Science & Technology - Dec 15, 2010 18:19 - 0 Comments

Saturn moon mountains taller than Everest

JOHNS HOPKINS / WASHINGTON U.-ST. LOUIS (US) — A strange mountain range girding the equator of Saturn’s third-largest moon may have been formed not by geological forces but rather by the explosive breakup of an orbiting mini-moon, scientists suggest. (more…)

Earth & Environment - Dec 14, 2010 12:10 - 0 Comments

From space, keep tabs on groundwater

STANFORD (US) — Researchers have found a way to use satellites to see past crops and check water systems underground for signs of overuse. (more…)

Science & Technology - Oct 19, 2010 10:25 - 3 Comments

T. rex’s favorite meal? Other T. rex

YALE (US) — It turns out that the undisputed king of the dinosaurs, Tyrannosaurus rex, didn’t just eat other dinosaurs. They also ate each other. (more…)

Earth & Environment - Sep 17, 2010 11:30 - 0 Comments

Glaciers act as mountains’ armor

YALE (US)— Glaciers in the southern reaches of the Patagonian Andes have acted as a kind of protective shield throughout the mountain range’s 25-million-year history. (more…)

Earth & Environment - Aug 27, 2010 15:32 - 0 Comments

Computer models shake up plate tectonics

CALTECH / U. TEXAS-AUSTIN (US)—New computer algorithms allow for the first time simultaneous modeling of the earth’s mantle flow, large-scale tectonic plate motions, and the behavior of individual fault zones. The result is an unprecedented view of plate tectonics and the forces that drive it. (more…)

Earth & Environment - Aug 11, 2010 17:06 - 0 Comments

Emissions down but still underestimated

U. COLORADO (US)—Chemical pollution hovering over Houston that is produced by manufacturing petroleum products may be getting thinner, but is still significantly underestimated, according to airplane measurements taken as part of a new study. (more…)

Earth & Environment - Aug 2, 2010 13:39 - 1 Comment

Dash of geophysics with that climate policy?

U. TEXAS (US)—The CO2 emission estimates used for government policy decisions assume unlimited coal and fossil fuel production for the next 100 years. A recent study suggests that’s an unrealistic premise that skews climate change models and proposed solutions. (more…)

Science & Technology - Jul 22, 2010 14:49 - 0 Comments

Changing lake depths on Saturn’s Titan

CALTECH (US)—For the first time, scientists have found compelling evidence of lake-level changes on Saturn’s largest moon, Titan, that are very similar to the rise and fall of Earth lake levels. (more…)

Science & Technology - Jul 15, 2010 9:20 - 1 Comment

Lithium could be gold mine for Afghanistan

TEXAS A&M (US)—Afghanistan has mineral deposits that could potentially turn it from being one of the poorest countries on Earth to one of the richest. (more…)

Science & Technology - Jun 21, 2010 11:44 - 0 Comments

Geoneutrinos detected deep inside Earth

PRINCETON (US)—The discovery of subatomic particles deep within the Earth’s interior could help geologists understand how reactions taking place in the planet’s interior affect events on the surface such as earthquakes and volcanoes. (more…)

Earth & Environment - Jun 17, 2010 15:58 - 0 Comments

Flower power lets the globe chill out

U. CHICAGO (US)—The world is a cooler, wetter place because of flowering plants, according to new climate simulations. (more…)

Earth & Environment - May 25, 2010 11:40 - 0 Comments

Computer model shows speeding mantle

UC DAVIS (US)—The Earth’s mantle flows far more rapidly around a sinking tectonic plate than previously thought, according to new computer modeling. The findings could change the way that we think about plate tectonics and the amount of energy available for earthquakes. (more…)

Society & Culture - May 13, 2010 10:59 - 0 Comments

Remains of amphitheater found in Roman port

U. SOUTHAMPTON (UK)—A major excavation of Portus, the ancient port that once served as the maritime gateway to Rome, has revealed the remains of an amphitheater-shaped-building, solving a mystery that has puzzled experts for more than 140 years. (more…)

Earth & Environment - May 11, 2010 16:41 - 1 Comment

Shape of lake bottoms can spur epidemics

INDIANA U. (US)—In an effort to learn more about the ecology of disease, researchers studying lakes in Michigan have discovered that the shape of lake bottoms may control the onset of epidemics. (more…)

Earth & Environment - Mar 25, 2010 17:09 - 3 Comments

Greenland melt spreads to both coasts

U. COLORADO (US)—Ice loss from the Greenland ice sheet, which has been increasing during the past decade over its southern region, is now making an upward climb on its northwest coast as well. (more…)

Earth & Environment - Mar 23, 2010 12:32 - 0 Comments

Predicting Earth’s tectonic dance

RICE (US)—A research team has put the finishing touches on a 20-year labor of love: a precise description of the relative movements of the interlocking tectonic plates that account for about 97 percent of Earth’s surface. (more…)

Earth & Environment - Mar 17, 2010 10:44 - 1 Comment

Mini river delta could help predict flooding

U. PENN (US)—An interdisciplinary team of physicists and geologists has made a major step toward predicting where and how large floods occur on river deltas and alluvial fans. (more…)

Earth & Environment - Mar 9, 2010 11:09 - 0 Comments

Sun pummeled Earth’s wimpy magnetic field

U. ROCHESTER (US)—The Earth’s magnetic field 3.5 billion years ago was only half as strong as it is today, new research shows. The weakness—coupled with a strong solar wind—likely allowed particles from the young Sun to strip water from early Earth’s atmosphere. (more…)

Posts Tagged ‘geophysics’