Tag Archives: record
Metamorphic record of catastrophic pressure drops in subduction zones
Nature Geoscience 10, 46 (2017). doi:10.1038/ngeo2852 Authors: P. Yamato & J. P. Brun Nature Geoscience – Issue – nature.com science feeds
2016 warmest year on record globally, NASA and NOAA data show
Earth’s 2016 surface temperatures were the warmest since modern recordkeeping began in 1880, according to independent analyses by NASA and NOAA. This makes 2016 the third year in a row to set a new record for global average surface temperatures. … Continue reading
Diadematoid echinoids: a cryptic part of the tropical fossil record
The writers of holiday brochures invariably fail to mention, let alone emphasise, the bad points of a location. For example, I’ve lived in both Jamaica and the Netherlands, and, for me, the thing that unites these two countries is the … Continue reading
Marine sediments record variations in the Earth’s magnetic field
Timeline of atmospheric production of 10Be. Peaks of overproduction correspond to instability events in the Earth’s magnetic field. Credit: Simon et al. 2016 Past variations in the strength of the Earth’s magnetic field are reflected by the production of isotopes … Continue reading
Rock layers preserve record of ancient sea tides near Blythe, California
Brennan O’Connell, a graduate student at the University of Oregon, rests amid rocks in the Bouse Formation of the lower Colorado River valley. She led a team that found evidence for regular tides, suggesting the Gulf of California once extended … Continue reading
Rock layers preserve record of ancient sea tides near Blythe, California
Five million years ago, the Colorado River met the Gulf of California near the present-day desert town of Blythe, California. The evidence, say geologists, is in the sedimentary rocks exposed at the edges of the valley where the river flows … Continue reading
What the ancient carbon dioxide record may mean for future climate change
Scientists have reconstructed the ancient atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) record from about 300 million years ago. Their study reveals previously unknown fluctuations of atmospheric CO2 at levels projected for current century, they say. It also highlights the potential impact the … Continue reading
Earliest evidence in fossil record for right-handedness
Perhaps the bias against left-handers dates back much further than we thought. By examining striations on teeth of a Homo habilis fossil, researchers have found the earliest evidence for right-handedness in the fossil record dating back 1.8 million years. Paleontology … Continue reading
Stalagmites in Indiana cave may record past earthquakes
White stalagmites and associated formation are from Fogelpole Cave in southwestern Illinois (Illinois’ longest cave) that were initiated by the New Madrid Seismic Zone earthquakes of 1811-1812. Credit: S.V. Panno Stalagmites rising from the floor of a cave in southern … Continue reading
Reinterpreting the fossil record on jaws
Scientists use the fossil record to make judgments on the physiology and behavior of species. But are those interpretations correct? New research puts into question how we interpret the behavior of extinct organisms from their fossil remains, and the greater … Continue reading