Grand Canyon Thought to Be 65 Million Years Older Than Previous Estimates

A new analysis of the mineral grains from the bottom of the Grand Canyon indicates that it was formed about 70 million years ago, during the late Cretaceous Period, a time when dinosaurs roamed the Earth.

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Analysis of 2011 Virginia Earthquake Suggests Seismic Risk

Last year, the surprise 5.8-magnitude earthquake that struck central Virginia was actually worse than previously thought. Detailed analyses of the ground motions triggered by the event indicate that Washington DC and other affected regions could be at higher risk of major ground movement.

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Unusual Indian Ocean Earthquakes May Signal Tectonic Breakup

On April 11th 2012 a pair of massive earthquakes rocked the Indian Ocean. Scientists think that these may be the latest step in the formation of a new plate boundary within Earth’s surface.

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Russian Impact Crater Might Contain Trillions of Carats of Diamonds

On Monday, Novosibirsk scientists of the Institute of Geology and Mineralogy at the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences announced that there is a huge deposit of diamonds buried under an impact crater in Siberia. These diamonds are twice as hard as normal because of their origin.

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Volcanic Eruption at Fuego in Guatemala Intensifies

There has been renewed activity at Fuego in Guatemala. The eruption is becoming more intense, although news reports coming out of the region are unclear about what is exactly happening. Currently, 33,000 people have been evacuated.

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Microscopic Images of the Sands of Normandy Show Presence of War Sand

War sand is sand that is a result from wartime operations. The beaches of Normandy are covered in a fine dust of particles resulting from the D-Day operations of World War II. The grains are hidden among the beaches of the Normandy.

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Geological Record Shows Earth’s Oxygen Came from Mantle Cooling

Researchers have discovered that the proliferation of oxygen in the Earth’s atmosphere was linked to a sudden change in its mantle, billions of years ago, during the Paleoproterozoic era.

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