For the first time in history, scientists have observed the rupture of a tectonic plate in a subduction zone in real time.

Tulane researchers uncover why some continental plates stay strong while others fracture, reshaping understanding of Earth’s ...

In deep Earth, rocks take up and release water all the time, and the effects can be wide reaching. Dehydration can cause rocks to crack and trigger earthquakes, and over geologic timescales, this ...

Massive tectonic collisions in the tropics may have caused Earth's last three great ice ages.Before each of these ice ages, new research finds, collisions between continents and island arcs built long ...

The Science Behind River Downcutting The water pressure of a river can cut deep into a riverbed. Sediments from the riverbed ...

For decades, the end-stage life of a subduction zone existed only in theory. Now, for the first time in geologic history, scientists are bearing witness to the Juan de Fuca Plate tearing apart and ...

Ancient rocks on the coast of Oman that were once driven deep down toward Earth's mantle may reveal new insights into subduction, an important tectonic process that fuels volcanoes and creates ...

Tulane University researchers, collaborating with an international team of scientists, have discovered why some parts of ...

Researchers used small zircon crystals to unlock information about magmas and plate tectonic activity in early Earth. The research provides chemical evidence that plate tectonics was most likely ...

That process helped produce the island’s astonishing biodiversity — where more than 90% of mammals and reptiles and over 80% of plants exist nowhere else on Earth. “Our research shows that ancient ...

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works. Massive tectonic collisions in the tropics may have caused Earth's last three great ice ages.