Earth Science | smithsonianmag.comhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/rss/tag/earth-science/RSS feed for Earth ScienceenWed, 15 Jul 2026 16:02:29 +0000In a First, Scientists Witness the Seafloor Spread in Real Time, Giving Them a Rare Glimpse at a Mysterious Geologic Processhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/in-a-first-scientists-witness-the-seafloor-spread-in-real-time-giving-them-a-rare-glimpse-at-a-mysterious-geologic-process-180989123/Across a matter of days in 2024, the seafloor in part of the Indian Ocean dropped by about 13 feet, and roughly 5.7 billion cubic feet of molten rock rose to the crust's surface, according to a new studyWed, 15 Jul 2026 16:02:29 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/in-a-first-scientists-witness-the-seafloor-spread-in-real-time-giving-them-a-rare-glimpse-at-a-mysterious-geologic-process-180989123/Scientists Double Down on Age of What Might Be Earth's Oldest Impact Crater, Dating It, Again, at More Than Three Billion Years Oldhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/scientists-double-down-on-age-of-earths-oldest-meteorite-impact-crater-dating-it-again-at-more-than-three-billion-years-old-180989023/Last year, geologists dated the crater in Western Australia at 3.47 billion years old, which was disputed by other experts. Now, they've revised the estimate to 3.02 billion years old—but some still aren't convincedMon, 29 Jun 2026 17:16:50 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/scientists-double-down-on-age-of-earths-oldest-meteorite-impact-crater-dating-it-again-at-more-than-three-billion-years-old-180989023/Powerful Back-to-Back Earthquakes Killed at Least 188 People in Venezuela. Here's the Science Behind the Rare 'Doublet'https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/powerful-back-to-back-earthquakes-killed-at-least-188-people-in-venezuela-heres-the-science-behind-the-rare-doublet-180989018/On June 24, two quakes above magnitude 7 struck the northern part of the country only 39 seconds apart. While doublet sequences aren't unheard of in seismology, they are uncommon—especially in such short successionThu, 25 Jun 2026 19:10:16 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/powerful-back-to-back-earthquakes-killed-at-least-188-people-in-venezuela-heres-the-science-behind-the-rare-doublet-180989018/Scientists May Have Discovered the Origins of the Euphrates River, Which Helped Nurture Some of the Earliest Known Civilizationshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/scientists-may-have-discovered-the-origins-of-the-euphrates-river-which-helped-nurture-some-of-the-earliest-known-civilizations-180988966/The famous waterway began as two rivers, a new study suggests. Tectonic activity around five million years ago probably made them change course and merge, helping to birth the Fertile CrescentMon, 22 Jun 2026 20:51:25 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/scientists-may-have-discovered-the-origins-of-the-euphrates-river-which-helped-nurture-some-of-the-earliest-known-civilizations-180988966/What Natural History Objects Represent Your State? You Can Find Out in This New Exhibition of More Than 600 Specimens and Artifactshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/what-natural-history-objects-represent-your-state-you-can-find-out-in-this-new-exhibition-of-more-than-600-specimens-and-artifacts-180988980/The Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History celebrates America’s 250th anniversary by spotlighting fascinating items from across the nationThu, 18 Jun 2026 14:15:22 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/what-natural-history-objects-represent-your-state-you-can-find-out-in-this-new-exhibition-of-more-than-600-specimens-and-artifacts-180988980/The 'Super' El Niño Has Arrived. Here's How It Might Affect the World's Weather and Economyhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/the-super-el-nino-has-arrived-heres-how-it-might-affect-the-worlds-weather-and-economy-180988951/The naturally occurring climate pattern, characterized by warm surface water in the Pacific Ocean, that has just started could be one of the strongest ever recorded, according to expertsMon, 15 Jun 2026 17:36:32 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/the-super-el-nino-has-arrived-heres-how-it-might-affect-the-worlds-weather-and-economy-180988951/When a Team of Meteorologists and Combat Pilots Set Out to Understand Thunderstorms, They Made Flying Safer for Everyonehttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/when-team-meteorologists-combat-pilots-set-out-understand-thunderstorms-made-flying-safer-everyone-180988841/The sky was a very dangerous place in the early days of commercial aviation. By flying into storms to learn how they worked, these experts made air travel and weather forecasting much more predictableMon, 15 Jun 2026 12:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/when-team-meteorologists-combat-pilots-set-out-understand-thunderstorms-made-flying-safer-everyone-180988841/In the Early 1900s, a Young Ecologist Shot a Wolf and Watched the Life Leave Its Eyes. That Changed His Position on Conservationhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/early-1900s-member-forestry-service-shot-wolf-watched-life-leave-its-eyes-that-changed-position-convservation-forever-180988809/Aldo Leopold’s writing reconsidered the place of humans in the natural world and challenged people to be less conquerors of the land and more citizens of itFri, 05 Jun 2026 11:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/early-1900s-member-forestry-service-shot-wolf-watched-life-leave-its-eyes-that-changed-position-convservation-forever-180988809/