Geology

A buildup of methane and other fluids in open and closed "systems" in the permafrost could explain why strange, icy mounds sometimes erupt to form giant crater, researchers say.

Lake Kivu, one of the African Great Lakes, sits along a tectonic plate boundary called the East African Rift, which is dotted with hot springs that feed carbon dioxide and methane into the water.

A hydrothermal eruption Tuesday (July 23) morning surprised visitors walking among the colorful hot springs in Yellowstone National Park's Biscuit Basin, near the famous Old Faithful geyser.

Paleostress modeling shows how a region of the Andean Plateau was uplifted and formed beginning more than 20 million years ago.

New research hints that plate tectonics began earlier than 4 billion years ago — not long after Earth had formed.

Norway's photogenic "Dragon's Eye" likely formed around 20,000 years ago, when all of Scandinavia sat beneath an enormous mass of ice called the Fennoscandian Ice Sheet.

New seismic data show that a helium reservoir discovered in February in northern Minnesota is larger than initial estimates indicated, inching the project closer to commercial extraction.

Earth from space This 2018 astronaut photo shows a striking section of the Green River as it winds through Utah's "Labyrinth Canyon." The canyon's steep walls cast long shadows that hide many secrets, including caves and abandoned uranium mines.

During 37 years of operations, the now-closed Argyle mine produced more than 865 million carats (191 tons) of rough diamonds and 90% of the world's pink diamonds.

An ocean that opened up in what is now Mongolia 410 million years ago was created by a hot upwelling of rock known as a mantle plume.