Geology

The “coastline paradox” helped to define fractals, but coastlines themselves turn out to be less fractal than thought

Flecks of minerals captured in diamonds show hidden connections between Earth’s surface and its deep interior

The Trinity bomb test left behind a unique form of matter, and now, scientists have discovered a new chemical structure inside it

By chance a tour boat avoided a deadly tsunami set off by the retreat of Alaska's coastal glaciers. Scientists are working to spot landslides like the one that caused the massive wave to warn people in harm's way

New research reveals that a rift in Earth’s crust is just a few million years away from splitting the continent of Africa into two—and creating a new ocean

When an earthquake rupturing along a fault hits a barrier, it creates a seismic signature called the “stopping phase.” Scientists have isolated this and could use it to better predict earthquake risk

In 2022 a swarm of earthquakes in the Azores suggested that an eruption was imminent, but none happened. Now we know why, and it means magma can be sneakier than we knew

After a magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck off the coast of Japan and set off tsunami warnings, there’s an elevated risk of a “megaquake” following in its wake

A new study suggests a proto–Colorado River filled a large basin before spilling westward to set the Grand Canyon’s modern path

Here’s how scientists drilled 8,000 feet through ice to place the world’s deepest seismometers

Science writer Hanne Strager explores how the trailblazing Danish seismologist Inge Lehmann overcame self-doubt to discover that Earth has a solid inner core, overturning the long-held belief that it was liquid

Scientists have found the oldest direct evidence for tectonic motion on Earth by more than half a billion years