WVU researcher unearths an ice age in the African desert
A field trip to Namibia to study volcanic rocks led to an unexpected discovery by West Virginia University geologists Graham Andrews and Sarah Brown.
Category : Geology
HeritageDaily – Geology news and geology press releases from across the globe
Ancient asteroid impacts played a role in creation of Earth’s future continents
The heavy bombardment of terrestrial planets by asteroids from space has contributed to the formation of the early evolved crust on Earth that later gave
Large volcanic eruption in Scotland may have contributed to prehistoric global warming
Around 56 million years ago, global temperatures spiked. Researchers at Uppsala University and in the UK now show that a major explosive eruption from the
Death near the shoreline, not life on land
Our understanding of when the very first animals started living on land is helped by identifying trace fossils–the tracks and trails left by ancient animals–in
Sunset crater, San Francisco volcanic field
The San Francisco Volcanic Field is a 4,700 square kilometers (1,800 square miles) area in the southern boundary of the Colorado Plateau.
Huge crater discovered in Greenland – here’s how the impact may have wiped out the mammoths
Scientists have discovered a 31km wide impact crater beneath the Hiawatha glacier in Greenland. The discovery, published in Science Advances, was made using airborne radar surveys which unveiled
New study reveals connection between climate, life and the movement of continents
A new study by The University of Texas at Austin has demonstrated a possible link between life on Earth and the movement of continents.
Crater that killed the dinosaurs reveals how broken rocks can flow like liquid
Sixty-six million years ago, an asteroid the size of a small city smashed into the earth. This impact, the one that would lead to the
Plate tectonics may have been active on Earth since the very beginning
A new study suggests that plate tectonics--a scientific theory that divides the earth into large chunks of crust that move slowly over hot viscous mantle
Volcanic map of the United Kingdom
There are no active volcanoes in the UK today, but the UK's volcanic past tells a story spanning hundreds of millions of years.
Chinese-led team shows mass extinction happened in geological ‘instant’
It took less than 30,000 years and maybe only thousands, to kill more than 90% of sea creatures and most land species, according to the
Geologists reveal ancient connection between England and France
The British mainland was formed from the collision of not two, but three ancient continental land masses, according to new research.
Mud from the deep sea reveals clues about ancient monsoon
Analyzing traces of leaf waxes from land plants that over millennia accumulated in deep sea sediments, a team of researchers led by the University of
Sicilian amber in western Europe pre-dates arrival of Baltic amber by at least 2,000 years
Amber and other unusual materials such as jade, obsidian and rock crystal have attracted interest as raw materials for the manufacture of decorative items since
Napoleon’s defeat at Waterloo caused in part by Indonesian volcanic eruption
Electrically charged volcanic ash short-circuited Earth's atmosphere in 1815, causing global poor weather and Napoleon's defeat, says new research.
Ice sheets of the last ice age seeded the ocean with silica
New research led by glaciologists and isotope geochemists from the University of Bristol has found that melting ice sheets provide the surrounding oceans with the
Toxic pigment discovered in Inca sacrificial burial
Researchers from the University of Tarapacá and the University of Chile have announced the identification of the toxic mineral cinnabar (α-HgS) from a burial associated
Yellowstone super-volcano has a different history than previously thought
The long-dormant Yellowstone super-volcano in the American West has a different history than previously thought, according to a new study by a Virginia Tech geoscientist.
Sound waves reveal diamond cache deep in Earth’s interior
There may be more than a quadrillion tons of diamond hidden in the Earth's interior, according to a new study from MIT and other universities.
Study finds deep subterranean connection between two Japan volcanoes
Scientists have confirmed for the first time that radical changes of one volcano in southern Japan was the direct result of an erupting volcano 22
ANU scientists discover the world’s oldest colors
Scientists from The Australian National University (ANU) and overseas have discovered the oldest colours in the geological record, 1.1 billion-year-old bright pink pigments extracted from
10 incredible caves
A cave is a hollow place in the ground, specifically a natural underground space large enough for a human to enter. Caves form naturally by