A newly published study reveals evidence of a major cosmic event near the end of the Ice Age, detailing how a cosmic impact sparked climate change that caused mass extinctions. Herds of wooly mammoths once shook the earth beneath their feet, sending humans scurrying across the landscape of prehistoric Ohio. But then something much larger [...]

New research led by Brown University suggests that pre-existing mineralogy on the Moon can survive large impacts and impact melts. Providence, Rhode Island (Brown University) — Despite the unimaginable energy produced during large impacts on the Moon, those impacts may not wipe the mineralogical slate clean, according to new research led by Brown University geoscientists. [...]

In a new study, researchers from MIT provide evidence that volcanic activity did indeed trigger the end-Triassic extinction, killing off 76 percent of marine and terrestrial species on Earth. More than 200 million years ago, a massive extinction decimated 76 percent of marine and terrestrial species, marking the end of the Triassic period and the [...]

Researchers from Ohio State University have discovered the oldest example of biomarkers found inside a particular complete fossil. Columbus, Ohio—Though scientists have long believed that complex organic molecules couldn’t survive fossilization, some 350-million-year-old remains of aquatic sea creatures uncovered in Ohio, Indiana, and Iowa have challenged that assumption. The spindly animals with feathery arms—called crinoids, [...]

Researchers discovered a new class of Martian meteorite in the Sahara Desert that contains 10 times more water than other Martian meteorites from unknown origins, possibly providing a glimpse of the ancient surface and environmental conditions on Mars. NASA-funded researchers analyzing a small meteorite that may be the first discovered from the Martian surface or [...]

In a lab experiment, Yale researchers discovered that molten iron can deeply penetrate single crystals of magnesium iron oxide, resulting in “metal-rich blobs” that penetrate Earth’s mantle in larger amounts and deeper than previously thought possible. New research by Yale University scientists suggests an explanation for the amount of iron in the Earth’s largest interior [...]

A newly published study details the mass extinction of lizards and snakes that occurred after an asteroid struck the Earth 65.5 million years ago, finding that as many as 83 percent of all snake and lizard species died off including the newly named species, Obamadon gracilis. The asteroid collision widely thought to have killed the [...]

A new analysis of the mineral grains from the bottom of the Grand Canyon indicates that it was formed about 70 million years ago, during the late Cretaceous Period, a time when dinosaurs roamed the Earth. The scientists published their findings in the journal Science. This new research pushes back the date for the formation [...]

Last year, the surprise 5.8-magnitude earthquake that struck central Virginia was actually worse than previously thought. Detailed analyses of the ground motions triggered by the event indicate that Washington DC and other affected regions could be at higher risk of major ground movement. The event triggered landslides over a wider area than any other recorded [...]

On April 11th 2012 a pair of massive earthquakes rocked the Indian Ocean. Scientists think that these may be the latest step in the formation of a new plate boundary within Earth’s surface. The scientists published their findings in the journal Nature (1, 2, 3). The geological stresses are rending the Indo-Australian plate apart, and [...]

On Monday, Novosibirsk scientists of the Institute of Geology and Mineralogy at the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences announced that there is a huge deposit of diamonds buried under an impact crater in Siberia. These diamonds are twice as hard as normal because of their origin. The trillions of carats are located [...]

There has been renewed activity at Fuego in Guatemala. The eruption is becoming more intense, although news reports coming out of the region are unclear about what is exactly happening. Currently, 33,000 people have been evacuated. Volcán de Fuego is an active stratovolcano in Guatemala, close to Antigua. It has frequently erupted over the last few [...]