Geology
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![A large rock outcropping with two people walking along the bottom](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/KbqGdzgssQshhCSyHD3cBn-320-80.jpg)
'Golden spike' showing the moment Earth turned into a giant snowball discovered in ancient Scottish rocks
By Hannah Osborne published
Geological evidence of the transition when Earth was plunged into a planetary-wide deep-freeze discovered in ancient Scottish rocks.
![A composite satellite image of the Yarlung Tsangpo River surrounded by mountains.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/JffDVB664Uxc3PRaib5D3D-320-80.jpg)
Yarlung Tsangpo: The deepest canyon on land hides a tree taller than the Statue of Liberty
By Sascha Pare published
The Yarlung Tsangpo Grand Canyon is Earth's largest terrestrial canyon, stretching 314 miles long and almost 20,000 feet from top to bottom at its deepest point in the Tibet Autonomous Region.
![A microscope sample showing shiny rainbow-colored layers of rock](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/y2Bj9WGN77h5dsDpWRGfV9-320-80.jpg)
Scientists drill longest-ever piece of Earth's mantle from underwater mountain near 'Lost City'
By Stephanie Pappas published
Scientists just pulled the longest hunk of Earth's mantle from beneath the ocean.
![A photo of green rolling hills and mountains](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/tjfdHVA2Kqis5NNBKKZAcg-320-80.jpg)
Gargantuan waves in Earth's mantle may make continents rise, new study finds
By Tia Ghose published
Dramatic cliffs and high plateaus are caused by the same wave triggered in Earth's middle layer when continents pull apart, a new study finds.
![Knox Gorge at Karijini National Park, Pilbara, Western Australia.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/qVHvHjdLqJcY8t7Ht7TDvG-320-80.jpg)
Plate tectonics fired up at least 3 billion years ago, study of ancient rocks in Australia indicates
By Evan Howell published
Researchers have discovered the world's oldest known arc-slicing fault in Australia, intensifying the debate over the origins of plate tectonics.
![Blue sapphire](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/o9yKxxh5nhyYcN6WNyTDaE-320-80.jpg)
Sapphires form inside the fiery hearts of volcanoes, not deep in the mantle like we thought
By Stephanie Pappas published
A new study of sapphires found in volcanic fields in Germany reveals that these beautiful blue stones form where magma and rocks from Earth's crust mix.
![The salt crust at Salar de Uyuni bathed in orange light with mountains in the background.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/zePXbViTSfM6G9Tv6paQE5-320-80.jpg)
Salar de Uyuni: The world's largest salt desert and lithium reservoir surrounded by volcanoes
By Sascha Pare published
The Salar de Uyuni desert is famous for its gleaming surface waters and hexagonal salt crust patterns, but below this otherworldly landscape lie about 11 million tons of highly sought-after lithium.
![A cross section of a drilling core shows deep blue iron ore from the Hamersley Province.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/MigRemXN5RdsBPvqpMLppR-320-80.jpg)
World's largest iron ore deposits formed over 1 billion years ago in supercontinent breakup
By Sascha Pare published
Huge iron ore deposits in Western Australia's Hamersley Province formed when major tectonic events led to the breakup of supercontinent Columbia and to the amalgamation of Australia.
![rock next to steaming pool after explosion in Yellowstone National Park](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/wfMASDxMbSA3VgcVWMD6ea-320-80.jpg)
Yellowstone Biscuit Basin explosion may have created a new geyser
By Sascha Pare published
Geologists have revealed new details about a recent geyser eruption at Yellowstone National Park, including the shallow depth of the explosion and staggering height of its plume.
![People stand on the edge of the giant Yamal crater, which has almost filled with water since it erupted.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/CTQ96wzZXRe4yk5AEFfkvm-320-80.jpg)
Methane 'kitchens' in Siberia's permafrost form mounds that can erupt, creating giant craters
By Sascha Pare published
A buildup of methane and other fluids in open and closed "systems" in the permafrost could explain why strange, icy mounds sometimes erupt to form giant crater, researchers say.
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