Geophysics News

Cuneiform-Inscribed Bricks Unveil Strength of Ancient Geomagnetic Field in Mesopotamia

This ancient brick from the Slemani Museum dates to the reign of Nebuchadnezzar II (ca. 604 to 562 BCE) based on the interpretation of the inscription; this object was looted from its original context before being acquired by the Slemani Museum and stored in that museum with agreement from the central government. Image credit: Howland et al., doi: 10.1073/pnas.2313361120.
Dec 19, 2023 by News Staff

Reconstructing the behavior of Earth’s magnetic field during archaeological periods is crucial for both achieving a better understanding of the field and related natural phenomena and for providing a basis for absolute dating archaeological materials. In new research, University College London’s Professor Mark Altaweel and his colleagues analyzed 32 inscribed baked bricks from Mesopotamia from the 3rd-1st millennia BCE (the reigns of 12 Mesopotamian...

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Winter in Finland. Image credit: Andreas.

New Seismic Phenomenon Discovered: Frostquakes

Dec 12, 2023 by Enrico de Lazaro

Frostquakes are seismic events with frequencies of about 10-20 Hz and waveforms like those of tectonic events. They potentially can damage infrastructures...

Equipped with a specialized event-based camera, ESA astronaut Andreas Mogensen managed to capture this picture of a red sprite in October 2023. Image credit: ESA / DTU / A. Mogensen.

ESA Astronaut Captures Stunning Images of Rare Thunder Phenomenon

Dec 1, 2023 by News Staff

As part of the Thor-Davis experiment on the International Space Station (ISS), ESA astronaut Andreas Mogensen has captured images of a phenomenon called...

3D seismic imaging and ocean drilling at the Hikurangi margin reveal a widespread and previously unknown fluid reservoir within the extensively hydrated (up to 47 vol % water) volcanic upper crust of the subducting Hikurangi Plateau large igneous province. Image credit: Gase et al., doi: 10.1126/sciadv.adh0150.

Geoscientists Discover Massive Undersea Water Reservoir Off New Zealand’s Coast

Oct 4, 2023 by News Staff

Revealed by 3D seismic imaging, the newly-discovered water reservoir lies 3.2 km (2 miles) under the ocean floor off the coast of New Zealand, where it...

Plate tectonic reconstructions showing the position of Argyle within the McArthur-Yanliao Gulf. Image credit: Olierook et al., doi: 10.1038/s41467-023-40904-8.

Australian Pink Diamonds Were Formed when Supercontinent Nuna Was Breaking Up into Fragments

Sep 20, 2023 by News Staff

While it is known that for diamonds to form there needs to be carbon deep in the Earth, and for these diamonds to turn pink they must be subjected to forces...

An artist’s impression of the early Earth. Image credit: NASA.

Earth’s Day was a Constant 19.5 Hours for Almost 1.5 Billion Years, Study Says

Jul 13, 2023 by News Staff

New research from the University of Toronto shows that from approximately 2 billion until 600 million years ago, an atmospheric tide driven by the Sun...

Boulila et al. highlight a common, correlatable 36-million-year cycle in the diversity of marine genera as well as in tectonic, sea-level, and macrostratigraphic data over the past 250 million years of Earth history. Image credit: James St. John / CC BY 2.0.

36-Million-Year Geological Cycle Drives Marine Biodiversity, Scientists Say

Jul 11, 2023 by News Staff

The evolution of life on Earth has changed dramatically at tens of million-year time scales. However, the causal mechanisms of these changes remain unclear....

Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai volcanic eruption captured at December 30, 2021. Image credit: Tonga Geological Services.

Giant Eruption Plume from Tonga’s Volcano Produced Most Intense Lightning Rates Ever Detected

Jun 21, 2023 by Natali Anderson

On January 15, 2022, Hunga Volcano in Tonga produced the most violent eruption in the modern satellite era, sending a water-rich plume at least 58 km (36...

This image, taken with the Advanced Baseline Imager (ABI) instrument onboard NOAA’s GOES-18 weather satellite, shows the western hemisphere of Earth. Image credit: NOAA.

Drift of Earth’s Pole Confirms Groundwater Withdrawal as Contributor to Sea Level Rise

Jun 15, 2023 by News Staff

Earth’s rotational pole has drifted toward 64.16°E at a speed of 4.36 cm per year during 1993-2010 due to groundwater depletion and resulting sea level...

Inexpensive and easy to build, data collecting balloons capture infrasound signals in the Earth’s stratosphere. Image credit: NASA.

Enigmatic Infrasound Signals Detected in Earth’s Stratosphere

May 12, 2023 by News Staff

Low frequency sounds can travel vast distances across our planet, carrying information about the events that generated them as well as the medium through...

