into the magnitude and destructive force of submarine avalanches, a phenomenon shrouded in mystery until […]
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Scientists Achieve Deep-Sea Drilling Milestone, Recovering Longest Section of Mantle Rocks
In a groundbreaking achievement, a team of international scientists has successfully retrieved a significant section of rock from the Earth’s mantle, marking a new era in the study of our planet’s inner workings. The mantle, located beneath the Earth’s crust and constituting the largest part of the planet, holds key secrets about the origins of […]
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The Yarrabubba Crater, the Oldest Known Meteorite Impact on Earth
The Yarrabubba crater, located between the cities of Sandstone and Meekatharra in Western Australia, is an impact structure that has captured the attention of the scientific community due to its impressive age and geological significance. With an estimated diameter between 30 and 70 kilometers, this crater is approximately 2229 million years old, making it the […]
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A Major Earthquake Changed the Course of the Ganges 2,500 Years Ago: Could It Happen Again?
A groundbreaking study has revealed that a major earthquake 2,500 years ago dramatically altered the course of one of the world’s largest rivers, the Ganges. This previously undocumented earthquake diverted the main channel of the Ganges in what is now Bangladesh, a region still susceptible to significant seismic activity. The study, recently published in the […]
