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Plate Tectonics Current Events | Plate Tectonics News | 2

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Sumatra megaquake defied theory
The risks of Sumatra-style mega-quakes around the world have been sorely misjudged, say earth scientists who are re-examining some of the pre-December 2004 assumptions scientists made about such rare events.   view more (2006-03-28)

Carbon dioxide and climate - the plot thickens
Using a novel technique, the researchers obtained a best estimate for carbon dioxide levels 43 million years ago of 385 parts per million (ppm), slightly higher than today's figure of 360 ppm. This result is far below earlier estimates which suggested that carbon dioxide levels were up to six times present day values. There are two ways to... view more... (1999-06-08)

Solomon Islands earthquake sheds light on enhanced tsunami risk
The 2007 Solomon Island earthquake may point to previously unknown increased earthquake and tsunami risks because of the unusual tectonic plate geography and the sudden change in direction of the earthquake, according to geoscientists.   view more (2009-04-10)

Mars Express reveals the Red Planet's volcanic past
A new analysis of impact cratering data from Mars reveals that the planet has undergone a series of global volcanic upheavals. These violent episodes spewed lava and water onto the surface, sculpting the landscape that ESA's Mars Express looks down on today.   view more (2008-03-17)

Folded sediment unusual in Sumatran tsunami area
Sediment folding may have added to the exceptionally large tsunami that struck Sumatra on Dec. 26, 2004, according to an international team of geologists. "Tsunami models consider the rebound of the plate during the earthquake, but do not include permanent deformation, like folding, of the upper plate." says Dr. Donald M. Fisher,... view more... (2007-02-05)

Half-baked asteroids have Earth-like crust
Asteroids are hunks of rock that orbit in the outer reaches of space, and scientists have generally assumed that their small size limited the types of rock that could form in their crusts.   view more (2009-01-08)

10 questions shaping 21st-century earth science identified
Ten questions driving the geological and planetary sciences were identified today in a new report by the National Research Council. Aimed at reflecting the major scientific issues facing earth science at the start of the 21st century, the questions represent where the field stands, how it arrived at this point, and where it may be headed.   view more (2008-03-13)

Erosion of the Yucca Mountain crest
The Yucca Mountain crest in Nevada, USA has been proposed as a permanent site for high level radioactive waste.   view more (2009-05-05)

New data shakes accepted models of collisions of the Earth's crust
New research findings may help refine the accepted models used by earth scientists over the past 30 years to describe the ways in which continents clash to form the Earth's landscape.   view more (2007-02-08)

Lighting the Way: Measuring Surface Tension Just Got Easier
Inventors at Oxford University have developed a new method to indirectly measure the surface tension of liquid by tracking reflected light intensity to assess the surface configuration. The procedure is reliable, repeatable, quick to set-up and use, contact-less and non-destructive. Surface tension measurement is an important tool in the... view more... (2003-09-05)

Stress Buildup Precedes Large Sumatra Quakes
The island of Sumatra, Indonesia, has shaken many times with powerful earthquakes since the one that wrought the infamous 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami. Now, scientists from the California Institute of Technology and the Indonesian Institute of Sciences are harnessing information from these and earlier quakes to determine where the next ones will... view more... (2008-05-28)

Building for the Future
Providing motorists with real time information on incidents and road delays, the Highway's Agency state-of-the-art National Traffic Control Centre (NTCC) is taking shape. From 2004, NTCC will play a vital role in the way traffic is managed. Based in the West Midlands, the purpose built centre has been designed to communicate real-time traffic... view more... (2003-12-01)

Lifeburn - heating systems for domestic application
Heating systems must adjust the thermal power to the needs of the user through the modulation of their thermal power. So a major efficiency, less polluting emissions and more comfort can be obtained. However, the difficulty to develop new radiant burners has slow down the appearing of new equipments. A solution for this problem was proposed in a... view more... (2002-09-23)

UCR physicist demonstrates how light can be used to remotely operate micromachines
A research team led by Umar Mohideen, a physicist at the University of California, Riverside, has demonstrated in the laboratory that the Casimir force - the small attractive force that acts between two close parallel uncharged conducting plates - can be changed using a beam of light, making the remote operation of micromachines a possibility.   view more (2007-06-01)

2006 tectonic plate motion reversal near Acapulco puzzles earthquake scientists
A reversal of tectonic plate motion between Acapulco and Mexico City in the last half of 2006 probably didn't ease seismic strain in the region or the specter of a major earthquake anticipated there in the coming decades, says a University of Colorado at Boulder professor.   view more (2007-08-03)

Economists Find Just how Much People Value The Status of Personalised Car Number Plates
Status matters a lot to human beings. Economists have long understood this, but have found it almost impossible to research and understand how much we value things that we believe give us status but seem to have little other use. Most economics textbooks simply ignore concerns about status, but now University of Warwick Economics researchers... view more... (2002-08-06)

Horse study is under starter's orders
A LINK between asymmetry in horses, and poor performance and lameness could revolutionise the way they are cared for, as well as change the way they are prepared for racing. "There is widespread public concern regarding the welfare of horses in sport," said Dr Gail Williams, head of the Equine Biomechanics research team. "In a pilot... view more... (1999-01-27)

Sediment could be a major factor in biggest subduction zone earthquakes
The most powerful earthquakes - such as those that shook Indonesia in 2004, Alaska in 1964, Chile in 1960 and the Pacific Northwest in 1700 - occur in subduction zones, areas of the sea floor just offshore where two tectonic plates meet and one dives beneath the other.   view more (2006-01-31)

Journey to the center of the Earth -- Imperial scientists explain tectonic plate motions
The first direct evidence of how and when tectonic plates move into the deepest reaches of the Earth is published in Nature today. Scientists hope their description of how plates collide with one sliding below the other into the rocky mantle could potentially improve their ability to assess earthquake risks.   view more (2008-02-22)

Fragmented Structure of Seafloor Faults May Dampen Effects of Earthquakes
Many earthquakes in the deep ocean are much smaller in magnitude than expected. Geophysicists from the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) have found new evidence that the fragmented structure of seafloor faults, along with previously unrecognized volcanic activity, may be dampening the effects of these quakes.   view more (2007-07-13)
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