geology McAfee SECURE sites help keep you safe from identity theft, credit card fraud, spyware, spam, viruses and online scams

Geology News
Historical Geology Current Events


Precambrian Water?
May 20, 2013 | BBC

Researchers have recovered water from a depth of 2.4 km in the Canadian shield with an age of 1.5 billion years.

May 1 to May 15 Most Popular
May 16, 2013 | Geology.com

Why Natural Gas Cars are Selling Slowly

What is Sunstone?

Natural Gas Could Kill Fuel Diversity

Large Hurricane on Saturn

Who Becomes Dominant After a Mass Extinction?

Diamond Dust over Saskatoon

The Bone Worm

Who Becomes Dominant After a Mass Extinction?
May 3, 2013 | National Science Foundation

“These scientists have identified an outcome of mass extinctions–that species ecologically marginalized before the extinction may be ‘freed up’ to experience evolutionary bursts then dominate after the extinction.” Quote from H. Richard Lane, Program Director, National Science Foundation.

The Cost of Anti-Evolution Legislation?
May 2, 2013 | The Guardian

An article on TheGuardian looks at the debate over The Louisiana Science Education Act.

The Most Immediate Ancestor of Humans
April 16, 2013 | National Geographic

Some researchers believe that Australopithecus sediba should occupy the position of the most immediate ancestor of humans.

Archived in Ice
April 10, 2013 | American Museum of Natural History

The American Museum of Natural History has an interesting video about the Quelccaya ice cap in the Peruvian Andes, where researchers are collecting cores to document past climate change recorded in the ice.

Charles Lyell and Sea Serpents
April 9, 2013 | Scientific American

Despite the lack of evidence, Lyell confess in his writings that he remained optimistic “for I believed in the sea serpent without having seen it.”

The Last Hot Spell
April 7, 2013 | National Science Foundation

“Temperature patterns during Earth’s last prolonged global “hot spell”–the Pliocene, some 5.3 to 2.6 million years ago–differed dramatically from those of modern times.” Quoted from the NSF press release.

Fossil Fish from Kenya’s Rift Valley
March 29, 2013 | Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München

“A paleontological expedition to the Tugen Hills in Kenya, led by LMU’s Professor Bettina Reichenbacher, has discovered assemblages of fossil fish at eight previously unexplored localities. “Not only is it very rare to uncover so many specimens of fossil fish, those we have found are also very well preserved,” says Reichenbacher.” Quoted from the Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München press release.

The Extinction Before the Dinosaurs
March 26, 2013 | National Science Foundation

“More than 200 million years ago, a massive extinction decimated 76 percent of marine and terrestrial species, marking the end of the Triassic period and the onset of the Jurassic. The event cleared the way for dinosaurs to dominate Earth.” Quoted from the NSF press release.

Fossil Birds with Four Wings?
March 17, 2013 | Christian Science Monitor

A collection of 100-million-year-old bird fossils from China reveal that the birds had feathers on their legs. Were these birds with four wings?

Temperature History of Earth Since the Ice Age
March 11, 2013 | National Science Foundation

“With data from 73 ice and sediment core monitoring sites around the world, scientists have reconstructed Earth’s temperature history back to the end of the last Ice Age.” Quoted from the National Science Foundation press release.

Dunkleosteus?
March 7, 2013 | San Francisco Chronicle

A geologist from Mercyhurst University is impatiently waiting for a fossil Dunkleosteus to weather out of a “surface collecting only” site near Erie, Pennsylvania.

Faces of Earth Videos
March 3, 2013 | American Geosciences Institute

The American Geosciences Institute has posted four “Faces of Earth” videos on their YouTube channel.

Check them out!

Ancient Eruptions and Global Warming
February 21, 2013 | Climate Central

An article on the ClimateCentral.org website explores how massive volcanic eruptions in the geologic past have caused episodes of global warming.

The India-Asia Collision
February 12, 2013 | MIT News

India came running full speed at Asia and boom, they collided,” says Jagoutz, an author of the paper.

“But we actually don’t think it was one collision … this changes dramatically the way we think the India/Asia collision works.”

Quoted from the MIT press release.

Organic Molecules from Hydrothermal Vents?
January 23, 2013 | NASA

NASA is running laboratory experiments designed to mimic the conditions at hydrothermal vents on the seafloor of ancient oceans. They are trying to determine if the vents might have been the source of simple organic molecules such as ethane, methane and amino acids.

Geologic Map of Petrified Forest National Park
January 21, 2013 | Arizona Geological Survey

The Arizona Geological Survey has released a new Geologic Map of Petrified Forest National Park. The map is accompanied by a booklet that contains information about the geologic setting of the Park, its historical geology, stratigraphy, descriptions of mapped rock units and macrofossil occurrences.

Related: What is Petrified Wood?

Ecological Modeling and the Fossil Record
January 10, 2013 | Southern Methodist University

“Carbon dioxide levels in fossil soils from the Late Jurassic confirm that climate, vegetation and animal richness varied across the planet 150 million years ago, suggesting future human changes to global climate will heavily impact plant and animal life.”

