http://www.sciencedaily.com/news/earth_climate/geology/ Geology news. From the discovery of new properties of deep earth and finds in fossil magma chambers to fossil fuels and more. Geology images and text. en-us Wed, 15 Feb 2012 21:05:01 EST Wed, 15 Feb 2012 21:05:01 EST 60 http://www.sciencedaily.com/images/logosmall.gif http://www.sciencedaily.com/news/earth_climate/geology/ For more science articles, visit ScienceDaily. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120215142814.htm Scientists have proposed mass melting as a new force behind volcanic activity in the Columbia River region. Wed, 15 Feb 2012 14:28:28 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120215142814.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120215100256.htm A new NASA satellite instrument that makes a quantum leap forward in detector technology has arrived at Orbital Sciences Corp. in Gilbert, Ariz. There it will be integrated into the next Landsat satellite, the Landsat Data Continuity Mission (LDCM). Wed, 15 Feb 2012 10:02:02 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120215100256.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120214100819.htm Seismic risk at the Fukushima nuclear plant increased after the magnitude 9 earthquake that hit Japan last March, scientists report. The new study, which uses data from over 6,000 earthquakes, shows the 11 March tremor caused a seismic fault close to the nuclear plant to reactivate. The research suggests authorities should strengthen the security of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant to withstand large earthquakes that are likely to directly disturb the region. Tue, 14 Feb 2012 10:08:08 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120214100819.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120213143327.htm Geologists have a new tool to study how earthquakes change the landscape, and it's giving them insight into how earthquake faults behave. Scientists from the United States, Mexico and China report the most comprehensive before-and-after picture yet of an earthquake zone, using data from the magnitude 7.2 event that struck near Mexicali, northern Mexico in April 2010. Mon, 13 Feb 2012 14:33:33 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120213143327.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120209144007.htm Geologists have a new tool to study how earthquakes change the landscape down to a few inches, and it's giving them insight into how earthquake faults behave. Thu, 09 Feb 2012 14:40:40 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120209144007.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120203113308.htm Around 250 million years ago, most life on Earth was wiped out in an extinction known as the "Great Dying." Geologists have learned that the end came slowly from thousands of centuries of volcanic activity. Fri, 03 Feb 2012 11:33:33 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120203113308.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120202151604.htm Geophysics researchers have created a new way to study fractures by producing elastic waves, or vibrations, through using high-intensity light focused directly on the fracture itself. Thu, 02 Feb 2012 15:16:16 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120202151604.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120201142402.htm A potent follow-up solar flare, which occurred Jan. 17, 2012, just days after the Sun launched the biggest coronal mass ejection seen in nearly a decade, delivered a powerful radiation punch to Earth's magnetic field despite the fact that it was aimed away from our planet. Wed, 01 Feb 2012 14:24:24 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120201142402.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120127173235.htm Two years ago, scientists released a study claiming that inconsistencies between satellite observations of Earth's heat and measurements of ocean heating amounted to evidence of "missing energy" in the planet's system. Where was it going? Or, they wondered, was something wrong with the way researchers tracked energy as it was absorbed from the sun and emitted back into space? An international team of atmospheric scientists and oceanographers set out to investigate the mystery. Fri, 27 Jan 2012 17:32:32 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120127173235.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120127140523.htm The large changes in the carbon isotopic composition of carbonates which occurred prior to the major climatic event more than 500 million years ago, known as "Snowball Earth," are unrelated to worldwide glacial events, a new study suggests. Fri, 27 Jan 2012 14:05:05 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120127140523.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120126131511.htm Discoveries made in some underwater caves by researchers in the Bahamas could provide clues about how ocean life formed on Earth millions of years ago, and perhaps give hints of what types of marine life could be found on distant planets and moons. Thu, 26 Jan 2012 13:15:15 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120126131511.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120125142212.htm New research demonstrates that one suggested method of geoengineering the atmosphere to deal with climate change, injecting sulfate particles into the stratosphere, probably would have limited success. Wed, 25 Jan 2012 14:22:22 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120125142212.