The discovery could usher in a wave of investigations into the evolution of Earth’s mantle, a layer of material about 1,800 miles deep that extends from just beneath the planet’s thin crust to its ...

A thin slice of the ancient rocks collected from Gakkel Ridge near the North Pole, photographed under a microscope and seen under cross-polarized light. Field width ~ 14mm. Credit: E. Cottrell, ...

Here’s what you’ll learn when you read this story: In geological layers around the world (particularly in the southwestern U.S.) roughly one billion years of rock are missing—a mystery known as the ...

Explore 25 Major Events in Earth's 4.5 Billion Year History. Discover pivotal moments from its formation to the rise of life.

Earth's 4.5 billion year geological history is full of death and rebirth, mass extinctions and explosions of biodiversity, with different periods often marked by cataclysmic changes that radically ...

It's a creeping movement, but a momentous one. Some 200 million years ago, a single, extraordinary supercontinent called Pangea dominated Earth. Ultimately, landmasses ruptured and pulled apart, ...

A new analysis of rocks thought to be at least 2.5 billion years old helps clarify the chemical history of Earth's mantle -- the geologic layer beneath the planet's crust. The findings hone scientists ...

"Hearst Magazines and Yahoo may earn commission or revenue on some items through these links." Here’s what you’ll learn when you read this story: “The Great Unconformity…represents a globally ...

A thin slice of the ancient rocks collected from Gakkel Ridge near the North Pole, photographed under a microscope and seen under cross-polarized light. Field width ~ 14mm. Analyzing rocks in thin ...