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Earth Science

Updates every hour. Last Updated: 23-Oct-2026 08:17 ET (23-Oct-2026 12:17 GMT/UTC)

One of the Earth’s most important plate boundaries is older than previously thought

Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel (GEOMAR)
Peer-Reviewed Publication

16 June 2026/Kiel. A chain of remote islands and underwater volcanoes between Alaska and Kamchatka has revealed a much older chapter in Earth’s tectonic history than previously known. Along the Aleutian Arc, the Pacific Plate dives beneath the North American Plate, creating one of the most active and important plate boundaries on Earth. An international research team from Germany, Russia and the USA has now shown that this subduction zone began at least 56 million years ago, significantly earlier than previous models had assumed. The finding sheds new light on a major reorganization of plate motions around the Pacific and may also help scientists better understand ancient global climate change. The study has now been published in the renowned journal Nature Communications.

Journal: Nature Communications

Molecular fossils reveal secrets of Earth’s recovery from ancient global warming event

University of Southampton
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Scientists have uncovered new evidence from one of Earth’s most extreme ancient warming events, revealing how the climate may recover long after human-driven CO₂ emissions cease.

Journal: Nature Geoscience

Why dissolved black carbon does not simply disappear in water

Biochar Editorial Office, Shenyang Agricultural University
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Dissolved black carbon, a water-soluble fraction of black carbon produced from incomplete combustion and biochar, has long been viewed as a mobile form of carbon that can move from soils into rivers, lakes, estuaries, and oceans. A new review published in Biochar shows that its journey through the environment is far more complex than simple transport in water.

Journal: Biochar

AMS Science Preview: 30-day forecasts? Little ice age, wave-dampening hurricanes

American Meteorological Society
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Recent research in AMS journals discusses the possibility of 30-day weather forecasts; whether the Little Ice Age was caused by depopulation of the Americas; the cooling effects of multi-year La Niña; AI translation of weather warnings; and more.

New imaging system sees through murky waters

Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Reports and Proceedings

Sonar-MASt3R is a new underwater mapping technique developed at MIT and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) that may allow vehicles to see through murky, low-visibility waters.

Funder: NASA Headquarters

Can North America mine enough rare earth elements?

University of Michigan
Peer-Reviewed Publication

In the quest to create a robust supply chain of rare earth elements necessary for the clean energy revolution and everyday modern conveniences, North America has enough deposits of sufficient quality to begin looking in its own backyard, according to a University of Michigan study.

Water wisdom in the desert: integrated strategies that brought life back to the Tarim and Irtysh rivers

KeAi Communications Co., Ltd.
Peer-Reviewed Publication

This study reviews ecological operation practices in China's Tarim and Irtysh River Basins, focusing on innovations such as multiscale reservoir ecological operations, ecological infiltration irrigation, and ecological water conveyance strategies. These approaches have effectively restored riparian vegetation, enhanced groundwater recharge, and improved biodiversity while balancing socioeconomic demands. The paper also discusses persisting challenges like climate variability and competing water demands. Lastly, the paper proposes an integrated framework combining reservoir regulation, ecological flow reconstruction, and targeted water delivery technologies to enhance sustainable water management in arid regions.

Journal: Water & Ecology
Funder: Natural Science Foundation of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region

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