Arizona Geology Magazine
December 28, 2012 | Arizona Geological Survey

Arizona Geological Survey has released the fall-winter 2012 issue of Arizona Geology Magazine. Some of the feature stories include:

Post-Tectonic Landscape Evolution in Southeastern Arizona

Controversy on the Age of the Grand Canyon

Success Stories from the National Geothermal Data System

The Pirate Fault of the western Santa Catalina Mountains

Geologic History of Oklahoma
December 24, 2012 | Oklahoma Geological Survey

A publication by the Oklahoma Geological Survey documents the geologic history of the state with a great presentation of maps, cross sections and text. The publication consists of four oversize pages – one is shown at right.

New Coelacanth Discovered in Texas
December 20, 2012 | Southern Methodist University

“A new species of coelacanth fish has been discovered in Texas. Pieces of tiny fossil skull found in Fort Worth have been identified as 100 million-year-old coelacanth bones.” Quoted from the Southern Methodist University press release.

Geologic Map of the Grand Canyon
December 14, 2012 | United States Geological Survey

This is not a brand new publication, however, USGS has a nice .pdf map of the Grand Canyon that can be used for online reference and for student projects. It can be viewed online, printed on a plotter and cropped with a graphics program to create printed hand-outs. The title is: “Geologic Map of the Grand Canyon 30′ x 60′ Quadrangle, Coconino and Mohave Counties, Northwestern Arizona“.

An Ancient Grand Canyon?
December 12, 2012 | Caltech

“For over 150 years, geologists have debated how and when one of the most dramatic features on our planet—the Grand Canyon—was formed. New data unearthed by researchers at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) builds support for the idea that conventional models, which say the enormous ravine is 5 to 6 million years old, are way off.” Quoted from the California Institute of Technology press release.

Exhuming the Pirate Fault
November 28, 2012 | Arizona Geological Survey

“Once buried under detritus eroded from the uplifted Santa Catalina Mountains, the Pirate fault is currently being exhumed by the downcutting Cañada del Oro and its tributaries. [...] This field examination reveals the fault to have left a sparse but diverse collection of remains implying a varied history of fault development and evolution.” Quoted from the publication press release.

Upper Limits on Dinosaur Size?
November 27, 2012 | Geological Society of America

A summary of a presentation titled: “Were Dinosaurs Destined to Be Big? Testing Cope’s Rule” by Gene Hunt of the National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution has been posted on the Geological Society of America website.

Exhumation of the Cook Inlet Forearc Basin
November 18, 2012 | USGS

“New geochronologic and thermochronologic data from rocks near Hatcher Pass, southwest Talkeetna Mountains, Alaska, record earliest Paleocene erosional and structural exhumation on the flank of the active Cook Inlet forearc basin.” Quoted from the USGS publication announcement.

Impact of the Toba Eruption
November 7, 2012 | Phys.org

The largest volcanic eruption in the past two million years was an enormous blast at Toba volcano in Indonesia about 74,000 years ago. An article on the Phys.org website explores the impact of the eruption.

Wisconsin’s Volcanic Past
November 7, 2012 | Wausau Daily Herald

Gene LaBerge, age 80, author of Geology of the Lake Superior Region, is working on a project that will document the geologic history of Wisconsin. He is looking for two large specimens of rhyolite and pillow basalt to feature in his collection.

Image by NationsReportCard.gov
The Age of the Tibetan Plateau
October 16, 2012 | Penn State Live

“The growth of high topography on the Tibetan Plateau in Sichuan, China, began much earlier than previously thought, according to an international team of geologists who looked at mountain ranges along the eastern edge of the plateau.” Quoted from the Penn State Live press release.

Every day you can find links to several earth science news topics right here. Bookmark this page and visit often. You can also receive our news for free by RSS feed or in a daily email message.





Homeowners InsuranceHomeowners Insurance usually does not cover damage caused by floods, landslides, earthquakes and other geohazards.
frac sandFrac Sand is a high-purity silica sand used in hydraulic fracturing to enhance the flow of oil and gas from tight rock units.
Diamond formationDiamonds from Coal? Diamonds form under a variety of conditions that rarely involve coal as a source of carbon.
fluorescent mineralsFluorescent Minerals glow with spectacular colors when illuminated in the dark with an ultraviolet lamp.
Uses of heliumHelium is a byproduct of the natural gas industry. Its most important use is in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) machines.
Canada diamond minesCanada Diamond Mines: Canada is the third largest producer of gem-quality diamonds in the world.
Utica shaleUtica Shale: New wells in eastern Ohio prove that the Utica Shale will be a major source of natural gas and natural gas liquids.
Green River fossilsSpectacular Fossils of the Green River Formation. Some of the world's best-preserved fossil fish from an intermountain lake.
OpalOpals: Gem quality opal is one of the most spectacular gemstones. A single stone can flash with every color of the spectrum.
NovaruptaMost Powerful Eruption of the 20th Century: People in Juneau heard the volcanic blast - over one hour after it occurred.



News content contributed by
© 2005-2013 Geology.com. All Rights Reserved.
Images, code and content of this website are property of Geology.com. Use without permission is prohibited. Pages on this site are protected by Copyscape.