Geology

A unique moss species thrives underneath translucent quartz rocks in the hot, dry Mojave Desert while its neighbors shrivel.

Desert Moss Beats Heat by Growing Under Quartz Crystals

Researchers find the translucent rocks keep the moss moist while letting just enough light pass through its milky interior

The Mississippi Delta, seen from space in 2001.

The 70 Million-Year-Old History of the Mississippi River

Dive into the secret past and uncertain future of the body of water that has defined a nation

Protected land near Crowsnest Pass, Alberta, above, was one of the sites studied in the new analysis of tree lines in the Canadian Rockies.

Because of Climate Change, Canada’s Rocky Mountain Forests Are on the Move

Using century-old surveying photos, scientists have mapped 100 years of change in the Canadian Rockies to document the climate-altered landscape

Smithsonian Geologist Liz Cottrell answers your questions in the National Museum of Natural History’s YouTube series, “The Doctor Is In.”

How to Identify Rocks and Other Questions From Our Readers

Don't miss the season finale of the National Museum of Natural History's popular YouTube series, the "Doctor Is In"

A clear shard of Roman glass found in northern Jordan. The purple highlights are iridescence caused by weathering.

Ancient Rome's Finest Glass Was Actually Made in Egypt

Researchers used chemical analysis to determine the origins of the empire's crystal-clear glass

The huge sarsen stones that make up Stonehenge's outer ring weigh around 20 tons each and stand roughly 23 feet tall.

Archaeologists Pinpoint Origins of Stonehenge's Mysterious Megaliths

A new study used chemical analysis to determine that the 20-ton boulders came from the West Woods, some 15 miles away

An aerial photo of Nishinoshima erupting on June 29.

Volcanic Island's Explosive Growth Creates New Land

The Japanese island of Nishinoshima has added 500 feet to its coastline in less than a month

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How Much Pressure Is at Earth’s Center and Other Questions From Our Readers

Watch the latest episode of the popular YouTube series, "The Doctor Is In."

A new computer model gives insight into how Europa's ocean formed, and how life could use its chemical energy to survive.

Heat in Jupiter’s Moon Europa Might Have Made Its Oceans Habitable

An upcoming NASA mission will get a closer look at the ocean moon

A magnitude 7.4 quake shook Mexico's southern state Oaxaca June 23.

Magnitude 7.4 Earthquake Hits Southern Mexico

Mexico sits above a complicated system of tectonic plates that makes the region prone to violent temblors

In 2016, fluid like water or liquid carbon dioxide broke into the fault system. Over four years, it filled the cracks and set of a swarm of tremors.

Earthquake Swarm Reveals Complex Structure of a California Fault Line

In 2016, fluid broke into the cracks of a fault system, setting off a four-year-long swarm of mini earthquakes

Smithsonian Geologist Liz Cottrell answers your questions in the National Museum of Natural History’s YouTube series, “The Doctor Is In.”

Do Volcanoes Spew a Cooler Lava?

Smithsonian geologist Liz Cottrell has answers to your questions on black lava and the Earth’s molten outer core in the "Dr Is In" video series

Fumigation was used on library book collections in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, when book-borrowing was seen as a possible disease vector.

How Do Libraries Clean Books? And More Questions From Our Readers

You've got question. We've got experts

Mauna Kea as seen from the Mauna Loa observatory.

Mauna Kea’s Quakes Might Be Caused by Shifting Gas

The volcano has been rumbling regularly for years, but it’s nothing to worry about

Mars’ Chryse Planitia region is peppered with small hills topped with craters that might be mud volcanoes.

Martian Mud Probably Looks Like Lava

Muddy water that drains smoothly on Earth leaves a lumpy trail under Mars-like conditions

This fresco by Jacopo Ripanda depicts Hannibal crossing the Alps in 218 B.C. New research claims to have located the site of the general's first major victory in Spain.

The Ancient Battlefield That Launched the Legend of Hannibal

Two years before the Carthaginian general crossed the Alps, he won a decisive victory at the Battle of the Tagus

The Chiba cliff section along the Yoro River in the city of Ichihara shows traces of a reversal in the Earth's magnetic field.

The 'Chibanian Age' Is the First Geologic Period Named After a Site in Japan

The period is named for Japan’s Chiba prefecture, where a cliff shows evidence of the most recent reversal of Earth’s magnetic field

The hypothetical dream spacecraft flies over Uranus and past its rings and moons, too.

Astronomers Prepare a Mission Concept to Explore the Ice Giant Planets

NASA scientists imagined some innovative technologies that could enhance a future mission to Uranus or Neptune

Iron-rich dust launched into the air by winds swirls around the Southern Ocean. Understanding how iron’s chemistry shifts during its journey from earth to air to sea will be important for developing better climate models.

The Complicated Role of Iron in Ocean Health and Climate Change

Iron dust may have played a significant role in the last ice age, and it could be an important factor in mitigating future global temperature increases

Remnants of Greater Adria in the Taurus Mountains

Study Reveals Lost Continent Demolished by Europe

Painstaking research recreates the history of Greater Adria, which slipped under the Eurasian plate 120 million years ago

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