Anisotropic zoning in the upper crust of the Tianshan Tectonic Belt
The collision between the Indian and Eurasian plates resulted in the formation of the Tianshan Tectonic Belt; however, the formation mechanism of Tianshan and the construction of a dynamic model explaining it remain to be realized and an integrated u.....»»
EXPLAINER: What is a derecho?
Multiple tornadoes and thunderstorms that struck the Great Plains and upper Midwest on Dec. 15 were the result of a rare event called a derecho, according to the National Weather Service's Storm Prediction Center. It was the first on record in Decem.....»»
NASA"s Parker Solar Probe Becomes First Spacecraft To "Touch" the Sun
Sixty years after NASA set the goal, and three years after its Parker Solar Probe launched, the spacecraft has become the first to "touch the sun." CNN World reports: The Parker Solar Probe has successfully flown through the sun's corona, or upper at.....»»
NASA enters the solar atmosphere for the first time, bringing new discoveries
For the first time in history, a spacecraft has touched the Sun. NASA's Parker Solar Probe has now flown through the Sun's upper atmosphere—the corona—and sampled particles and magnetic fields there......»»
Study combines climatic, tectonic models to explain Andean conundrum
The Andes Mountains are much taller than plate tectonic theories predict they should be, a fact that has puzzled geologists for decades. Mountain-building models tend to focus on the deep-seated compressional forces that occur when tectonic plates co.....»»
Faults in oceanic crust contribute to slow seismic waves
The natural structure of the rigid oceanic crust that forms a shell around Earth contains cracks and faults. These fissures are hydrothermal pathways for heat, water, and chemical solutions to move between the ocean and the lithosphere......»»
How TIMED flies: NASA mission celebrates 20th anniversary
Launched in 2001, NASA's TIMED mission has now spent 20 years surveying the complicated dynamics of Earth's upper atmosphere. Short for Thermosphere, Ionosphere, Mesosphere Energetics and Dynamics, TIMED observes the chemistry and dynamics where Eart.....»»
Novel numerical model simulates folding in Earth"s crust throughout the earthquake cycle
Earth's crust is constantly in motion. As tectonic plates that make up the lithosphere shift, pulling apart and crashing into each other, the crust fractures and folds in response. Both faulting and folding play out at fault-bend folds, which are cre.....»»
Rocket flies high over Norway in scientist"s atmosphere experiment
A NASA sounding rocket soared high from a launchpad in Norway on Wednesday morning in a decades-old quest to understand the cause of a persistent dense patch of upper atmosphere on Earth's sun-facing side......»»
Geospace Dynamics Constellation: Exploring the heart of space weather
The Geospace Dynamics Constellation mission—or GDC—is a team of satellites that will study Earth's upper atmosphere and provide the first direct global measurements of our planet's dynamic and complex interface with the space environment. This bo.....»»
Inside the tectonic wake of a migrating restraining bend: Mount Denali—the highest mountain peak in North America
In their recent publication, "Why is Denali (6,190 m) so big? Caught inside the tectonic wake of a migrating restraining bend," Jeff A. Benowitz and a research team from the University of Massachusetts Amherst, Virginia Tech, and the South Dakota Sch.....»»
Asteroid material deposited during large impacts record the moon"s ancient magnetic field
The moon has no core dynamo magnetic field, but spacecraft detect numerous strong localized magnetic fields in the crust of the moon. Many of these magnetic anomalies are antipodal to large impact basins......»»
Recycling of tectonic plates a key driver of Earth"s oxygen budget
A new study co-led by a Cornell researcher has identified serpentinite—a green rock that looks a bit like snakeskin and holds fluids in its mineral structures—as a key driver of the oxygen recycling process, which helped create and maintain the s.....»»
Improving coseismic slip measurements
Geologists describe the process of an earthquake as occurring in three distinct phases. During the interseismic phase, strain builds up along a fault as adjacent pieces of crust catch onto one another and move in opposite directions. This strain even.....»»
Adding mineral to irrigation may lower toxic elements in soils
Arsenic, uranium and other trace elements naturally occur in topsoil across the U.S. Corn Belt, including the Cornhusker State. Crops grown in soils containing elevated levels of those trace elements can absorb them through roots, potentially curbing.....»»
Nanograins: Study finds curious properties of tiny crystals hold clues to earthquake formation
In Earth's crust, tectonic blocks slide and grind past each other like enormous ships loosed from anchor. Earthquakes are generated along these fault zones when enough stress builds for a block to stick, then suddenly slip......»»
Tectonic shift in Southern Ocean caused dramatic ancient cooling event
New research has shed light on a sudden cooling event 34 million years ago that contributed to formation of the Antarctic ice sheets......»»
Before geoengineering to mitigate climate change, researchers must consider some fundamental chemistry
It's a tempting thought: With climate change so difficult to manage and nations unwilling to take decisive action, what if we could mitigate its effects by setting up a kind of chemical umbrella—a layer of sulfuric acid in the upper atmosphere that.....»»
Measuring the brightness of our galaxy at key ultraviolet wavelength
A new study led by Southwest Research Institute determined the brightness of the galactic Lyman-alpha background using a SwRI-developed instrument aboard NASA's Kuiper Belt space probe, New Horizons......»»
The optical Stern-Gerlach Deflection and Young"s experiment in the reciprocal space
Scientists have, for the first time, demonstrated Young's experiment for photons in the reciprocal space. Spin patterns corresponding to the persistent spin helix and the Stern-Gerlach experiment are realized in an optically anisotropic liquid crysta.....»»
Microbiome discovery could help save kids’ hearing
Bacteria found in children's upper respiratory systems could help fight chronic middle ear infections, the leading cause of preventable hearing loss and deafness in Indigenous communities......»»