The New Port Richey fulgurite images and microscopy. Image credit: Bindi et al., doi: 10.1038/s43247-023-00736-2.

Study: Lightning Strikes Can Create Phosphites on Earth’s Surface

Apr 11, 2023 by News Staff

Phosphate minerals such as those in the apatite group tend to be the dominant forms of phosphorus in minerals on the Earth’s surface. Phosphates can...

A large stream of meltwater (about 5 to 10 m in width) emerges from an upstream supraglacial lake in the Greenlandic ice on July, 21 2012. The darker shapes are minor streams covered by cryoconite (a mix of dust particles, soot, meteorite dust and organic material) which covers the ice sheet. Cracks cutting through the streams are visible. Along these cracks water can flow through, enlarging them and, eventually, generating moulins that can deliver meltwater through the ice. Image credit: M. Tedesco / CCNY / NASA ICE.

Greenland Ice Sheet Very Close to Melting Point of No Return, Scientists Say

Mar 28, 2023 by News Staff

With ongoing carbon dioxide emissions from the burning of fossil fuels, the atmosphere of Earth heats up, which has dramatic consequences for the ice sheets....

Hua et al. discovered a previously unknown layer of partly molten rock in a key region just below the tectonic plates. Image credit: Leonello Calvetti / Dreamstime.

Partially Molten Layer Detected Beneath Earth’s Tectonic Plates

Feb 7, 2023 by News Staff

The newly-detected molten rock layer is located about 150 km (93 miles) from the surface of our planet and is part of the asthenosphere, which sits under...

Earth’s internal structure: dense solid metallic core, viscous metallic outer core, mantle and silicate based crust. Image credit: NASA.

Study: Changes in Rotation of Earth’s Inner Core Occur on Decadal Scale

Jan 24, 2023 by News Staff

The rotation of the Earth’s inner core may have recently paused and could be reversing, according to new research by geoscientists from Peking University. Yang...

Artwork depicting one dinosaur’s experience of the Chicxulub impact. Image credit: Hermann Bermúdez.

Seismic Activity after Dinosaur-Killing Chicxulub Impact Lasted Weeks to Months: Study

Oct 7, 2022 by News Staff

About 66 million years ago, a massive asteroid crashed into Earth near the site of the small town of Chicxulub in what is now Mexico. This impact coincides...

This painting depicts an asteroid slamming into tropical, shallow seas of the sulfur-rich Yucatan Peninsula in what is today southeast Mexico. The aftermath of this immense asteroid collision, which occurred approximately 65 million years ago, is believed to have caused the extinction of the dinosaurs and many other species on Earth. Shown in this painting are pterodactyls, flying reptiles with wingspans of up to 50 feet, gliding above low tropical clouds. Image credit: Donald E. Davis / NASA.

Dinosaur-Killing Chicxulub Impact Produced Global Tsunami, New Research Suggests

Oct 5, 2022 by Enrico de Lazaro

About 66 million years ago, a massive asteroid crashed into Earth near the site of the small town of Chicxulub in what is now Mexico. The impact eradicated...

Cartoon illustrating three possible ways of assembling the future supercontinent Amasia from the break-up of Pangaea (a-b): (c) extroversion, (d) orthoversion, (e) introversion. Image credit: Huang et al., doi: 10.1093/nsr/nwac205.

Study: Earth’s Next Supercontinent Will Assemble when Pacific Ocean Closes in 200-300 Million Years

Sep 30, 2022 by News Staff

A team of researchers from Curtin University and Peking University has used a supercomputer to simulate how a supercontinent forms and found that because...

This image of a sun pillar was captured by ESA-sponsored medical doctor Hannes Hagson. Image credit: ESA / IPEV / PNRA / H. Hagson.

Antarctic Researcher Spots Rare Optical Phenomenon: Sun Pillar

Sep 26, 2022 by Enrico de Lazaro

A light pillar is an optical phenomenon where a column of light can be seen emanating from a light source. If the light comes from the Sun, the phenomenon...

The iron-carbon alloy reacted with water at high pressure and high temperature conditions related to the Earth’s deep mantle in a diamond-anvil cell. Image credit: Ko et al., doi: 10.1029/2022GL098271.

‘Diamond Factory’ May Have Existed in Earth’s Interior for Billions of Years: Study

Aug 31, 2022 by News Staff

Carbon plays a vital role in geological processes occurring in the Earth’s interior. While most carbon on our planet exists in its core, whether or not...

Giant Meteorite Impacts Played Key Role in Creation of Earth’s Continents

Aug 10, 2022 by News Staff

Earth is the only planet known to have continents, although how they formed and evolved is unclear. An artist’s concept of meteors impacting the ancient...

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