Water and lava, but -- curiously -- no explosion
Land-based lava pillars in Iceland may have formed without explosion due to slow-moving lava interacting with water in a 'kinder' manner, suggesting new insights into volcanic risk assessment.
Geologic Formations
Articles tagged with Geologic Formations
Lithosphere interprets earth
Recent studies published in Lithosphere explore the tectonic history of ancient mountain chains, including the Central Iberian Massif, Arctic Alaska, and the Wet Mountains of Colorado. These findings shed light on the deformation mechanisms and crustal-scale magmatism across these regions.
Computer simulations indicate calcium carbonate has a dense liquid phase
Researchers at Berkeley Lab used molecular dynamics simulations to study the onset of calcium carbonate formation, predicting the existence of a dense liquid form. This finding supports the aggregation-based mechanism of calcium carbonate formation and has implications for understanding the planet's carbon cycle.
Livermore develops the world's deepest ert imaging system for CO2 sequestration
Researchers tracked carbon dioxide movement and concentration using the world's deepest Electrical Resistance Tomography (ERT) system. The system provided time-lapse images of CO2 injection into a geologic formation, offering insights into geological sequestration techniques.
SourceDOE/Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory·JournalInternational Journal of Greenhouse Gas Control·DateJun 12, 2013
Lithosphere highlights: Slab dynamics, the Troodos ophiolite, and the Jurassic Bonanza arc
The study analyzes the Taiwan mountain belt to understand the initial formation of topographic curvature in a geologically young region. It also presents new U-Pb zircon ages for rocks in the Jurassic Bonanza arc, Vancouver Island, Canada, shedding light on the timing and character of ancient volcanic and plutonic activity.
100 million-year-old coelacanth fish discovered in Texas is new species from Cretaceous
A new species of coelacanth, Reidus hilli, has been identified in Texas, revealing a previously unknown family and providing insights into the evolutionary history of this ancient fish. The discovery sheds light on the diverse history of coelacanths, which have remained largely unchanged for 400 million years.
Geosphere adds to four themed issues, plus more new science
Researchers published new studies on the geology of Nevada, Alaska, and Arizona, shedding light on major faults, river systems, and tectonic processes. These findings provide new insights into the region's geological history and have significant implications for understanding natural disasters.
Curvy mountain belts
A team of researchers studied the Cantabrian Arc, a curved mountain range in Spain and northern Africa. They found that the curvy pattern was produced by the bending of an originally straight mountain range, supported by patterns of rotation of ancient geomagnetic field directions and analysis of faults and joints.
How does dolomite form?
A team of researchers discovered that dolomite crystals form under specific conditions in biofilms created by marine bacteria. The study provides new insights into the reconstruction of fossil dolomite deposits and their connection to past environmental conditions.
Super-eruptions may have surprisingly short fuses
A new study suggests that giant magma bodies forming the basis of super-eruptions exist for a few thousand years before erupting, rather than hundreds of thousands. This discovery has implications for predicting and mitigating the effects of these massive eruptions.
From tiny grains of sand to the growth of a mountain range
Researchers uncover ancient deformation ages of the Dead Sea fault zone, linking them to climate change in Northern Hemisphere. In southern Patagonia, warming caused glaciers to retreat early, while microbes played a key role in ooid formation.
GSA's Lithosphere puts together a rich mix of first quarter 2012 online articles
This bimonthly publication presents research on the Deccan Traps, transfluvial incision in Eastern Papua New Guinea, and late Pleistocene structural evolution of the Camarillo fold belt. Seismic data reveal imprints of volcanism deep beneath the Deccan volcanic province, while river profiles indicate vertical rock uplift and fault motion.
November GSA Today science article -- Southern Gulf of California
The November GSA Today science article explores why the Southern Gulf of California ruptured so rapidly, attributing it to an oblique divergence across a thin and hot, weak lithosphere. This process allowed for rapid deformation and stretching of the crust, resulting in new sea floor formation in just 6-10 million years.
GSA Bulletin highlights: New research posted 19 August 2011
Researchers study paleo-hurricane records from South Carolina marshlands and find that spatio-lateral continuity of hurricane deposits is poor. High-precision geochronology of the Chinle Formation provides new insights into early dinosaur evolution and temporal constraints on their evolution.
What will climate change and sea level rise mean for barrier islands?
The study reveals that barrier islands cluster along tectonically calm coasts, with stable coasts producing wide, low relief areas conducive to island formation. The rate of sea level rise is critical in shaping island fate, with rapid rise leading to erosion and disappearance.
Mars in Spain
Researchers from Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona have discovered formations in Catalonia resembling Mars' giant spring mounds. The study, published in Geodinamica Acta, suggests possible similarities in origin, shedding new light on the search for water on Mars.
April 2011 Geosphere highlights
The April 2011 Geosphere issue features articles on exploring the deep sea, including modeling of submarine cyclic steps, linking tectonism to deep-sea sedimentation, and submarine canyon profiles. New developments in Grenville geology also highlight fresh insights into the Lyon Mountain Granite.
