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Earth Science

Researchers observed seafloor movement at the Southeast Indian Ridge, denoted by the yellow line.

In a First, Scientists Witness the Seafloor Spread in Real Time, Giving Them a Rare Glimpse at a Mysterious Geologic Process

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 study

Large conical shatter cones within the Pilbara Craton, Western Australia

Scientists Double Down on Age of What Might Be Earth’s Oldest Impact Crater, Dating It, Again, at More Than Three Billion Years Old

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 convinced

Rescuers search for victims in a collapsed building in Caracas, Venezuela's capital, following the earthquakes on June 24, 2026.

Powerful Back-to-Back Earthquakes Killed at Least 188 People in Venezuela. Here’s the Science Behind the Rare ‘Doublet’

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 succession

The Rumkale fortress ruins sit on the banks of the Euphrates River in Turkey.

Scientists May Have Discovered the Origins of the Euphrates River, Which Helped Nurture Some of the Earliest Known Civilizations

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 Crescent

Benitoite mineral from California

What Natural History Objects Represent Your State? You Can Find Out in This New Exhibition of More Than 600 Specimens and Artifacts

The Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History celebrates America’s 250th anniversary by spotlighting fascinating items from across the nation

Animation showing the surface water temperature changing in the Pacific Ocean from January 1 through June 8.

The ‘Super’ El Niño Has Arrived. Here’s How It Might Affect the World’s Weather and Economy

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 experts

Lightning strikes in Peckham, Oklahoma.

America at 250: The Revolutionary Spark

When a Team of Meteorologists and Combat Pilots Set Out to Understand Thunderstorms, They Made Flying Safer for Everyone

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 predictable

By combining ecological data-gathering with philosophical contemplation, Leopold bridged the art and science of conservation.

America at 250: The Revolutionary Spark

In the Early 1900s, a Young Ecologist Shot a Wolf and Watched the Life Leave Its Eyes. That Changed His Position on Conservation

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 it

Australia's Twelve Apostles were pushed out of the water by tectonic plate movement. 

It Took Millions of Years for Australia’s Famous Twelve Apostles Landmark to Rise Out of the Sea

The iconic tourist destination provides a beautiful view, but also represents a physical record of Earth’s climate history

Kenya's Great Rift Valley

East Africa Might Break Off From the Continent Sooner Than Scientists Thought—and a New Ocean May Fill the Gap

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 years

Lava, seen as darker brown rocks, from Methana's most recent eruption flows through ancient limestone into the sea.

This Greek Volcano Seemed Quiet for 100,000 Years. Then It Erupted Again. Should Scientists Take a Second Look at ‘Extinct’ Volcanoes?

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 ground

The researchers collected samples from the Pilbara region in Western Australia.

When Did the Earth’s Crust Start to Shift? Scientists Uncover Evidence of Plate Tectonics Happening 3.48 Billion Years Ago

A new study provides the oldest direct evidence of tectonic plate movement ever recorded

Lab-made cosmic dust on a chip

Physicists Create Homemade Cosmic Dust, Which Could Help Them Figure Out How the Building Blocks of Life First Reached Earth

Cosmic dust normally comes from dying stars. The recipe for a lab-made version includes a few gases, vacuum tubes and electricity

A stellar snowflake photomicrographed by Wilson Bentley, circa 1890

These 15 Stunning Microscopic Snowflake Images Helped Change the Way We See the World

Farmer Wilson Bentley was the first to photograph the tiny snow crystals individually, and his collection reveals that each has its own pattern

Earth’s magnetic field surrounds the planet, with illustrated field lines emerging from the north, in orange, and looping around to the south, in blue.

A Weak Spot in Earth’s Magnetic Field Is Growing, but Scientists Say Not to Worry. Here’s a Look at What Shields Us From Space Weather

Our planet’s magnetosphere has seen dramatic shifts across its history—even total reversals—but this recent wrinkle doesn’t pose a threat to life

Harappa was one of the large cities created by the Indus Valley civilization.

Why Did This Advanced Ancient Civilization Collapse? New Research Suggests Climate Change Played a Role

The Indus Valley civilization, located in present-day Pakistan and India, went through four periods of intense drought, which may have led to the society’s demise

An artist's impression of the collision between the early Earth and Theia, which may have formed the moon

A Planet Slammed Into Earth 4.5 Billion Years Ago, Forming the Moon. The Projectile May Have Been Our Neighbor

Little is known about the long-destroyed moon-forming planet, Theia. But it may have been born in the inner solar system—just like Earth—a new study suggests

The Hayli Gubbi volcano in the rural northeast of Ethiopia erupted November 23.

Ethiopian Volcano Erupts for the First Time in Nearly 12,000 Years of Scientific Records

The plume from the Hayli Gubbi volcano drifted east over the Arabian Sea and extended roughly 2,200 miles

Artist's reconstruction of the ancient Macromyzon siluricus leech

Leeches May Be 200 Million Years Older Than We Thought—and Haven’t Always Sucked Blood

A Wisconsin fossil find suggests leeches once ate their prey whole or simply sucked up their innards

A coronal mass ejection erupts from the sun in 2013.

How Prepared Are We for a Rare and Powerful Solar Event?

A coronal mass ejection could knock out power and disrupt communication on Earth

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