Articles tagged with Geologic History
A recent study published in Nature Communications has uncovered the likely Martian origin of a 4.48-billion-year-old meteorite named Black Beauty. The team found that this ancient fragment may have come from a region on Mars similar to Earth's continents, providing valuable insights into our planet's geological past.
A new study suggests that Earth's deep mantle was drier than initially thought, with a water concentration 4-250 times lower than the upper mantle. This finding challenges the assumption that the mantle was uniform from its formation and may have prevented mixing within the mantle.
Researchers analyzed fossil corals to reveal changed ocean current circulation patterns. The data supports a scenario where the upper Pacific Ocean was more mixed during the last ice age, contributing to carbon storage and cooler climates.
A team of researchers has discovered 1.2-billion-year-old groundwater containing radiogenic helium, neon, and xenon, which could sustain subsurface microbial communities. The study reveals how energy stored in the Earth's subsurface can be released and distributed through its crust.
Curtin researchers have found evidence of an almost four billion-year-old piece of the Earth's crust beneath Western Australia. The discovery was made by firing lasers at tiny grains of a mineral extracted from beach sand, revealing its geological history and influencing the region's evolution.
Researchers have reconstructed what life was like for some of Earth's earliest organisms using light-capturing proteins in living microbes. The findings could help recognize signs of life on other planets with atmospheres similar to ancient Earth.
Researchers propose that massive continent stretching triggered a sudden and extreme warming of the planet, leading to the 'Palaeocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum' (PETM) event. This theory suggests that intense volcanic activity released large amounts of carbon into the atmosphere, causing global warming.
A SwRI study examines elliptical craters on Saturn's moons Tethys and Dione, finding unique patterns that indicate the satellites' age and formation conditions. The research suggests a planetocentric impactor population, pointing to the importance of considering gravity-driven impacts when studying object ages.
Researchers evaluated the history of hydrothermal explosions at Yellowstone Lake, discovering at least 16 deposits in sediment cores. The Mary Bay and Elliott's Craters were found to have larger extent of deposits than previously thought, with the lake level likely lower during the explosions.
A joint research team has discovered ancient continental rocks at the Southwest Indian Ridge, dating back 2.7 billion years. The rocks' composition suggests they were recycled from the neighboring African continent through the asthenosphere, challenging current understanding of oceanic crust formation.
A new SDSU study used radiocarbon dating to determine the timing of the last seven periods of filling during the Late Holocene, revealing six earlier lake fills between 1618–1636 and 1486–1503. The research sheds light on both the history of human occupation in the area and its seismic past.
A team of Australian scientists has analyzed rare earth elements in drilled reef cores to unveil a deep history of wild weather on the Great Barrier Reef. The study reveals that extreme runoff from intense monsoons affected water quality over 8,000 years ago, leading to reduced coral growth and reef decline.
Researchers at the University of Göttingen discovered an unknown group of marine eustigmatophyte algae that produces distinctive lipids, allowing for the reconstruction of summer sea surface temperatures. The Long chain Diol Index provides a novel climate proxy based on these lipids.
A large-scale international study, led by Tel Aviv University's Dr. Omri Bronstein, found that many species of echinoids, including sea urchins, survived a mass extinction event 50 million years earlier than thought. The findings suggest that estimates of evolutionary timelines may err by tens of millions of years.
Researchers found that some magmas originate from mantle portions with early crust remnants, suggesting a 'graveyard' of old material survived for billions of years. This discovery sheds light on the formation of large continents and the evolution of Earth's atmosphere.
Eukaryotes emerged in an anoxic environment in the ocean, and their mitochondria-bearing cells likely resulted from a merger between archaea and bacteria. This finding contradicts the long-held view that oxygenation of Earth's surface environment led to eukaryogenesis.
New sediment core data from ancient Lake Cahuilla extends the lake's history back 7000 years, providing insights into potential connections between lake filling events and earthquakes on the Southern San Andreas Fault. The research aims to shed light on possible triggering mechanisms and improve earthquake rupture histories.
Tiny zircons found in South Africa hold the oldest evidence of subduction, a key element of plate tectonics, dating back to around 3.8 billion years ago. This discovery provides new insights into when plate tectonics was set in motion and how it may have shaped Earth's surface and climate.
Researchers used NASA's Planetary Spectrum Generator to analyze light from Venus, Mars, and Jupiter, shedding new light on the presence of biosignatures and chemical compounds. The study helps clarify the association between methane on Mars and life, as well as the fate of Martian water.
A new study published in AGU journal Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems suggests that Earth formed inside a solar nebula. The research found that vast stores of helium-3 from the Big Bang are leaking out of the Earth's core, providing evidence for this theory.
