Volcanic lightning creates whistlers, very low frequency electromagnetic waves, that propagate into the magnetosphere. In the July 2015 issue of Physics World magazine, science writer Ian Randall investigates how researchers are trying to use studies on these whistlers
A new study, conducted by the University of Leicester's Department of Geology, suggests human beings are living and defining a whole new geological period of time, the so-called Anthropocene Epoch.The changes in our environment, global warming, ocean acidification,
Scientists working for the ESA's Venus Express mission have recently presented the best evidence yet for existence of active volcanoes on planet Venus. Previous radar missions have revealed Venus to be covered in volcanoes and lava flows and it is long assumed that
A return to low solar activity not seen for centuries could increase the chances of cold winters in Europe and eastern parts of the United States but wouldn't halt global warming, according to new research led by UK's Met office and published recently in Nature
After a year in orbit, the three Swarm satellites have provided a first glimpse inside Earth and started to shed new light on the dynamics of the upper atmosphere – all the way from the ionosphere about 100 km above, through to the outer reaches of our protective
If you have ever visited a cave and taken photos, you might have noticed that the colours in the photographs appear more vivid than when you were in the cave. This is because organic matter trapped in the stalagmites and stalactites fluoresces.The light emitted by your
A dramatic increase in the rate of earthquakes in the central and eastern US since 2009 is associated with fluid injection wells used in oil and gas development, says a new study by the University of Colorado Boulder and the USGS.The number of earthquakes associated wit
Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI) researchers have discovered a large, previously unknown field of hydrothermal vents in the Gulf of California, about 150 km (100 miles) east of La Paz, Mexico. Discovered in the spring of 2015 and lying more than 3 800 me
According to the new USGS research published recently in Lithosphere, North America may have once been attached to Australia.Approximately every 300 million years, the Earth completes a supercontinent cycle wherein continents drift toward one another and collide, remain
The birth of a volcanic island is a potent and beautiful reminder of our dynamic planet’s ability to make new land. Given the destruction we’ve seen following natural events like earthquakes and tsunamis in the past few years, stunning images of two islands
