What roils beneath the Earth’s surface may feel a world away, but the activity can help forge land masses that dictate ocean circulation, climate patterns, and even animal activity and evolution. In fact, scientists believe that a plume of hot rocks that burst from the Earth’s mantle millions of years ago could be an important… Continue Reading How Activity in Earth’s Mantle Led the Ancient Ancestors of Elephants, Giraffes, and Humans into Asia and Africa
North America is Dripping from Below, Geoscientists Discover
Researchers have discovered that the underside of the North American continent is dripping away in blobs of rock — and that the remnants of a tectonic plate sinking in the Earth’s mantle may be the reason why. A paper published in Nature Geoscience describes the phenomenon, which was discovered at The University of Texas at… Continue Reading North America is Dripping from Below, Geoscientists Discover
New Imaging Technique Uses Earth’s Warped Surface To Reveal Rocky Interior
Surface mapping technology such as GPS, radar and laser scanning have long been used to measure features on the Earth’s surface. Now, a new computational technique developed at The University of Texas at Austin is allowing scientists to use those technologies to look inside the planet. The new technique, described by researchers as “deformation imaging,”… Continue Reading New Imaging Technique Uses Earth’s Warped Surface To Reveal Rocky Interior
European Distinguished Geoscientist Medal Goes to UT’s Thorsten Becker
The European Geosciences Union has awarded the 2023 Augustus Love Medal to Thorsten Becker, a professor at The University of Texas at Austin Jackson School of Geosciences, for outstanding research contributions in the field of geodynamics and for leadership and selfless service to the scientific community. The Love Medal is Europe’s highest honor in geodynamics… Continue Reading European Distinguished Geoscientist Medal Goes to UT’s Thorsten Becker
Scientists Detect Molten Rock Layer Hidden Under Earth’s Tectonic Plates
Scientists have discovered a new layer of partly molten rock under the Earth’s crust that might help settle a long-standing debate about how tectonic plates move. Researchers had previously identified patches of melt at a similar depth. But a new study led by The University of Texas at Austin revealed for the first time the… Continue Reading Scientists Detect Molten Rock Layer Hidden Under Earth’s Tectonic Plates