New model by University of Nevada for how Nevada gold deposits formed may help in gold exploration
Researchers at the University of Nevada, Reno and Las Vegas have devised a new model for how Nevada's Carlin-type gold deposits formed, which may help in exploration efforts. This model relates to a change in plate tectonics and a major magma event about 40 million years ago.
GSA Bulletin highlights: New research posted Jan. 21-28
Scientists evaluated steady fault slip rate over 25 thousand years along the Altyn Tagh fault, providing constraints for Quaternary slip history. Chironomids were used to record terrestrial temperature changes in Arctic interglacials of the past 200,000 years.
Graptolite fauna indicates the beginning of the Kwangsian Orogeny
The study identifies the early Katian Age as the commencement of the Kwangsian Orogeny, a significant event in South China's geological evolution. Continuous Ordovician sections in Yongxin and Chongyi Counties display a continuous graptolite sequence, indicating a sharp facies change from deep-water black shales to shallow-water clastics.
Ancient Colorado river flowed backwards
Researchers have found evidence of a 55-million-year-old river that flowed from California to Arizona and then into Utah, reversing the modern Colorado River's direction. The ancient California River, which formed a delta in Utah, was on a similar scale to the modern Colorado-Green River system but flowed northeastward.
June 2010 Geology and GSA Today highlights
Scientists have found evidence of neotectonic activity in the Alps using speleothems, a type of cave formation. The study also presents new constraints for dating shallow faults at the AlpTransit tunnel site in Switzerland.
Deciphering the mysteries of an ancient seafloor Goliath
New data collected from the IODP Shatsky Rise expedition provides insights into the formation of supervolcanoes and their impact on Earth's geologic record. The study sheds light on the relationship between supervolcano formation and tectonic plate boundaries.
Deciphering the mysteries of an ancient seafloor Goliath
Scientists uncover clues to unlocking the origin and triggering mechanism of massive underwater volcanic eruptions, shedding light on Earth's geologic record. The study of Shatsky Rise, a 145 million-year-old supervolcano, provides insights into the processes of volcanism and plate tectonics.
March/April 2010 GSA Bulletin Highlights
This article highlights new findings on late Cenozoic deformation in the Greater Caucasus Mountains, an important structure in the Arabia-Eurasia collision zone. The study also reports on a crucial upper age bound for the disappearance of the North Tian Shan Ocean and collision between the Yili and Junggar blocks in western China.
Clemson researchers receive EPA grant to study carbon emission storage
Clemson University researchers are studying safe storage of carbon dioxide in geological formations to reduce global warming emissions. They will focus on identifying conditions that may lead to leakage and developing techniques to minimize its impact.
Banded rocks reveal early Earth conditions, changes
Researchers have developed a new model that explains the formation of banded iron formations, offering insights into the early ocean floor's composition and geochemical conditions. The study suggests that interactions between rocks, water, and air played a crucial role in creating these iconic formations.
May-June 2009 GSA Bulletin media highlights
Recent studies focus on North Sister volcano's glaciated history and the largest radial dike swarm in the Cascades. Sediment waves along submarine channels are also examined in the Espirito Santo Basin, Brazil, while a new study reveals highly explosive eruptions at Kilauea Volcano, Hawai'i.
January-February GSA Bulletin media highlights
The GSA Bulletin features studies on climate change sensitivity, Mars geology, and groundwater flow. Carbon-14 dating of Irish marine mud suggests the ice sheet was highly sensitive to small climate changes.
Key component of Earth's crust formed from moving molten rock
A team of Cornell researchers has developed a computer model that explains how granulite, a fine-grained metamorphic rock, forms in the Earth's crust. The model reveals that granulite can form at various depths but at similar temperatures as melted rock migrates up through the crust.
Earliest stage of planet formation dated
Researchers at UC Davis have determined the earliest stage of planet formation occurred approximately 4,568 million years ago. This finding provides new insights into the timing and physics of this critical process, shedding light on how mountain-sized chunks of rock coalesced from interstellar dust.
Liquid CO2 drives rapid thrust of diamond-bearing structures
A new integrated theory of kimberlite formation invokes a leading wedge of fluid carbon dioxide to explain the survival of diamonds during ascent. The theory suggests that the rapid expansion and cooling of magma near the surface creates an equilibrium pressure, driving the rock upward at speeds of up to 5000 km/h.
U. of Colorado researcher identifies tracks of swimming dinosaur in Wyoming
A University of Colorado researcher has discovered tracks of a previously unknown two-legged swimming dinosaur along the shoreline of an ancient inland sea that covered Wyoming 165 million years ago. The six-foot-tall bipedal creature, similar to a Coelosaur, likely waded along the shoreline and swam offshore to feed on fish or carrion.
Coral reefs serve as records for reconstructing climate and storm patterns
Researchers used coral reefs to study the impact of hurricanes on ocean health and climate patterns. By comparing high- and low-frequency hurricane areas, they established a model for analyzing older fossil reefs.
Researchers zero in on date of early hominids
The study provides new evidence on the timing and migration path of early hominids out of Africa. Researchers used Earth's magnetic field reversals to determine a more precise age for the Erk-el-Ahmar site, which dates back around 300,000 years.