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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.

Groundwater in the Colorado River basin won't run out — but eventually we won’t be able to get at it, scientists warn
By Chris Simms published
The Colorado River basin has lost a Lake Mead’s worth of water in the last 20 years — and scientists say we’re passing a "critical point" where pumping groundwater will become too expensive.

Earth's oceans are a 'ticking time bomb' as acidity levels enter 'danger zone,' study suggests
By Patrick Pester published
Researchers have found that ocean acidification entered a "danger zone" in 2020, suggesting increased carbon dioxide levels have caused Earth to breach another planetary boundary.

Almost half of California's faults — including San Andreas — are overdue for earthquakes
By Stephanie Pappas published
California's earthquakes are far more likely to be "overdue" compared with earthquakes in the rest of the world.

Russian scientists discover a new island in the Caspian Sea — the world's largest inland body of water
By Sascha Pare published
Researchers have confirmed the existence of a new island in the northern part of the Caspian Sea, but they haven't managed to land on it yet.

'River of fire' flows from Mount Etna during 'crazy' explosive outburst
By Harry Baker published
Earth from space A recent satellite image captured a glowing river of lava flowing down the flank of Europe's largest active volcano as it spectacularly blew its top and unleashed a towering plume of ash, smoke and toxic gases into the skies over Sicily.

Summer solstice 2025: When is the solstice, why does it happen, and how do cultures celebrate?
By Jamie Carter last updated
What is the summer solstice, and when does it happen? The longest day of the year falls on either June 20 or 21 every year in the Northern Hemisphere. Here's everything you need to know about the science, and timing, of the summer solstice.
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