Earth's Mantle | smithsonianmag.comhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/rss/tag/earths-mantle/RSS feed for Earth's MantleenFri, 08 May 2026 18:48:52 +0000East Africa Might Break Off From the Continent Sooner Than Scientists Thought—and a New Ocean May Fill the Gaphttps://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/When Did the Earth's Crust Start to Shift? Scientists Uncover Evidence of Plate Tectonics Happening 3.48 Billion Years Agohttps://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/Oldest Known Impact Crater Discovered in Australiahttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/researchers-in-australia-find-a-35-billion-year-old-impact-crater-the-oldest-known-to-science-180986183/The discovery bolsters the theory that meteorite impacts played an important role in Earth's early geological historyFri, 07 Mar 2025 18:05:11 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/researchers-in-australia-find-a-35-billion-year-old-impact-crater-the-oldest-known-to-science-180986183/'Volcanic Unrest' at Alaska's Mount Spurr Suggests 50-50 Chance an Eruption Could Be Cominghttps://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/An Undersea Volcano Near Oregon May Erupt in 2025, Scientists Predict. It Could Help Improve Eruption Forecastshttps://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/Scientists Find the Mysterious Source of the Massive 1831 Volcanic Eruption That Cooled Earth and Made the Sun Appear Bluehttps://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/Will Yellowstone Erupt Soon? Scientists Are Using New Techniques to Find Outhttps://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/Geologists Finally Explain New Jersey's Strange Earthquake That Rocked the Northeast in Aprilhttps://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/Largest Diamond Since 1905 Unearthed by Miners in Botswanahttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/largest-diamond-since-1905-unearthed-by-miners-in-botswana-180984962/Volcanic eruptions long ago brought the 2,492-carat diamond—the latest in a string of stunning discoveries over the last decade—to the surfaceFri, 23 Aug 2024 20:22:06 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/largest-diamond-since-1905-unearthed-by-miners-in-botswana-180984962/Slow-Motion Ripples in Earth's Mantle Built Mysterious and Stunning Highland Landscapes, Study Findshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/slow-motion-ripples-in-earths-mantle-built-mysterious-and-stunning-highland-landscapes-study-finds-180984860/Following the break-up of an ancient supercontinent, waves propagated through the hot, rocky layer beneath the planet's brittle crust and reshaped its surface over millions of yearsTue, 13 Aug 2024 18:10:03 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/slow-motion-ripples-in-earths-mantle-built-mysterious-and-stunning-highland-landscapes-study-finds-180984860/