Bumpy start!
Unique fossils show how early bird beaks developed
It’s a mix of surprisingly old and surprisingly modern.
Researchers have figured out how the Giant’s Causeway came to be
A giant mystery has been solved.
NASA’s next mission to Mars will map the planet’s interior, scheduled for May 5th
We’ll learn more about our own home in the process, things that we never could here on Earth.
Water may, ironically, be the root of Mars’ dreariness — it could have sabotaged its magnetic field
The theory shows that as long as Earth’s interior stays hot, it should avoid this fate.
For the first time, researchers record a volcanic thunder
Impossible means nothing if you’re a geologist.
Geologists discover ancient meteorite on the Isle of Skye, in Scotland
Even though the isle was studied extensively, the structures were buried beneath a murky swamp which likely dissuaded previous efforts.
Boiling water shapes Mars’ landscape, experiment reveals
It’s not heat, but low pressure that drives this boiling.
New evidence indicates that life on Earth emerged almost 4 billion years ago
It’s as old as we can possibly find.
Researchers will drill into one of Earth’s youngest islands to understand how land forms
It’s not even at retirement age yet.
Curiosity rover finds that its landing crater on Mars could have been habitable for 700 million years
We don’t know whether Mars held life… but there’s certainly a lot of potential.
The main types of mountains — Earth’s ups and downs
Let’s talk some mountains.
Geological deposits hint at ancient ocean on Mars’ surface
Can’t have a devastating water wave without water!
Bizarre life forms found living in Mexican crystals
Geologists have made a shocking discovery in a crystal-rich cave in Mexico.
Paleontologists find 6.2 million year old wolf-sized otter
It was adorable, but also terrifying.
New Zealand’s earthquake pushes the sea floor 2 meters above ground
Fast geology.
Watch all the volcanoes and earthquakes since 1960 hit around the world in one app
A stunning app put together by Smithsonian’s Global Volcanism Project.
Newly-discovered fault in San Andreas may explain geologic mysteries
It might be a good thing… but we’re not sure yet.
What are tsunamis and how they form
Most waves form due to winds or tides, but tsunamis have a different cause altogether.
What is Gondwana: the supercontinent
This is the story of the last in a breed of geological titans, a supercontinent we named Gondwana.