Mysterious volcanic ash layer from 29,000 years ago traced to volcano in Naples
Researchers from the University of Oxford have traced the origin of a pre-historic eruption that blanketed the Mediterranean region in ash 29,000 years ago to Naples' lesser-known volcano Campi Flegrei, located immediately to the west of the city.
Diamonds reveal how continents are stabilized, key to Earth’s habitability
The longevity of Earth's continents in the face of destructive tectonic activity is an essential geologic backdrop for the emergence of life on our planet.
Mysterious eruption came from Campi Flegrei caldera
The caldera-forming eruption of Campi Flegrei (Italy) 40,000 years ago is the largest known eruption in Europe during the last 200,000 years, but little is known about other large eruptions at the volcano prior to a more recent caldera-forming event 15,000 years ago.
Cool Earth theory sheds more light on diamonds
A QUT geologist has published a new theory on the thermal evolution of Earth billions of years ago that explains why diamonds have formed as precious gemstones rather than just lumps of common graphite.
Earth’s deep mantle flows dynamically
As ancient ocean floors plunge over 1,000 km into the Earth's deep interior, they cause hot rock in the lower mantle to flow much more dynamically than previously thought, finds a new UCL-led study.
New light into the recent evolution of the African rift valley
Continental rift valleys are huge fractures on the surface of our planet that progressively break continental plates with the eventual development of new oceans.
A Volcanic Binge And Its Frosty Hangover
German-Mexican research team discover large igneous province which could have triggered an early glaciation of Earth.
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.
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 rise to continents - home to human civilisation.
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 Red Hills on the Isle of Skye may have been a contributing factor to the massive climate disturbance. Their findings have been published in the journal Scientific Reports.
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...
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 a circular bedrock depression beneath the ice.
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 end of the dinosaurs, left a scar several miles underground and more than 115 miles wide.