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120125113147.htm Mediterranean bottom currents and the sediment deposits they leave behind offer new insights into global climate change, the opening and closing of ocean circulation gateways and locations where hydrocarbon deposits may lie buried under the sea. A team of 35 scientists from 14 countries recently returned from an expedition off the southwest coast of Iberia and the nearby Gulf of Cadiz. There the geologists collected core samples of sediments that contain a detailed record of the Mediterranean's history. The scientists retrieved the samples by drilling into the ocean floor during an eight-week scientific expedition onboard the ship JOIDES Resolution. Wed, 25 Jan 2012 11:31:31 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120125113147.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120125093918.htm NASA has renamed its newest Earth-observing satellite in honor of the late Verner E. Suomi, a meteorologist at the University of Wisconsin who is recognized widely as "the father of satellite meteorology." NASA launched the National Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite System Preparatory Project, or NPP, on Oct. 28, 2011, from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. NPP was renamed Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership, or Suomi NPP. The satellite is the first designed to collect critical data to improve short-term weather forecasts and increase understanding of long-term climate change. Wed, 25 Jan 2012 09:39:39 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120125093918.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120124184208.htm Microbiologists have found that the microbes that thrive on hot fluid methane and sulfur spewed by active hydrothermal vents are supplanted, once the vents go cold, by microbes that feed on the solid iron and sulfur that make up the vents themselves. Tue, 24 Jan 2012 18:42:42 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120124184208.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120124183528.htm A significant blast of energy from the sun arrived at Earth on Jan. 24, 2012 at 10 a.m. EST, triggering a moderate geomagnetic storm here that's unlikely to cause major problems. But skywatchers take note: the storm could set off bright Northern and Southern lights Tuesday night, possibly visible from as far south as New York and Oregon. Tue, 24 Jan 2012 18:35:35 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120124183528.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120123152516.htm In California's Death Valley, death is looking just a bit closer. Geologists have determined that the half-mile-wide Ubehebe Crater, formed by a prehistoric volcanic explosion, was created far more recently than previously thought -- and that conditions for a sequel may exist today. Mon, 23 Jan 2012 15:25:25 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120123152516.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120123094523.htm Diamond-bearing kimberlites are volcanic rocks that originate deep in the Earth and are erupted onto the surface. Researchers have now shown that other rock types, incorporated into the magma as it rises through overlying formations, provide the necessary buoyancy for its long ascent. Mon, 23 Jan 2012 09:45:45 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120123094523.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120119143338.htm The bottom of a glacier is not the most hospitable place on Earth, but at least two types of bacteria happily live there, according to researchers. Thu, 19 Jan 2012 14:33:33 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120119143338.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120110193930.htm Of all the habitable parts of our planet, one ecosystem still remains largely unexplored and unknown to science: The igneous ocean crust. This rocky realm of hard volcanic lava exists beneath ocean sediments that lie at the bottom of much of the world's oceans. While scientists have estimated that microbes living in deep ocean sediments may represent as much as one-third of Earth's total biomass, the habitable portion of the rocky ocean crust may be 10 times as great. Tue, 10 Jan 2012 19:39:39 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120110193930.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120110140216.htm A turning point in the history of life occurred two to three billion years ago with the unprecedented appearance and dramatic rise of molecular oxygen. Now researchers report they have identified an enzyme that was the first – or among the first – to generate molecular oxygen on Earth. Tue, 10 Jan 2012 14:02:02 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120110140216.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120110114434.htm Scientists have revealed details of the world's most extreme deep-sea volcanic vents, five kilometers down in a rift in the Caribbean seafloor. The undersea hot springs, which lie 0.8 kilometers deeper than any seen before, may be hotter than 450 °C and are shooting a jet of mineral-laden water more than a kilometer into the ocean above. Tue, 10 Jan 2012 11:44:44 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120110114434.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120109192407.htm An airborne radar developed by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif., has returned to Hawaii to continue its study of Kilauea volcano, Hawaii's current most active volcano. Mon, 09 Jan 2012 19:24:24 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120109192407.