Geology News

Mega volcanoes 'may be predicted'

Thu, 2 Feb 2012 17:45:32 +0300

The eruption of some of the largest volcanoes on the planet could be predicted several decades before the event, according to researchers. Analysis of rock crystals from the Greek island of Santorini suggests eruptions are preceded by a fast build-up of magma underground, which might be detected using modern instrumentation.(BBC)

Research shows rise in volcano dangers

Thu, 2 Feb 2012 07:47:32 +0300

Scientists have known for decades that hidden under those impressive vistas at sites such as Death Valley and Yellowstone National Park are magma pools that under the right conditions can trigger explosive eruptions. Now, new research is changing scientists' understanding of the timing of those eruptions, and prompting them to call for greater monitoring of sites to help save lives when the next big volcano explodes.(USAToday)

Volcanic origin for Little Ice Age

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 06:22:43 +0300

The Little Ice Age was caused by the cooling effect of massive volcanic eruptions, and sustained by changes in Arctic ice cover, scientists conclude.(BBC)

Scientists: Haiti, DR may facing big quake period

Fri, 27 Jan 2012 07:34:45 +0300

Haiti and the neighboring Dominican Republic could be in for a period of periodic powerful earthquakes, according to a scientific study. The study says Haiti's 7.0-magnitude earthquake two years ago is likely to be the first of several quakes of a similarly powerful magnitude.(LiveScience)

Death Valley's Big Bang: Volcano "Potentially Active"

Thu, 26 Jan 2012 07:32:07 +0300

A volcano in Death Valley National Park might be more dangerous than previously thought. A mile and a half wide (2.4 kilometers) and 600 feet (180 meters) deep, California's Ubehebe Crater came explosively into being long ago when rising magma hit water. The question is, when?(NationalGeographic)

GPS Uncovers Possible Southwest Quake Risk

Thu, 26 Jan 2012 07:23:15 +0300

The U.S. Southwest isn't particularly known for its seismic activity, but the Rio Grande Rift, a series of faults and basins that runs from central Colorado south through New Mexico, is alive and stretching, new research shows.(LiveScience)

Big Tokyo earthquake likely 'within the next few years'

Tue, 24 Jan 2012 06:55:38 +0300

The chance of a big earthquake hitting the Japanese capital in the next few years is much greater than official predictions suggest, researchers say.(BBC)

Oldest Dinosaur 'Nursery' Discovered

Tue, 24 Jan 2012 06:52:18 +0300

Tiny prints from baby dinosaurs dot the oldest dino nesting site found to date, a 190-million-year-old nursery in South Africa.(LiveScience)

Explosive Volcano May Lurk Beneath Death Valley

Tue, 24 Jan 2012 06:49:26 +0300

California's Death Valley, already one of the hottest places on Earth, may have the potential to get a whole lot hotter — and live up to its name in a surprising (and possibly scary) new way, according to new research.(LiveScience)

Small quake rattles central Va., 82nd since last summer

Thu, 19 Jan 2012 08:18:44 +0300

A magnitude 2.5 earthquake struck central Virginia early Wednesday morning, originating from the same area as the 5.8 tremor that shook the region last summer. The Virginia Department of Emergency Management says the aftershock is the 82nd since the August quake.(WTOP)

Project to pour water into volcano to make power

Sun, 15 Jan 2012 12:19:54 +0300

Geothermal energy developers plan to pump 24 million gallons of water into the side of a dormant volcano in Central Oregon this summer to demonstrate new technology they hope will give a boost to a green energy sector that has yet to live up to its promise.(PhysOrg)

Earthquakes Rattling Energy Industry Plans

Sat, 14 Jan 2012 09:08:10 +0300

Waste disposal from enhanced recovery procedures proves problematic. Hydraulic fracturing, or “fracking,” is the process of injecting water and proppant – a material such as sand or other particles that prevent the cracks from slamming shut when the injection is stopped – into a well under high pressure to fracture the rock layer underground and release any natural gas or oil that may be trapped inside. (WND)

