Earth Science

Left: A cooled pāhoehoe flow from the Kīlauea, showing its characteristic ropey texture, captured in 2012 (imageBROKER / Alamy). Right: An ‘a‘ā flow from Kīlauea moves down Makamae Street in Leilani Estates, Hawaii on May 6, 2018.

A Handy Guide to Volcano Vocab

Laze, vog, lava bomb—we help you decipher what geologists are actually talking about

Marine heatwaves can kill off species and alter ecosystems.

Ocean Heatwaves Are Getting Longer and More Intense

If the past century is any indication, global warming may be contributing to less stable marine ecosystems

Why Deception Valley's Deadly Heat is Good for Wildlife

The harsh climate of Deception Valley, a remote section of the Kalahari, deters people from living there

Sacred Sites Can Also Be Hotspots of Conservation

Protecting burial grounds, temples and churchyards can bolster wildlife and forests

You Won't Believe the Size of Botswana's Salt Flats

In Deception Valley, giant salt flats the size of Portugal are a major boon to the Botswanan economy

Can Bringing Back Mammoths Help Stop Climate Change?

Scientists say creating hybrids of the extinct beasts could fix the Arctic tundra and stop greenhouse gas emissions

The Kilauea volcano’s Halema’uma’u lava lake as it appeared on Monday.

"Explosive" Eruptions Possible at Hawaii's Kilauea Volcano

Steam-powered bursts could fling multi-ton boulders half a mile away, but the USGS says wide-scale destruction is not likely

Why Las Vegas's Landscape Is So Lush and Green

One of the most important byproducts of the Hoover Dam is an artificial body of water known as Lake Mead

Yellowstone's Biggest Geyser, Steamboat, Has Trio of Eruptions

It's the first triple eruption in 15 years—but don't worry, it's not a sign the Yellowstone volcano is ready to blow

A new study reveals at which temperature the Giant Causeway were formed.

How Giant’s Causeway Formed Its Spectacular Array of Columns

Scientists recreated the process behind the formation's near-perfect hexagonal columns

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Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Earth’s Past Climates

They have a lot to tell us about our future

Under Canada's Devon Ice Cap, shown here, scientists have found the first isolated hypersaline subglacial lakes in the world.

Super Salty Lakes Found Deep Below Canadian Ice Cap

The discovery could provide insights about life in extreme environments, and help in the search for extraterrestrial life

While looters discard bones, they are invaluable to archaeologists’ research.

As Mongolia Melts, Looters Close In On Priceless Artifacts

Climate change and desperation are putting the country’s unique history at risk

Awesome Con provided an opportunity for science fiction and real-life science to play off of one another. The Robot from Netflix's Lost in Space reboot (center) illustrates the former, while the NASA jacket of the con attendee on the right nods to the latter.

The Real Science Behind Your Favorite Nerd Culture at Awesome Con

Astrophysicists, vehicle technicians and biologists joined the party to bring cutting-edge research to fictional worlds

Marvin, a trailblazer in more ways than one, surveys the Antarctic terrain on her meteorite-hunting expedition of 1978-79.

The Rockstar Geologist Who Mapped the Minerals of the Cosmos

A professor told Ursula Marvin she should learn to cook. Instead she chased down meteorites in Antarctica

Jökulsárlón, Iceland

Climate Change Can Also Transform Language

As our world warms, warps and melts, metaphors of the past take on new meaning

Rare 1906 San Francisco Earthquake Footage Found at Flea Market

The nine-minute Miles brothers film reel shows the devastation that the powerful quake wrought

A British Columbia rainforest, where Douglas firs soar more than 160 feet, supports 23 native tree species.

Do Trees Talk to Each Other?

A controversial German forester says yes, and his ideas are shaking up the scientific world

Seismic shockwaves after a meteorite’s collision could affect systems all over the planet.

The Meteorite That Killed the Dinosaurs May Have Also Triggered Underwater Volcanoes

In a new study, scientists peered into 100 million years of seafloor history to find something strange

Images created by NASA with satellite data helped the U.S. Department of Agriculture analyze outbreak patterns for southern pine beetles in Alabama, in spring 2016.

Can Scientists Forecast Algal Blooms and Pest Outbreaks Like We Do the Weather?

With big data, ecologists have the ability to predict short-term ecological phenomena over the span of days and seasons rather than decades

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