Geology news, features and articles
The far-reaching science of geology covers everything from ancient fossils to the precious minerals beneath our feet. At Live Science, we deliver geology discoveries that absolutely rock and help you to understand the makeup of our planet. Whether you want to know how to tell the difference between geologic ages, why Earth has a new geologic age or facts about an ancient supercontinent, our expert writers and editors have you covered with the latest geology news, features and articles.
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Scientists find hidden 'hotspot' that helped create the Great Lakes before North America even existed
By Stephanie Pappas published
A hotspot that now lies in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean was once under the Great Lakes, and may explain why they formed where they did.
Tristan da Cunha: The most remote inhabited island on Earth, forged from a supercontinent breakup
By Sascha Pare published
Tristan da Cunha is a group of islands in the South Atlantic that formed from the breakup of the supercontinent Gondwana. Today, it's home to a tiny and extremely isolated farming community.
Kawah Ijen: The volcano in Indonesia that holds the world's largest acidic lake at its heart
By Sascha Pare published
Kawah Ijen is an active volcano on the island of Java with an extremely acidic crater lake and gas emissions that produce blue flames upon contact with oxygen in Earth's atmosphere.
The oldest rocks on Earth
By James Price published
The world's oldest rocks are spread across the globe and paint a picture of Earth's turbulent early history. Here are some of the most notable and important formations scientists have discovered.
There's a massive fault hidden under America's highest mountain — and we finally know how it formed
By Stephanie Pappas published
Today, the Denali Fault rips apart some of the North American plate, but it was once a place where tectonic plates came together.
'I knew they were something special': New York homeowner discovers mastodon jaw fossils in backyard
By Patrick Pester published
A New York homeowner, in Scotchtown, Orange County, was "thrilled" to find mastodon fossils in their backyard, which museum staff plan to study to learn more about the last ice age.
Marble Caves: Chile's ethereal turquoise caverns with 'mineral ice cream' on the walls
By Sascha Pare published
The Marble Caves sit on the shores of a turquoise glacial lake in southern Chile. Light bounces off the water onto the walls, creating a magical, ever-changing display inside the caverns.
Otherworldly stripes and shadowy dunes share center stage in 'hottest place on Earth'
By Harry Baker published
Earth from space This 2012 satellite photo shows a series of giant windblown ridges, known as yardangs, and a group of towering sand dunes at the heart of Iran's Lut Desert.
Fossil Forest, Dorset: England's 145 million-year-old tree stump fossils preserved by ancient microbes
By Sascha Pare published
The Fossil Forest in Dorset is a stretch of southern English coastline peppered with living mounds of limestone that hide the remains of cypress trees from the late Jurassic period.
Hailin impact crater: China's newly discovered meteor pit born from a 'nuclear explosion level' event
By Sascha Pare published
The Hailin impact crater is a newly-discovered scar in the mountains of Northeast China left behind by a meteor impact, but geologists aren't sure exactly when this happened.
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