“These ascending pulses of partially molten mantle are channelled by the rifting plates above.” This finding matters because it shows how the movement of tectonic plates – the massive slabs of Earth’s ...

For millions of years, the Earth has oscillated between ice ages and warmer episodes. The movements of the ground beneath our feet could play a much more important role in this cycle than previously ...

Deep within the Earth’s mantle, rhythmic pulses of hot lava are emerging on the surface, offering a rare glimpse into the forces driving the creation of a new ocean. These pulses, coming from a ...

The colossal movements of tectonic plates shape our world, influencing the composition of Earth’s atmosphere, the planet’s protective magnetic field and perhaps even the flourishing of life. Now ...

Tom has a Master's degree in Journalism. His editorial work covers anything from archaeology and the environment to technology and culture. Tom has a Master's degree in Journalism. His editorial work ...

Scientists have uncovered the oldest direct evidence yet that Earth’s tectonic plates were on the move 3.5 billion years ago. By analyzing magnetic fingerprints in ancient rocks, they reconstructed ...

Rocks in Australia preserve evidence that plates in Earth’s crust were moving 3.5 billion years ago, a finding that pushes back the beginnings of plate tectonics by hundreds of millions of years.

The arid hills of Western Australia’s Pilbara region contain the earliest evidence yet of tectonic plates sliding across Earth’s surface. Tiny magnetic crystals locked in the bedrock recorded the ...

The Earth’s crust is constantly changing. It’s currently made of many huge rock slabs called tectonic plates—seven major ones along with many more smaller plates—that fit together like puzzle pieces ...