As continents grind across ‘hotspots’ in Earth’s mantle, we can get volcanoes erupting on the surface. Studying these can reveal much about our planet’s evolution.
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Articles on Geology
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Zircons formed in the hellish Chernobyl meltdown are changing how geologists understand their favourite crystals.
Diamonds form alongside a distinct purple companion. We studied it to reach a conclusion about how rare they might actually be.
To us, Earth’s landscapes might change very little. But over millions of years, our planet’s surface has shifted in innumerable ways.
Earth doesn’t just have an inner core. It also has an innermost inner core, a solid ball within the solid ball in the very middle of the planet.
Fossils aren’t just pieces of the past that allow scientists to look backwards. They can play a role in modern policy decision-making, too.
We may never know exactly when the next big quake will hit – but we can have a pretty good idea of the odds.
Meteor impacts are an inevitable part of being a rocky planet in space. The craters they leave behind are a window into the tumultuous history of Earth.
A puzzle over the identity of an extinct bird that laid eggs across Australia has been solved.
Starting at the surface, you would have to dig nearly 2,000 miles before reaching the Earth’s core. No one could survive that trip – and the 10,000-degree F heat once there would vaporize you anyway.
It’s been 200 years since the discovery of one of the oldest human burial sites in western Europe on the Gower peninsula in south Wales.
Earthquakes originating underneath the ocean are often accompanied by tsunami warnings. Here’s what determines the tsunami risk.
When mud, fluids and gases erupt at the Earth’s surface, they hint at what’s happening underground, allowing scientists to build a more comprehensive 3D view of what’s going on inside our planet.
Scientists used satellites to map tens of thousands of glacial landforms in Antarctica’s highest mountains.
Could tectonic processes in the early Earth have contributed to the rise of oxygen?
A look back at hurricane history suggests we may be significantly underestimating future risks.
The Java quake was so devastating in part because it occurred so close to the surface.
A team of scientists have found a surprising amount of water ice on Mars.
Sophisticated equipment on the Perseverance rover is helping answer some of the many questions researchers have about Mars’ geology over time.
The United States Geological Survey has a vast collection of satellite images capturing breathtaking geological features of our planet. As a geologist, I’ve picked eight of the most fascinating.
Top contributors
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Professor of Geology, University of Adelaide
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Professor in Earth Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, and Emeritus Professor of Mineral Physics, University of Cambridge
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Associate Professor of Earthquake Science, The University of Melbourne
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Professor of Geophysics, University of Sydney
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Redmond Barry Distinguished Professor Emeritus, The University of Melbourne
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Professor of Planetary Geosciences, The Open University
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Professor of Earth and Space Sciences, University of Washington
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Professor of Environmental and Geographical Sciences, Bournemouth University
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Harold T. Stearns Professor of Earth Science, Wesleyan University
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Honorary researcher, The University of Melbourne
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Professor of Astrobiology, UNSW Sydney
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Earth and paleo-climate scientist, Australian National University
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Senior Instrument Scientist, Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation
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Professor of Palaeobiology, University of Leicester
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Associate Professor of Volcanology and Geoscience Communication, University of Twente and Adjunct Associate Professor, Monash University