Earth's Newest Island, Burped from a Volcano, Is a Keeper

Wed, 11 Jan 2012 06:31:26 +0300

Earth's newest island is here to stay. The island, a mound of lava and ash about 2,000 feet (600 meters) across, piled up during the eruption of an underwater volcano in the Red Sea in mid-December. It was initially suspected of being short-lived — most pileups of volcano debris in water quickly crumble back to the depths — but scientists say this one has solidified nicely.(LiveScience)

Antarctic fossil shows sauropod dinosaurs were global

Tue, 10 Jan 2012 06:58:59 +0300

ANTARCTICA has yielded its first sauropod fossil. The long-necked plant-eating dinosaurs are already known to have plodded across the six other continents.(NewScientist)

Could Siberian Volcanism Have Caused the Earth's Largest Extinction Event?

Tue, 10 Jan 2012 06:50:59 +0300

Around 250 million years ago, at the end of the Permian geologic period, there was a mass extinction so severe that it remains the most traumatic known species die-off in Earth's history. Although the cause of this event is a mystery, it has been speculated that the eruption of a large swath of volcanic rock in Russia called the Siberian Traps was a trigger for the extinction. (ScienceDaily)

Ohio magnitude 4.0 earthquake linked to fracking

Fri, 6 Jan 2012 05:56:52 +0300

Ohio has suspended work at five deep wells used to dispose of waste water from natural gas extraction, following evidence linking the operations to a magnitude 4.0 earthquake on New Year's Eve. It is the latest case of an earthquake being linked to the pumping of water into underground wells. Two small earthquakes in the UK last year were also blamed on the process.(NewScientist)

Earth's massive extinction: The story gets worse

Fri, 6 Jan 2012 05:48:10 +0300

Scientists have uncovered a lot about the Earth's greatest extinction event that took place 250 million years ago when rapid climate change wiped out nearly all marine species and a majority of those on land. Now, they have discovered a new culprit likely involved in the annihilation: an influx of mercury into the eco-system.(PhysOrg)

Why North America Won't Erode Away

Fri, 6 Jan 2012 05:28:57 +0300

North Americans should breathe easy: New research confirms that the continent has eroded very little over the past 1.5 billion years and, in all likelihood, won’t shed much ground in the next billion years, either.(LiveScience)

Loch Ness is giant 'spirit level'

Thu, 5 Jan 2012 05:25:30 +0300

Scientists have measured the way Loch Ness tilts back and forth as the whole of Scotland bends with the passing of the tides. It is a tiny signal seen in the way the waters at the ends of the 35km-long lake rise and fall.(BBC)

Hawaii Volcano Has Been Erupting for 29 Years

Thu, 5 Jan 2012 05:17:21 +0300

Hawaii's ever-erupting Kilauea volcano celebrated the 29th anniversary of its current eruption on January 3rd.(LiveScience)

Alert raised around Alaska volcano after likely 'single explosion'

Fri, 30 Dec 2011 21:11:22 +0300

A heightened state of alert has been issued for a remote Alaskan volcano after the detection of a drifting ash cloud, the result of what's believed to have been a lone explosion.(CNN)

Mega-quake clusters unlikely: study

Tue, 20 Dec 2011 18:48:10 +0300

Since 2004, there have been three mega quakes that measured above 8.8 on the Richter scale - in Sumatra, Japan and Chile - and some scientists say history suggests these may have been linked. They point to a similar spate of mega quakes over a period of 15 years during the 1950s and 60s.(ABC.net.au)

Surprising Christmas Island Seamounts Mystery Solved

Tue, 20 Dec 2011 18:44:27 +0300

The Christmas Island Seamount Province, as the area is known, spans a 417,000-square-mile (1 million square kilometers) swath of seafloor. Just how the massive underwater structures got there has been up for debate, but some new geochemical detective work may have solved the mystery.(LiveScience)