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120108143727.htm Unprecedented levels of greenhouse gases in the Earth's atmosphere are disrupting normal patterns of glaciation, according to a new study. Sun, 08 Jan 2012 14:37:37 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120108143727.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120105175832.htm Researchers have discovered a new culprit likely involved in Earth's greatest extinction event: an influx of mercury into the ecosystem. Thu, 05 Jan 2012 17:58:58 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120105175832.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120104133151.htm Exactly 100 years ago Alfred Wegener presented his theory of continental drift to the public for the first time. Modern plate tectonics confirmed his ideas by flipping them upside down. Wed, 04 Jan 2012 13:31:31 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120104133151.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120103185246.htm Communities of species previously unknown to science have been discovered on the seafloor near Antarctica, clustered in the hot, dark environment surrounding hydrothermal vents. The discoveries include new species of yeti crab, starfish, barnacles, sea anemones, and potentially an octopus. Tue, 03 Jan 2012 18:52:52 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120103185246.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111227142628.htm A small fish crawling on stumpy limbs from a shrinking desert pond is an icon of can-do spirit, emblematic of a leading theory for the evolutionary transition between fish and amphibians. This theorized image of such a drastic adaptation to changing environmental conditions, however, may, itself, be evolving into a new picture. Tue, 27 Dec 2011 14:26:26 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111227142628.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111222142444.htm Evidence of the single-celled ancestors of animals, dating from the interval in the Earth's history just before multicellular animals appeared, has been discovered in 570 million-year-old rocks from South China. Thu, 22 Dec 2011 14:24:24 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111222142444.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111222103114.htm Scientists have just plotted changes in Earth's axis through laboratory measurements. To do this, they constructed the world's most stable ring laser. Previously, scientists were only able to track shifts in the axis indirectly by monitoring fixed objects in space. Capturing these shifts is crucial for navigation systems. Thu, 22 Dec 2011 10:31:31 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111222103114.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111220102634.htm Sensorbots are spherical devices equipped with biogeochemical sensors, that promise to open a new chapter in the notoriously challenging exploration of earth's largest ecosystem -- the ocean. Tue, 20 Dec 2011 10:26:26 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111220102634.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111220102530.htm Identifying the composition of Earth's core is key to understanding how our planet formed and the current behavior of its interior. While it has been known for many years that iron is the main element in the core, many questions have remained about just how iron behaves under the conditions found deep in the earth. Now, a team led by mineral-physics researchers has homed in on those behaviors by conducting extremely high-pressure experiments on the element. Tue, 20 Dec 2011 10:25:25 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111220102530.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111219112216.htm The intense pressures and temperatures in Earth's deep interior squeeze atoms and electrons so close they interact differently. New experiments and supercomputer computations have revealed that iron oxide undergoes a new kind of transition under deep Earth conditions. It is a component of the second most abundant mineral at Earth's lower mantle, ferropericlase. The finding could alter our understanding of deep Earth dynamics and the behavior of the protective magnetic field, which shields our planet. Mon, 19 Dec 2011 11:22:22 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111219112216.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111208173647.htm New research into the Earth's paleoclimate history suggests the potential for rapid climate changes this century, including multiple meters of sea level rise, if global warming is not abated. Thu, 08 Dec 2011 17:36:36 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111208173647.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111208121016.htm A groundbreaking study shows that earthquakes, including the recent 2010 temblors in Haiti and Taiwan, may be triggered by tropical cyclones. Thu, 08 Dec 2011 12:10:10 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111208121016.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111206082754.htm Scientists have developed important new insight into the sensitivity of global temperature to changes in Earth's radiation balance over the last half million years. Tue, 06 Dec 2011 08:27:27 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111206082754.