Phys.org: Earth science

The Dead Sea is a confluence of extraordinary conditions: the lowest point on Earth's surface, with one of the world's highest salinities. The high concentration of salt gives it a correspondingly high density, and the water body's status as the deepest hypersaline lake gives rise to interesting and often temperature-related phenomena below the water's surface that researchers are still uncovering.

Yellowstone, a popular tourist destination and namesake of an equally popular TV show, was the first-ever national park in the United States. And bubbling beneath it—to this day—is one of Earth's most seismically active networks of volcanic activity.

The first studies of the 28 March 2025 magnitude 7.8 Myanmar earthquake suggest that the southern portion of its rupture occurred at supershear velocity, reaching speeds of 5 to 6 kilometers per second.

Chinese researchers have recently challenged the long-held belief that "all life depends on sunlight." In a study published in Science Advances, the researchers identified how microbes in deep subsurface areas can derive energy from chemical reactions driven by crustal faulting, offering critical insights into life deep below Earth's surface.

A new study published in the journal One Earth reveals that the way ecosystems collapse—abruptly or gradually—may depend on internal complexity, much like how magnetic materials behave under stress.

If you're in an earthquake-prone area and own an Android phone, it could save your life. It may even have already done so. The Android Earthquake Alert (AEA) system, which began in the U.S. in 2020 and has since expanded globally, sends an automatic alert approximately one minute before the ground starts shaking. That can be enough time to take cover or warn others nearby.

How is ventilation at various depth layers of the Atlantic connected and what role do changes in ocean circulation play? Researchers from Bremen, Kiel and Edinburgh have pursued this question and their findings have now been published in Nature Communications.

Clear-cutting can make catastrophic floods 18 times more frequent with effects lasting more than 40 years, according to a new UBC study.

When a hurricane is in the forecast, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) deploys its famed Hurricane Hunter team to gather data directly from the storm. The team uses specialized aircraft to fly into the hurricane and collect information about its intensity, structure, and movement, which is used to improve forecasts and warnings.

Satellites circling Earth have many different functions, including navigation, communications and Earth observation. About 8%–10% of all active satellites are military or "dual use" serving intelligence or reconnaissance functions as spy satellites.

Samples of extremely small crystal clots, each polished to the thickness of a human hair or thinner, have revealed information about the process triggering the major 2006 eruption of Alaska's Augustine Volcano.

Monitoring changes in water temperature and pressure at the seafloor can improve understanding of ocean circulation, climate, and natural hazards such as tsunamis. In recent years, scientists have begun gathering submarine measurements via an existing infrastructure network that spans millions of kilometers around the planet: the undersea fiber-optic telecommunications cables that provide us with amenities like Internet and phone service.

The landslide that occurred in Blatten in the canton of Valais at the end of May 2025 and the one in the village of Brienz in Graubünden in June 2023 remind us of the potential for landslide hazards in the Alps. Debris flows are one such hazard. These flows of water, sediment and rock fragments typically occur after heavy rainfall in steep terrain, and rapidly travel down a channel, potentially destroying everything in their path.

Glaciers hold layers of history preserved in ice, offering unique insights into Earth's past that can also help us interpret the future. Trapped amidst the frozen water are microscopic deposits of dust, pollen, and even pollutants that scientists can use to examine environmental changes through time.

New research led by the University of Victoria (UVic) has illuminated a significant and previously unrecognized source of seismic hazard for the Yukon Territory of northwestern Canada.

Nor'easters are powerful and often destructive cyclonic storms that primarily impact the East Coast of North America. Some of these weather events have been so fierce that they earned the names "Perfect Storm," "Storm of the Century," and "Snowmaggedon."

The Southwest United States is currently facing its worst megadrought of the past 1,200 years. According to a recent study by the University of Texas at Austin, the drought could continue at least until the end of the century, if not longer.

Between July 3 and 6, Texas Hill Country experienced catastrophic flash flooding along the Guadalupe River system. The floods claimed at least 130 lives, with over 96 fatalities in Kerr County alone. More than 160 people were missing as of July 12, including children attending camps along the river.

From more frequent wildfires to rising sea levels, climate change is disrupting ecosystems and upending once-stable weather patterns. One particularly alarming consequence of rising global temperatures is the potential collapse of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC), a conveyor-belt-like system of ocean currents driven by the sinking of cold, salty waters in the North Atlantic.

Over the last 3,800 years, agro-pastoral activities have accelerated alpine soil erosion at a pace four to 10 times faster than their natural formation. The history of this erosion has just been revealed for the first time by a research team led by a CNRS scientist.