6 Wild Things We Learned about Earth in 2024
It’s been a fascinating year in earth science—from mysterious “dark oxygen” to an “unidentified seismic object,” here are some incredible things we’ve learned about our planet in 2024
6 Wild Things We Learned about Earth in 2024
It’s been a fascinating year in earth science—from mysterious “dark oxygen” to an “unidentified seismic object,” here are some incredible things we’ve learned about our planet in 2024
Could Plate Tectonics Crack Open Earth’s Deepest Mystery?
Plate tectonics, or the recycling of Earth’s crust, may have begun much earlier than previously thought—and may be a big reason that our planet harbors life
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An Ancient Asteroid Impact Both Harmed and Helped Life
A gigantic space rock that slammed into Earth more than three billion years ago grievously wounded the biosphere—and then helped it heal
Ancient Seafloor Discovered Slowly Sinking into Earth’s Mantle
A vast, ancient slab of seafloor plunged beneath the Pacific Ocean and has hovered in Earth’s mantle for more than 120 million years, a new study suggests
How ‘River Piracy’ Helped Give Mount Everest a Growth Spurt
A model suggests a massive uplift caused by a phenomenon called “river piracy” partly explains Everest’s impressive height
Why Appalachia Flooded So Severely from Helene’s Remnants
Inland flooding from tropical cyclones, even at high altitudes, is a major worry—and one that scientists don’t know enough about
An ‘Unidentified Seismic Object’ Shook Earth for Nine Days—Now We Know What It Was
Scientists have traced a baffling monotonous planetary hum that lasted for nine days back to a glacier in Greenland
Earthquakes May Forge Large Gold Nuggets
Scientists propose that large chunks of gold could form from earthquakes’ pressure
Complex, Hidden Landscape Mapped a Mile under Greenland Ice
A new Greenland map suggests how geology might shift and twist below the ice
Stonehenge’s Strangest Rock Came from 500 Miles Away
A new analysis of Stonehenge’s “Altar Stone” suggests Neolithic people walked or sailed some 500 miles to transport the six-ton boulder
‘Dark Oxygen’ Discovered Coming from Mineral Deposits on Deep Seafloor
Baffling new results show that rocklike mineral deposits in the deep sea can produce oxygen
Where Beach Sand Comes From Is a Wild Story
Beach sand is beautiful—and even more so when you understand the story it tells about our planet