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111205140531.htm A planet made of diamonds may sound lovely, but you wouldn't want to live there. A new study suggests that some stars in the Milky Way could harbor "carbon super-Earths" – giant terrestrial planets that contain up to 50 percent diamond. But if they exist, those planets are likely devoid of life as we know it. Mon, 05 Dec 2011 14:05:05 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111205140531.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111205140521.htm Researchers who have adapted a three-dimensional, general circulation model of Earth's climate to a time some 2.8 billion years ago when the sun was significantly fainter than present think the planet may have been more prone to catastrophic glaciation than previously believed. Mon, 05 Dec 2011 14:05:05 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111205140521.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111201174225.htm A drop in carbon dioxide appears to be the driving force that led to the Antarctic ice sheet's formation, according to a recent study of molecules from ancient algae found in deep-sea core samples. Thu, 01 Dec 2011 17:42:42 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111201174225.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111201174202.htm In many fields of applied science, such as geology, there are often tensions and disagreements between scientists who specialize in analyses of problems using mathematical models to describe sets of collected data, and those that rely on on-the-ground observations and empirical analyses. Thu, 01 Dec 2011 17:42:42 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111201174202.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111201142754.htm The appearance of oxygen in the Earth's atmosphere probably did not occur as a single event, but as a long series of starts and stops, according to an international team of researchers who investigated rock cores from the FAR DEEP project. Thu, 01 Dec 2011 14:27:27 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111201142754.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/11/111130171105.htm Scientists understand that Earth's magnetic field has flipped its polarity many times over the millennia. The answer, from the geologic and fossil records we have from hundreds of past magnetic polarity reversals, seems to be "no." Wed, 30 Nov 2011 17:11:11 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/11/111130171105.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/11/111130142245.htm Geophysicists have established a mode of action that can explain the irregular distribution of strong earthquakes at the San Andreas Fault in California. The scientists examined the electrical conductivity of the rocks at great depths, which is closely related to the water content within the rocks. From the pattern of electrical conductivity and seismic activity they were able to deduce that rock water acts as a lubricant. Wed, 30 Nov 2011 14:22:22 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/11/111130142245.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/11/111130141855.htm Scientists have used the oldest minerals on Earth to reconstruct the atmospheric conditions present on Earth very soon after its birth. The findings are the first direct evidence of what the ancient atmosphere of the planet was like soon after its formation and directly challenge years of research on the type of atmosphere out of which life arose on the planet. Wed, 30 Nov 2011 14:18:18 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/11/111130141855.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/11/111129185927.htm Hawaii's main volcano chains -- the Loa and Kea trends -- have distinct sources of magma and unique plumbing systems connecting them to the Earth's deep mantle, according to new research. Tue, 29 Nov 2011 18:59:59 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/11/111129185927.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/11/111128121130.htm Scientists are a step closer to predicting when and where earthquakes will occur after taking a fresh look at the formation of the Andes, which began 45 million years ago. Mon, 28 Nov 2011 12:11:11 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/11/111128121130.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/11/111128115637.htm Much of our knowledge about past life has come from the fossil record, but how accurately does that record reflect the true history and drivers of biodiversity on Earth? Mon, 28 Nov 2011 11:56:56 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/11/111128115637.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/11/111124150835.htm Much of our knowledge about past life has come from the fossil record -- but how accurately does that reflect the true history and drivers of biodiversity on Earth? Thu, 24 Nov 2011 15:08:08 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/11/111124150835.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/11/111123133137.htm Scientists know that the Earth's liquid outer core consists mainly of iron, but it is believed that small amounts of some other elements are also present. Oxygen is the most abundant element in the planet, so it is not unreasonable to expect oxygen might be one of the dominant "light elements" in the core. But new research proves otherwise. This has major implications for our understanding of the period when the Earth formed. Wed, 23 Nov 2011 13:31:31 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/11/111123133137.