Scientists propose a new mechanism by which oxygen accumulated in the atmosphere, shifting the planet out of its low-oxygen equilibrium. Interactions between certain marine microbes and minerals in ocean sediments may have prevented oxygen consumption, setting off a self-amplifying process.
Researchers from Denmark and Sweden have dated the massive Hiawatha impact crater in Greenland to 58 million years ago, revealing it occurred a few million years after dinosaurs went extinct. The crater's age opens up a new understanding of Earth's evolution during this period.
Researchers have developed a new method to study ancient grains of sand, revealing details of the Earth's distant geological past. The 'age distribution fingerprint' of zircon minerals sheds light on the evolution of continents and the accumulation of mineral resources.
The discovery of Balkanatolia reveals a unique fauna that enabled Asian mammals to colonize Western Europe 34 million years ago. A new fossil deposit in Turkey dated 38-35 million years ago supports this finding, shedding light on the evolution of mammals.
Researchers found that the Central Tibetan Valley was at a relatively low elevation of 1,700 m between 50–38 mya and rose rapidly to over 4,000 m between 38–29 mya. This rise led to significant climate change, transforming the region from a subtropical ecosystem to an alpine one.
Researchers found two instances of supermountains, Nuna and Transgondwanan, linked to major periods of evolution, including eukaryotes and the emergence of large animals. These mountain ranges drove biological cycles, boosted oxygen levels, and facilitated complex life.
A new study verifies that ancient glaciers caused the erosion of rocks up to 3 miles thick during the Snowball Earth period, resolving a long-standing debate. The research uses thermochronology to estimate temperature and thermal structure, finding a widespread signal of rapid cooling consistent with massive glacier erosion.
Researchers from Uppsala University found that ocean productivity declined rapidly 4.6 million years ago in tropical regions, likely caused by reduced East Asian monsoon intensity and decreased riverine nutrient supply, coinciding with changes in the Earth's orbit.
A new study analyzing the rock record rules out atmospheric oxygen before the Great Oxygenation Event, potentially rewriting our understanding of Earth's past. The research team used high-resolution techniques to inspect specimens of the rock, finding evidence that chemical data suggesting early oxygen may have been introduced later.
New research suggests that ultra-low velocity zones in the deep mantle may be regions made of different rocks than the rest of the mantle, with compositions potentially linked to the early Earth. The study's findings imply the presence of layered structures within these zones, shedding light on their origin and evolution.
High-speed impacts could explain why Earth is habitable while Venus is not, according to new research. Large collisions during Venus' early history led to twice as much mantle melting than impact-induced melting on Earth.
A University of Liverpool study found that meteorite impacts are determined by the minerology of the rocks hit, not the size of the impact. The study analyzed 44 impacts and found that those hitting rocks rich in potassium feldspar always correspond with mass extinction episodes.
A large earthquake off the coast of south-central Chile in 1737 may have caused a substantial tsunami that was absent from historical records. Researchers analyzed sediments and found evidence of widespread sandy layers, dating to the same time as the earthquake, similar to deposits made by tsunami waves in other areas.
A groundbreaking study confirms the timing of the Chicxulub asteroid impact, which occurred during the spring-summer growth phase, leading to the extinction of dinosaurs and 75% of life on Earth. The research team used multiple lines of evidence, including fossil pollen, index fossils, and radiometric dating, to pinpoint the exact time...
A new dataset from Canterbury earthquakes provides over 15,000 case histories for liquefaction, significantly augmenting model training and testing. The dataset enhances hazard assessments and improves engineering solutions in earthquake recovery, benefiting society as a whole.
Scientists have discovered a 900-mile mantle pipeline stretching from the Gal ªgapos Hotspot to Central America, suggesting that hotspots are not fixed in place. This new finding transforms our understanding of geologic processes occurring beneath the Earth's surface.
The Sierra Nevada mountain range in California has a complex history, with two distinct periods of formation. The ancient range was formed around 100 million years ago as a volcanic chain, but was later dwarfed by a vast plateau. Volcanic activity around 40 million to 20 million years ago lifted the Earth's surface, forming new mountai...
Recent advances in radiocarbon knowledge have improved our understanding of climate processes, solar activity, geophysics, and the carbon cycle. Researchers developed a more detailed record of atmospheric radiocarbon extending back 55,000 years, helping to understand Earth's past and project future changes.
Researchers have proposed new radioisotopic dates for Ediacaran fossil assemblages and carbon isotope perturbations, providing age constraints for both. The study reveals two negative carbon isotope excursions in the 575–550 Ma period, with the Shuram event occurring between 575 Ma and 565 Ma.
A new study reveals that many cratons were uninhabitable for microbes for much of their existence, with the longest period of habitability not much beyond a billion years. The deep biosphere, home to microbial life, has evolved over geologic history, and modern microbes are related to ancient ancestors in the subsurface.
