https://www.smithsonianmag.com/rss/tag/earths-crust/RSS feed for Earth's CrustenMon, 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/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/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/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/east-africa-might-break-off-from-the-continent-sooner-than-scientists-thought-and-a-new-ocean-may-fill-the-gap-180988659/A new study suggests that a rift in Kenya and Ethiopia has reached a critical stage in the split-up process, and that water may flood it in a few million yearsFri, 08 May 2026 18:48:52 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/east-africa-might-break-off-from-the-continent-sooner-than-scientists-thought-and-a-new-ocean-may-fill-the-gap-180988659/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/this-greek-volcano-seemed-quiet-for-100000-years-then-it-erupted-again-scientists-take-a-second-look-at-extinct-volcanoes-180988651/By reconstructing a 700,000-year history of Methana volcano, geologists found a prehistoric phase when it appeared inactive on the surface, despite magma building up below groundFri, 01 May 2026 16:50:40 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/this-greek-volcano-seemed-quiet-for-100000-years-then-it-erupted-again-scientists-take-a-second-look-at-extinct-volcanoes-180988651/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/when-did-the-earths-crust-start-to-shift-scientists-uncover-evidence-of-plate-tectonics-happening-3-48-billion-years-ago-180988399/A new study provides the oldest direct evidence of tectonic plate movement ever recordedTue, 31 Mar 2026 16:48:42 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/when-did-the-earths-crust-start-to-shift-scientists-uncover-evidence-of-plate-tectonics-happening-3-48-billion-years-ago-180988399/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/volcanic-unrest-at-alaskas-mount-spurr-suggests-50-50-chance-an-eruption-could-be-coming-180986069/Volcanologists are closely monitoring the 11,070-foot-tall stratovolcano, located roughly 75 miles from Anchorage, after a recent uptick in earthquakesFri, 14 Feb 2025 20:35:02 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/volcanic-unrest-at-alaskas-mount-spurr-suggests-50-50-chance-an-eruption-could-be-coming-180986069/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/an-undersea-volcano-near-oregon-may-erupt-in-2025-scientists-predict-it-could-help-improve-eruption-forecasts-180985796/Axial Seamount doesn’t pose a threat to humans, but observing what happens before and after its potential eruption could help scientists learn about submerged volcanoes and strengthen predictionsThu, 09 Jan 2025 22:12:08 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/an-undersea-volcano-near-oregon-may-erupt-in-2025-scientists-predict-it-could-help-improve-eruption-forecasts-180985796/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/scientists-find-the-mysterious-source-of-the-massive-1831-volcanic-eruption-that-cooled-earth-and-made-the-sun-appear-blue-180985784/The climate-altering eruption came from the Zavaritskii volcano on an uninhabited island in the Pacific that once hosted a Soviet submarine base, according to a new studyWed, 08 Jan 2025 16:47:43 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/scientists-find-the-mysterious-source-of-the-massive-1831-volcanic-eruption-that-cooled-earth-and-made-the-sun-appear-blue-180985784/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/will-yellowstone-erupt-soon-scientists-are-using-new-techniques-to-find-out-180985771/Using magnetotellurics, researchers produced a detailed picture of the magma beneath Yellowstone, offering insights into a distant future of possible volcanic activityMon, 06 Jan 2025 15:48:18 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/will-yellowstone-erupt-soon-scientists-are-using-new-techniques-to-find-out-180985771/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/geologists-finally-explain-new-jerseys-strange-earthquake-that-rocked-the-northeast-in-april-180985361/A new study suggests the seismic energy traveled outward from a previously unmapped fault, emanating from the hypocenter in bouncing waves that shook distant areasThu, 31 Oct 2024 16:42:11 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/geologists-finally-explain-new-jerseys-strange-earthquake-that-rocked-the-northeast-in-april-180985361/