Shaking Foundations: New Research Contradicts Established Theories on Earth’s Crust Evolution
For billions of years, the Earth’s crust has continued a slow process of reworking, as opposed to rapidly slowing its growth around 3 billion years…
Tectonic Plates News
Unlocking Earth’s Ancient Secrets: New Study Rewrites Our Understanding of Earth’s Deep Carbon and Chlorine Cycles
A recent study led by Macquarie University earth scientist Dr. Chunfei Chen sheds new light on geological processes from up to three billion years ago…
Scientists Uncover Source of Unusual Deformation in Earth’s Largest Continental Rift
Computer simulations confirm that the African Superplume causes the unusual deformations and rift-parallel seismic anisotropy detected below the East African Rift System. Continental rifting involves…
What Causes Diamonds To Erupt? Scientists Crack the Code
New findings hold the potential to spark future diamond discoveries. An international team of scientists, led by the University of Southampton, has found that the…
4 Billion Years Old – Earth’s Oldest-Known Rocks Provide Clues About Early Tectonics
Currently, Earth stands alone as the only identified planet that sustains life, thanks in large part due to the dynamics of plate tectonics. This process…
A Seismic Shift – Earth’s Plate Tectonics Recently Underwent a Fundamental Change
Earth is truly unique among our Solar System’s planets. It has vast water oceans and abundant life. However, Earth’s distinctiveness extends beyond its biodiversity and oceans—it…
Scientists Discover Astonishing 36-Million-Year Geological Cycle That Triggers Bursts of Biodiversity
Tectonic changes alter sea levels which can create breeding grounds for life. Researchers have discovered that Earth’s tectonic plate movements cause sea levels to rise…
Magnetic Revelations: New Research Challenges Existing Theories of Life’s Emergence
A multi-institution team found evidence that the Earth’s magnetic field was stable 3.9 to 3.4 billion years ago when life is thought to have emerged,…
Groundbreaking Study Shakes Up Established Views on Mountain Formation
New research led by Colorado State University indicates the answers to how and why mountains form are buried deeper than once thought. “Mountain building is…
The Inside of the Earth Is As Hot as the Sun’s Surface – How Has It Stayed That Way for Billions of Years?
How has the inside of the Earth stayed as hot as the Sun’s surface for billions of years? The Earth’s layered structure, which includes moving…
Zircons Unlock Earth’s Early History: Life Sprung From a “Stagnant Lid,” Not Plate Tectonics
A study from the University of Rochester, using zircon crystals, found that plate tectonics was inactive during the period when life first appeared on Earth….
Craton Deception: Geologists Challenge Conventional View of Earth’s Continental History and Stability
A new study challenges longstanding beliefs about Earth’s stable cratons, revealing that they have undergone repetitive deformation beneath their crust since formation. Contrary to previous…
Earth’s Ancient Dance: New Evidence Suggests Plate Tectonics Occurred Over 4.2 Billion Years Ago
Zircon crystals and magmas unveil fresh insights into the ancient plate tectonic activity that occurred on Earth billions of years ago. Earth is an ever-evolving…
Scientists Discover Mysterious Warm Liquid Spewing From Oregon Seafloor
The field of plate tectonics is relatively new, and researchers are still uncovering the intricacies of geologic faults that cause earthquakes. One such fault, the…
Seismic Sleuths Reveal Earth’s Secret Mountains: A Hidden World Beneath Our Feet
Researchers from The University of Alabama discovered a dense layer of ancient ocean floor, or ultra-low velocity zone (ULVZ), between Earth’s core and mantle using…
Bizarre Geologic Activity on Venus: “Squishy” Outer Shell May Be Resurfacing the Planet
The research uses archival NASA data to show that Venus may be losing heat from geologic activity in regions called coronae, possibly like early tectonic…
Groundbreaking Discovery of Hidden Molten Rock Layer Under Earth’s Tectonic Plates
Scientists have discovered a new layer of partly molten rock under the Earth’s crust that might help settle a long-standing debate about how tectonic plates…
Violent Supershear Earthquakes Are Much More Common Than Previously Thought
Supershear earthquakes occur when a fault ruptures faster than seismic shear waves can travel through rock. The events were thought to be rare because scientists…