Researchers using satellite geodesy and InSAR imagery found the Arabian side of the Dead Sea Transform fault has been moving steadily northwards at around five millimeters per year. The studies suggest that large earthquakes may be less frequent near the southern end of the Gulf, but more investigations are needed for a resilient city.
Scientists propose an alternative model for the formation of nitrogen, oxygen, and water based on the Earth's atmosphere history. They suggest that the Earth's lower mantle can create heavier elements through nuclear transmutation under high temperatures and pressures.
Scientists have discovered a heterogeneous structure in the Earth's inner core, with adjacent regions of hard, soft, and liquid iron alloys. This finding challenges traditional models of the planet's magnetic field generation and provides new insights into the dynamics at the boundary between the inner and outer core.
A new Stanford University study suggests that rising oxygen levels may have slowed down ancient ocean extinctions. The research found that oxygen levels beyond 40% of present atmospheric levels expanded viable ocean habitat and reduced extinction rates. This discovery has implications for understanding the fate of ocean creatures in to...
Researchers found that lake breach floods played a crucial role in shaping the Martian surface, creating river valleys with nearly a quarter of the Red Planet's total volume. The study's findings suggest that these floods had a lasting impact on the surrounding landscape, influencing the formation of other nearby river valleys.
A new study by MIT scientists uses a novel gene-analyzing technique to estimate that oxygenic photosynthesis first originated around 2.9 billion years ago. This evolutionary innovation allowed for the accumulation of oxygen in the atmosphere and oceans, paving the way for life on Earth.
A new study reconstructed the Kuroshio Current Extension's past behavior, finding it was sensitive to global climate change during the Pliocene era. The current's sensitivity to CO2 levels is a concern for its potential impact on ecosystems, weather patterns, and regional climates.
Tropical rainforests have uneven biodiversity due to geological history and climate. Researchers used a new model to simulate species diversification, finding that historical dynamics of mountain building and climate change drove biodiversity distribution rather than current climate factors.
Ancient human societies adapted to tropical ecosystem dynamics, revealing their adaptability and resourcefulness. By studying these past interactions with the environment, scientists can better understand how to conserve tropical environments.
Researchers found that continents have always been rich in silica, contradicting previous models. Continental growth occurred in six major periods every 500-700 million years over the past 3.7 billion years.
A new study from Washington University in St. Louis suggests that Mars' small size limits its habitability due to a lack of retained volatiles. Researchers used potassium isotopes to determine the presence and abundance of volatile elements on Mars, finding a correlation between body size and volatile composition.
Researchers discovered elevated mercury levels before and during the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM), a 150,000-year period of extreme warming. The study suggests that 'tipping points' in the Earth's system triggered the release of additional carbon reservoirs, driving unprecedented high temperatures.
Researchers found that large volcanic eruptions may have stimulated population surges of marine microorganisms, creating the first puffs of oxygen into the atmosphere. This would change existing stories of Earth's early atmosphere and has implications for extraterrestrial life and climate change.
Research from UBC and HKU Earth scientists reveals that massive volcanism played a key role in triggering oceanic anoxia, with CO2-induced environmental warming creating 'dead zones' over short timescales. The findings provide important insights into the sensitivity of the Earth system to global biogeochemical cycles and marine biology.
A new study led by the University of Colorado Boulder has shed new light on the Great Unconformity, a mysterious gap in the Grand Canyon's rock record that covers hundreds of millions of years. The research suggests that a series of small faulting events may have caused rocks and sediment to wash away, creating the missing window of time.
A team of scientists from Princeton University found that the Arctic Ocean's nitrogen supply is limited by strong stratification, preventing plankton growth and potentially affecting fish populations. The research used fossilized plankton to study the history of nitrogen sources and supply rates in the western and central Arctic Ocean.
A new study suggests that small single-celled organisms may have formed larger multicellular life forms to better navigate icy waters. This shift in size allowed for increased propulsion and access to a wider range of food sources, giving early organisms an ecological advantage.
A new three-year project funded by the Heising-Simons Foundation is integrating science from paleoclimatology, geophysics, and astronomy to study the evolution of the Solar System and Earth-Moon dynamics. The CycloAstro Project will also investigate the Earth's paleoclimate system and improve cyclostratigraphy and astrochronology.
Caballero-Gill's project, part of the CycloAstro Project, focuses on training and developing diverse graduate students and postdocs, emphasizing socially conscious leadership and community engagement. Funding from the Heising-Simons Foundation will support this initiative until May 31, 2024.
A lunar sample from the Apollo 17 mission has been analysed to determine its age, source crater and geological trajectory. The study suggests the sample is around 4.2 billion years old, providing a valuable reference point for understanding the Moon's early evolution and Earth's origins.