Volcanoes slide silently to their death

Mon, 19 Dec 2011 17:58:29 +0300

One of the largest trenches in the Earth's crust is slowly consuming undersea volcanoes, and to the surprise of geologists, it appears to lessen the risk of earthquakes.(ABC.net.au)

Seeking a pot of geological gold

Fri, 16 Dec 2011 17:38:13 +0300

Researchers are moving a step closer to solving one of the greatest murder mysteries of all time. It happened roughly 200 million years ago, marking the boundary between the Triassic and Jurassic periods, and the crime scene was the entire planet. In their quest to solve this ancient mystery, a team of scientists has been combing the coast of Northern Ireland for evidence.(PhysOrg)

North America's Biggest Dinosaur Unearthed in New Mexico

Fri, 9 Dec 2011 12:08:54 +0300

North America's biggest dinosaur has been unearthed. And it looks like it once called New Mexico home. The revelation of the massive titanosaurus was documented in a recent issue of Acta Palaeontologica Polonica published on Dec. 6.(Foxnews)

Landsat satellites track Yellowstone's underground heat

Thu, 8 Dec 2011 16:20:42 +0300

Yellowstone National Park sits on top of a vast, ancient, and still active volcano. Heat pours off its underground magma chamber, and is the fuel for Yellowstone's famous features -- more than 10,000 hot springs, mud pots, terraces and geysers, including Old Faithful. But expected development by energy companies right outside Yellowstone's borders have some fearing that Old Faithful could be cheated out of its energy.(EurekAlert)

Canary Island volcano: A new island in the making?

Sun, 4 Dec 2011 05:20:02 +0300

An undersea volcano erupting just south of Spain's Canary Islands may be the beginnings of a new island, or an extension to an existing one. For some, it's a colourful spectacle - for others a major blow to their livelihood.(BBC)

Saltwater Factors into San Andreas Shaking

Sat, 3 Dec 2011 07:59:20 +0300

Mysterious variations in earthquake activity along the San Andreas fault may be due to saltwater seeping into the rock there, scientists find.(LiveScience)

New Icelandic volcano eruption could have global impact

Fri, 2 Dec 2011 14:21:03 +0300

Hundreds of metres under one of Iceland's largest glaciers there are signs of an imminent volcanic eruption that could be one of the most powerful the country has seen in almost a century. Mighty Katla, with its 10km (6.2 mile) crater, has the potential to cause catastrophic flooding as it melts the frozen surface of its caldera and sends billions of gallons of water surging through Iceland's east coast and into the Atlantic Ocean.(BBC)

Drop in carbon dioxide levels led to polar ice sheet, study finds

Fri, 2 Dec 2011 08:12:49 +0300

A drop in carbon dioxide appears to be the driving force that led to the Antarctic ice sheet's formation, according to a recent study led by scientists at Yale and Purdue universities of molecules from ancient algae found in deep-sea core samples.(EurekAlert)

Unique geologic insights from 'non-unique' gravity and magnetic interpretation

Fri, 2 Dec 2011 08:10:32 +0300

In many fields of applied science, such as geology, there are often tensions and disagreements between scientists who specialize in analyses of problems using mathematical models to describe sets of collected data, and those that rely on on-the-ground observations and empirical analyses. One common source of these disagreements arises from applications of geophysics -- studies of variations in gravity or Earth's magnetic field -- that use models that are strictly (from a mathematical point of view) non-unique.(EurekAlert)

Could Natural Nuclear Reactors Have Boosted Life on This and Other Planets?

