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What's Earth's lowest point on land?
By Charles Q. Choi published
What's Earth's lowest spot on dry land — and how did it get to be that way?

Watch mud volcano erupt beneath a crown of flames in Taiwan
By Patrick Pester published
The Wandan mud volcano has erupted in Taiwan, sending bubbling mud shooting into the air as locals ignite ejected gases with burning rags.

World's oldest rocks could shed light on how life emerged on Earth — and potentially beyond
By Ben Turner published
The rocks could offer insight into Earth's primordial crust and the environment that gave birth to life.

There's a 'ghost' plume lurking beneath the Middle East — and it might explain how India wound up where it is today
By Sascha Pare published
Researchers have discovered an unusual plume of magma beneath Oman that may have changed the course of the Indian tectonic plate between 25 million and 40 million years ago.

Hells Canyon caves reveal unexpected finding about America's deepest gorge
By Olivia Ferrari published
About 2,000 feet deeper than the Grand Canyon, Hells Canyon was rapidly carved when a lake spilled over about 2.1 million years ago, new research estimates.

Taal Lake: The volcanic crater that has 'an island within a lake, within an island within a lake, within an island'
By Sascha Pare published
Taal Lake on Luzon Island in the Philippines is a volcanic crater lake with a rare geology of nested islands and water.

Industrial waste is turning into a new type of rock at 'unprecedented' speed, new study finds
By Sascha Pare published
Samples from slag cliffs in England reveal industrial waste products can turn into rock in less than four decades, challenging assumptions about how rocks form.

How much gold is there in the world?
By Sascha Pare published
How much gold have humans mined to date, and how much is left?

Tectonic plates can spread subduction like a contagion — jumping from one oceanic plate to another
By Evan Howell published
Evidence from Earth's deep past suggests dramatic subduction zones can spread like a contagion.

Scientists discover strong, unexpected link between Earth's magnetic field and oxygen levels
By Sascha Pare published
Earth's magnetic field and oxygen levels have increased more or less in parallel over the past 540 million years, suggesting the two factors are linked in some way, researchers say.
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