Geology

MASTODON MAXIMUS. CUV. [Cuvier]; Orra White Hitchcock (1796–1863); Amherst, Massachusetts; 1828–1840; pen and ink and watercolor wash on cotton, with woven tape binding

Art, Science and Religion Blend in Exhibition Honoring Illustrator Orra White Hitchcock

Orra’s paintings and drawings depict the natural world in colorful detail

An eroded area of the Medusae Fossae Formation.

Most of Mars' Dust Comes From One Place

Erosion of the Medusae Fossae Formation has, over billions of years, likely covered the entire planet in 10 feet of volcanic dust

The Meghalayan Age’s “timestamp” is an isotopic shift found in a single stalagmite growing from the floor of the Mawmluh Cave in Meghalaya, India

Welcome to the Meghalayan Age, the Latest Stage in Earth’s 4.54-Billion-Year History

Geologists say the stage began 4,200 years ago, when a global mega-drought devastated agricultural societies

Pink Was the First Color of Life on Earth

Researchers have found bright pink pigments in 1.1 billion year old fossils of cyanobacteria drilled in West Africa

Where Did the Aztecs Get Their Turquoise?

New analysis shows the blue-green mineral found in Aztec art was likely mined in Mexico, not the American Southwest as previously believed

Oldest Footprints Show When Life On Earth Got Legs

Tiny fossil tracks found in South China firmly date appendages back to the Ediacaran period

Rescue workers walk on rooftops in Escuintla, Guatemala, Monday, June 4, 2018, blanketed with heavy ash spewed by the Volcan de Fuego, or "Volcano of Fire."

Five Things to Know About Guatemala's Deadly Volcanic Eruption

The massive blast is affecting nearly 2 million people, and more may still be in store

Left: A cooled pāhoehoe flow from the Kīlauea, showing its characteristic ropey texture, captured in 2012 (imageBROKER / Alamy). Right: An ‘a‘ā flow from Kīlauea moves down Makamae Street in Leilani Estates, Hawaii on May 6, 2018.

A Handy Guide to Volcano Vocab

Laze, vog, lava bomb—we help you decipher what geologists are actually talking about

A sinkhole from 2012 that swallowed the back of a home at Shoal Drive in Hudson. At the time the picture was taken, Pasco County Fire officials said the sinkhole is currently 40 feet wide and 20 feet deep.

The Science Behind Florida’s Sinkhole Epidemic

Reports of these ground-chasms have been swelling in the past few years. Geology helps explain why

Joe, the "fat boy" from the Pickwick Papers.

The Case for Charles Dickens, the Science Communicator

A new exhibition dives into the Victorian novelist's passion for science

The activity at Halema'uma'u Crater on the Kilauea volcano has increased to include nearly continuous emission of ash with intermittent stronger pulses.

Huge Burst of Ash and ‘Vog’ from Kilauea Puts Hawaii on Red Alert

Experts worry that more violent eruptions could be in store

The Kilauea volcano’s Halema’uma’u lava lake as it appeared on Monday.

"Explosive" Eruptions Possible at Hawaii's Kilauea Volcano

Steam-powered bursts could fling multi-ton boulders half a mile away, but the USGS says wide-scale destruction is not likely

A spectacular sinkhole the length of two football fields and the depth of a six-story building has opened up on a New Zealand farm.

Massive Sinkhole Opens Up in New Zealand

The gaping chasm has revealed 60,000-year-old volcanic deposits

Yellowstone's Biggest Geyser, Steamboat, Has Trio of Eruptions

It's the first triple eruption in 15 years—but don't worry, it's not a sign the Yellowstone volcano is ready to blow

The group of Muuscoctopus found on the Dorado Outcrop.

Colony of Beautiful, Doomed Purple Octopuses Found Off Costa Rica

Hundreds of unidentified cephalopods were found nursing their eggs near a deep-sea vent

A piece of the Almahata Sitta in Sudan

Diamonds Trapped in Strange Meteorite Came From Solar System's Earliest Planets

Impurities in the diamonds could only have formed within a planet the size of Mercury or Mars

Under Canada's Devon Ice Cap, shown here, scientists have found the first isolated hypersaline subglacial lakes in the world.

Super Salty Lakes Found Deep Below Canadian Ice Cap

The discovery could provide insights about life in extreme environments, and help in the search for extraterrestrial life

Ocean Current That Keeps Europe Warm Is Weakening

Two new studies show the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation has decreased 15 to 20 percent over the last 150 years

USGS Shares Archival Photo of Rare Domed Lava Fountain

The unusual phenomenon occurred in the midst of a five-year eruption on Hawaii’s Kīlauea volcano

Leif Erikson pointing toward North America. Did he use a sunstone to navigate the open seas?

Simulation Suggests Viking Sunstones of Legend Could Have Worked

If they existed, the crystals—used to locate the sun's position on cloudy days—could have helped Vikings sail to far away places

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