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/11/111117143955.htm Through the analysis of various types of dating techniques on well-preserved sedimentary sections from South China to Tibet, researchers determined that the mass extinction peaked about 252.28 million years ago and lasted less than 200,000 years, with most of the extinction lasting about 20,000 years. The conclusion of this study says extinctions of most marine and terrestrial life took place at the same time. Thu, 17 Nov 2011 14:39:39 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/11/111117143955.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/11/111116143126.htm Buried below more than a mile of ice, Antarctica's Gamburtsev Mountains have baffled scientists since their discovery in 1958. How did the mountains get there, and what role did they play in the spread of glaciers over the continent 30 million years ago? In the latest study on the mountains, scientists say they have pieced together the puzzle of the origins and evolution of this mysterious mountain chain. Wed, 16 Nov 2011 14:31:31 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/11/111116143126.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/11/111116132906.htm The birth of the Gamburtsev Subglacial Mountains buried beneath the vast East Antarctic Ice Sheet -– a puzzle mystifying scientists since their first discovery in 1958 -- is finally solved. The remarkably long geological history explains the formation of the mountain range in the least explored frontier on Earth and where the Antarctic Ice Sheet first formed. Wed, 16 Nov 2011 13:29:29 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/11/111116132906.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/11/111115180313.htm The geological record holds clues that throughout Earth's 4.5-billion-year lifetime massive supervolcanoes, far larger than Mount St. Helens or Mount Pinatubo, have erupted. However, despite the claims of those who fear 2012, there's no evidence that such a supereruption is imminent. Tue, 15 Nov 2011 18:03:03 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/11/111115180313.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/11/111114152537.htm Fine silt on the Chinese Loess Plateau may actually have come from due west, not the northwest, which would change conventional thinking about wind patterns over the last 2.6 million years. Mon, 14 Nov 2011 15:25:25 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/11/111114152537.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/11/111111095550.htm Given a legitimate need to protect Earth from the most intense forms of space weather – great bursts of electromagnetic energy and particles that can sometimes stream from the sun – some people worry that a gigantic "killer solar flare" could hurl enough energy to destroy Earth. Citing the accurate fact that solar activity is currently ramping up in its standard 11-year cycle, there are those who believe that 2012 could be coincident with such a flare. But this same solar cycle has occurred over millennia. Anyone over the age of 11 has already lived through such a solar maximum with no harm. In addition, the next solar maximum is predicted to occur in late 2013 or early 2014, not 2012. Fri, 11 Nov 2011 09:55:55 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/11/111111095550.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/11/111110094840.htm Scientists will soon gain new insight into matter at conditions so extreme it can only be produced for microseconds using intense laser pulses. Such matter is present in the interior of the Earth and other planets, and we know surprisingly little about it. A new X-ray beamline will explore the last white spot on our globe: The Earth's core. Thu, 10 Nov 2011 09:48:48 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/11/111110094840.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/11/111109111542.htm The release of massive amounts of carbon from methane hydrate frozen under the seafloor 56 million years ago has been linked to the greatest change in global climate since a dinosaur-killing asteroid presumably hit Earth nine million years earlier. New calculations by researchers show that this long-controversial scenario is quite possible. Wed, 09 Nov 2011 11:15:15 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/11/111109111542.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/11/111101171054.htm The Thermal Infrared Sensor that will fly on the next Landsat satellite came out of its first round of thermal vacuum testing recently at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland. Tue, 01 Nov 2011 17:10:10 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/11/111101171054.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/11/111101134315.htm An asteroid the size of an aircraft carrier will fly near Earth on Nov. 8, 2011. While there is no danger of it hitting the planet, an asteroid impact expert says a similar-sized object hitting Earth would result in a 4,000-megaton blast, magnitude 7.0 earthquake and, should it strike in the deep ocean, 70-foot-high tsunami waves 60 miles from the splashdown site. Tue, 01 Nov 2011 13:43:43 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/11/111101134315.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/10/111028103304.htm On Oct. 9, 2011, an underwater volcano started to emerge in waters off El Hierro Island in the Canaries, Spain. Researchers only needed 15 days to map its formation in high resolution. The volcanic cone has reached a height of 100 m and the lava tongue flows down its side, even though its activity has slowed down in the past few days. Fri, 28 Oct 2011 10:33:33 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/10/111028103304.htm