Earth Science

Does the Moon's Phase Cause Earthquakes?

One researcher offers a succinct answer

2017 Was Another Really Hot Year (Even Without El Niño)

Last year joins list of top three hottest ever recorded, according to multiple new reports

The book was published so hastily the fuse bomb pictured on the cover was “ticking.”

The Book That Incited a Worldwide Fear of Overpopulation

'The Population Bomb' made dire predictions—and triggered a wave of repression around the world

The 2007 midwinter solstice illumination of the main altar tabernacle of Old Mission San Juan Bautista, California.

How the Sun Illuminates Spanish Missions On the Winter Solstice

Today, the rising sun shines on altars and other religious objects at many Spanish churches in the U.S. and Latin America

Shan Dou (from left), Jonathan Ajo-Franklin, and Nate Lindsey were on a Berkeley Lab team that, in collaboration with researchers from Stanford, used fiber optic cables for detecting earthquakes and other subsurface activity.

Could Fiber Optics Detect Earthquakes?

By monitoring every grumble, shiver and burp our planet makes, researchers hope to be more prepared to take action when things go awry

Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai soon after its formation in 2015

How the Rapidly Changing Shape of This New Island Could Teach Us About Mars

Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai has lasted longer than it should, and the processes that formed the island are of interest to NASA

Earth's Mysterious Hum Recorded in the Deep Sea for the First Time

The discovery could help unlock the planet's deepest secrets

Hurricane Maria, September 2017

Turning Hurricane Data Into Music

Can listening to storms help us understand them better? A meteorologist and a music technologist think so

None

Self-Taught Rocket Scientist Will Launch From California This Weekend

Mike Hughes built his homemade rocket in an effort to "prove" the Earth is flat. He also plans to run for governor

Your Guide to Seeing the Northern Lights in Alaska

The Ozone Hole Is the Smallest It's Been in 30 Years—But We Can't Take Credit

Warming in the stratosphere has kept away ozone-killing chemicals, reducing annual thinning for the last two years

Clues for Earthquake Prediction May Be Hiding in Earth's Molten Core

Researchers propose that irregularities in the core's rotation could spawn clusters of major quakes

Chilling Footage of the 1989 Cypress Freeway Collapse

The Oakland fire department rushed to the scene of the Cypress Freeway, after the 1989 San Francisco Earthquake hits. They were greeted by a catastrophe

Why the 1989 San Francisco Quake Was So Disastrous

The 1989 San Francisco earthquake delivered a myriad of deadly disasters, all unfolding at the same time

Rescue workers search for survivors among the rubble of a collapsed building in Mexico City. Structures throughout the capital were devastated during yesterday's earthquake.

How Mexico City’s Unique Geology Makes Deadly Earthquakes Even Worse

The entire country—but especially the capital—has all the ingredients for seismic catastrophe

Parisite-(La), a carbon-bearing mineral that was predicted by computer model before it was discovered.

Big Data (and You) Could Help Find 1,500 Undiscovered Minerals

Researchers are using new tools to predict where to find new minerals as well as to locate new sources of valuable resources like copper

Colors on this satellite image show areas where water was detected in ancient pyroclastic flows on the Moon's surface

Water May Lurk Beneath the Moon's Surface

The surprising abundance of water could help future lunar settlers survive in the barren landscape

Tree rings are easiest to see in trees that grew in temperate places, because the temperature changes at different times of the year.

Why an Astronomer Turned to Trees to Try to Solve a Celestial Mystery

Andrew Ellicott Douglass's theory of sunspots and climate was wrong, but he still pioneered the science of tree-ring dating

The sun may get all the attention, but our lunar lodestar helps creatures navigate the swells and tides of ocean life.

How Moonlight Sets Nature's Rhythms

Lunar luster triggers mating orgies, guides travelers and even can even provoke magical transformations

Kepler Finds 219 New Planets

NASA released the final catalog from its planet-hunting telescope, bringing its total up to 4,034 potential planets

Page 7 of 40