Fri, 2 Dec 2011 07:51:55 +0300

Evidence for a cluster of natural nuclear reactors has been found on Earth, and some scientists say our planet may have had many more in its ancient past. (LiveScience)

Lava Fingerprinting Reveals Differences Between Hawaii's Twin Volcanoes

Wed, 30 Nov 2011 08:08:23 +0300

Hawaii's main volcano chains--the Loa and Kea trends--have distinct sources of magma and unique plumbing systems connecting them to Earth's deep mantle, according to UBC research recently published in Nature Geoscience.(ScienceDaily)

Earth's Core Deprived of Oxygen

Thu, 24 Nov 2011 07:24:28 +0300

New research shows that oxygen does not have a major presence in the Earth's outer core. This has major implications for our understanding of the period when Earth formed through the accretion of dust and clumps of matter.(ScienceDaily)

Nest full of baby dinosaurs found

Tue, 22 Nov 2011 06:58:31 +0300

Scientists have discovered a 70-million-year-old nest filled with the remains of baby protoceratops dinosaurs. The nest of 15 juvenile Protoceratops andrewsi dinosaurs provides clues about the dinosaurs' early behaviour.(ABC.net.au)

Geologists explore cues to earth's formation in diamonds

Mon, 21 Nov 2011 08:45:34 +0300

When jewelers inspect diamonds, they look for cut, clarity, color and carat. When University of Tennessee, Knoxville, geologists Larry Taylor and Yang Liu inspect diamonds, they look for minerals, inclusions jewelers hate, but whose presence could be clues for how parts of earth formed.(Jpost)

Whales in the desert: Fossil bonanza poses mystery

Sun, 20 Nov 2011 06:08:11 +0300

Maybe they became disoriented and beached themselves. Maybe they were trapped in a lagoon by a landslide or a storm. Maybe they died there over a period of a few millennia. But somehow, they ended up right next to one another, many just meters (yards) apart, entombed as the shallow sea floor was driven upward by geological forces and transformed into the driest place on the planet.(PhysOrg)

Great Dying happened in hell of a short time

Fri, 18 Nov 2011 08:03:56 +0300

Scientists working in South China have pinpointed the timing of the Earth's most dramatic extinction, an event that killed 96 per cent of all marine species, and 70 per cent of those on land.(ABC.net.au)

Ozone from Rock Fracture Could Serve as Earthquake Early Warning

Fri, 18 Nov 2011 08:00:16 +0300

New research, published this week in the journal Applied Physics Letters, suggests that ozone gas emitted from fracturing rocks could serve as an indicator of impending earthquakes. Ozone is a natural gas, a byproduct of electrical discharges into the air from several sources, such as from lightning, or, according to the new research, from rocks breaking under pressure.(ScienceDaily)

Light Shed on Origin of Antarctica's Buried Mountains

Thu, 17 Nov 2011 06:59:07 +0300

The Gamburtsev Subglacial Mountains in East Antarctica rise up to 10,000 feet (3,000 meters) above the planet's surface, but are covered by up to 15,750 feet (4,800 m) of ice. This icy coat makes them "the least understood mountain range on Earth.(LiveScience)

Supervolcanoes: Not a Threat for 2012

Wed, 16 Nov 2011 06:58:50 +0300

The geological record holds clues that throughout Earth's 4.5-billion-year lifetime massive supervolcanoes, far larger than Mount St. Helens or Mount Pinatubo, have erupted. However, despite the claims of those who fear 2012, there's no evidence that such a supereruption is imminent.(ScienceDaily)

Huge Prehistoric Sunken Islands Found in Indian Ocean

Mon, 14 Nov 2011 17:41:45 +0300

Scientists have discovered two huge sunken islands in the Indian Ocean, west of Australia. The islands -- about the size of West Virginia or Scotland -- were once part of the supercontinent Gondwana and are almost a mile (1.6km) underwater.(Newscore)

How old is the Earth's core? Maybe older than you thought

Sun, 13 Nov 2011 07:34:58 +0300

Research by Assistant Professor Aleksey Smirnov and colleagues from University of Rochester indicates that the earth's inner core is much older than we thought.(PhysOrg)

Plate shapes hold earthquake clues

Fri, 11 Nov 2011 10:21:34 +0300

A new study of tectonic plate boundaries may help scientists understand how earthquakes happen. The work by researchers including Dr Giampiero Iaffaldano from the Australian National University focused on the Nazca plate, which plunges beneath the continental South American plate.(ABC.net.au)