Tag: volcanic eruptions

Images reveal where lava broke through the wall of a Martian crater and began filling it up

At a fundamental level, Mars is a volcanic planet. Its surface is home to the solar system’s largest extinct volcano, Olympus Mons, and another trio of well-known volcanoes at Tharsis Montes. And those are just the highlights: there are many other volcanoes on the surface. Though that volcanic activity ceased long ago, the planet’s surface tells the tale of a world…

Are There Active Volcanoes on Mars?

Mars is a dead planet — “Or is it?” asks the New York Times:
Previous research has hinted at volcanic eruptions on Mars 2.5 million years ago. But a new paper suggests an eruption occurred as recently as 53,000 years ago in a region called Cerberus Fossae, which would be the youngest known volcanic eruption on Mars. That drives home the prospect…

The International Space Station is 20 and going strong

20 years ago, three astronauts stepped aboard the ISS. It’s since hosted residents from many countries, creating humanity’s first history of living in space. Source: https://earthsky.org/space/20-years-iss-what-its-future-holds-nov-2-2020…

Did this mass extinction event trigger dawn of the dinosaurs?

New research suggests that a series of huge volcanic eruptions, 233 million years ago, led to a mass extinction event that heralded the dawn of the dinosaurs. Source: https://earthsky.org/earth/mass-extinction-event-trigger-dawn-of-dinosaurs…

The detection of phosphine in Venus’ clouds is a big deal

Here’s how we can find out if it’s a sign of life. Source: https://earthsky.org/space/detection-phosphine-venus-clouds-sign-of-life…

A Plunge In Incoming Sunlight May Have Triggered ‘Snowball Earths’

Jennifer Chu writes via Phys.Org: At least twice in Earth’s history, nearly the entire planet was encased in a sheet of snow and ice. These dramatic “Snowball Earth” events occurred in quick succession, somewhere around 700 million years ago, and evidence suggests that the consecutive global ice ages set the stage for the subsequent explosion of complex, multicellular life on Earth….

How volcanoes explode deep under the ocean

Explosive volcanic eruptions are possible deep down in the sea – although the water masses exert enormous pressure there. An international team reports how this can happen. Source: https://earthsky.org/earth/how-volcanoes-explode-erupt-deep-under-the-ocean…

Ancient Mass Extinction Tied To Ozone Loss, Warming Climate

Iwastheone shares a report from Science Magazine: The end of the Devonian period, 359 million years ago, was an eventful time: Fish were inching out of the ocean, and fernlike forests were advancing on land. The world was recovering from a mass extinction 12 million years earlier, but the climate was still chaotic, swinging between hothouse conditions and freezes so deep…

Global warming is influencing where tropical cyclones rage

While the global average number of tropical cyclones each year hasn’t budged from 86 over the last 4 decades, climate change has been influencing the locations of these deadly storms. Source: https://earthsky.org/earth/study-climate-change-tropical-cyclones-hurricanes-location…