geology Archives

Artist's depiction of water rushing into Mars' Jezero Crater, which billions of years ago was the site of a delta. (Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech)

Astrogeology, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Bathymetry, Mars, Press Release, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography

Rain And Snow Fell On Ancient Mars

by Keith CowingApril 22, 2025April 22, 2025

Visit ancient Mars—a surprisingly temperate planet where snow or rain falls from the sky, and rivers rush down valleys to feed hundreds of lakes.

A close-up of the rock, nicknamed “Rochette”. Larger image -- NASA

Astrogeology, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Mars, Press Release

New Study Unveils Volcanic History And Clues To Ancient Life On Mars

by Keith CowingApril 21, 2025April 21, 2025

In a groundbreaking study co-authored by a Texas A&M University scientist, researchers have revealed new insights into the geological history of Mars’ Jezero Crater, the landing site of NASA’s Perseverance […]

Schematic outlining the process through which H could be sequestered into ECs. Firstly, submicron FeS grains that become coated in dust particles in the solar nebula are transformed into pyrrhotite at low temperatures in a high fS2 environment (e.g. Zolensky and Thomas, 1995). Next, during flash heating events, a sacrificial catalysis reaction with H2 at produces H2S (Cabedo et al., 2024), which is trapped in silicate melt that sits around the grains of sulphide formed when the dust grains melt. Finally, this assembles rapidly cools, produce sulfide grains that are coated in silicate glass, which hosts trapped H2S. This process can repeat, with further dust accumulating onto the surface of the Si-rich glass after it first forms. During/following low temperature sulfidation, accretion can occur to form planetesimals. This cycle results in pyrrhotite existing on a sub-micron length scale surrounded by Hsingle bondS bearing silicate glassy material, consistent with our S-XANES measurements. -- Icarus

Astrochemistry, Astrogeology, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Meteorites & Asteroids, Status Report

The Source Of Hydrogen In Earth’s Building Blocks

by Keith CowingApril 21, 2025April 21, 2025

Due to their isotopic similarity to terrestrial rocks across a range of elements, the meteorite group that is thought to best represent Earth’s building blocks is the enstatite chondrites (ECs).

Images from the Cassini mission show river networks draining into lakes in Titan’s north polar region. Credits:Image: NASA/JPL/USGS

Analog Studies, Arctic / Antarctic / Alpine, Astrogeology, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Cryobiology, Habitable Zones, Icy Worlds, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Bathymetry, Missions & Hardware, Press Release, Robotics/Rovers/UAVs, Titan

The Mystery Of Titan’s Missing Deltas

by Keith CowingApril 19, 2025April 19, 2025

For scientists who want to learn about the geological history of a planet, river deltas are a great place to start. Deltas gather sediment from a large area into one […]

Martian surface outside of Jezero Crater taken by NASA’s Perseverance on Dec. 25, 2024, at the site where the rover cored a sample dubbed “Silver Mountain” from a rock likely formed during Mars’ earliest geologic period. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU/MSSS larger image

Astrogeology, Away Teams & Field Reports, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Caves, Craters, Mountains, Subsurface, Lava Tubes, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Bathymetry, Mars, Press Release, Robotics/Rovers/UAVs

Perseverance Studies The Rim Of Jezero Crater

by Keith CowingApril 10, 2025April 10, 2025

Scientists with NASA’s Perseverance rover are exploring what they consider a veritable Martian cornucopia full of intriguing rocky outcrops on the rim of Jezero Crater. Studying rocks, boulders, and outcrops […]

CO2 ice-albedo spectra were provided by Hansen (1997). Snow, blue marine ice, and the 50% mixture between the snow and blue marine ice spectra are from Joshi and Haberle (2012). -- astro-ph.EP

Analog Studies, Arctic / Antarctic / Alpine, Astrogeology, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Bathymetry, Mars, Status Report

A One-Dimensional Energy Balance Model Parameterization for the Formation of CO2 Ice on the Surfaces of Eccentric Extrasolar Planets

by Keith CowingApril 10, 2025April 10, 2025

Eccentric planets may spend a significant portion of their orbits at large distances from their host stars, where low temperatures can cause atmospheric CO2 to condense out onto the surface, […]

Spectral maps illustrating the distribution in the band centers, depths, and areas for (top) Europa’s 1.5 µm band (1.48 – 1.74 µm) -- astro-ph.EP

Analog Studies, Astrogeology, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Caves, Craters, Mountains, Subsurface, Lava Tubes, Cryobiology, Europa, Habitable Zones, Icy Worlds, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Jupiter, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Bathymetry, Status Report, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography

JWST Reveals Spectral Tracers of Recent Surface Modification on Europa

by Keith CowingApril 8, 2025April 8, 2025

Europa has been modified by a variety of geologic processes, exposing internally-derived materials that are heavily irradiated by charged particles trapped in Jupiter’s magnetosphere.

The Permian is a geologic period and system which extends from 298.9 ± 0.2 to 252.2 ± 0.5 (Million years ago). The Permian–Triassic (P–Tr or P–T) extinction event formed the boundary between the Paleozoic and Mesozoic eras. It is the Earth’s most severe known extinction event, with up to 96% of all marine species and 70% of terrestrial vertebrate species becoming extinct. -- NOAA

Astrogeology, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Extinction events, Fossils & Paleontology, Gaia - Planetary Perspectives, Press Release

How Survivors Spanned The Globe After Earth’s Biggest Mass Extinction

by Keith CowingApril 4, 2025April 4, 2025

Scientists don’t call it the “Great Dying” for nothing. About 252 million years ago, upward of 80% of all marine species vanished during the end-Permian mass extinction – the most […]

Juliane Gross examines lunar samples returned by Apollo 17 in Johnson Space Center’s Lunar Sample Laboratory Facility. -- NASA

Astrochemistry, Astrogeology, Away Teams & Field Reports, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Caves, Craters, Mountains, Subsurface, Lava Tubes, Cryobiology, Exploration Gear & Tech, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Habitable Zones, Icy Worlds, People Of Astrobiology, Planetary Protection & Biosafety, Polar / Alpine Expeditions, Press Release, Sample Return

Meet Dr. Juliane Gross, Artemis Campaign Sample Curation Lead

by Keith CowingApril 3, 2025April 3, 2025

Based at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, the Astromaterials Research and Exploration Science Division, or ARES, curates the most extensive collection of extraterrestrial materials on Earth, ranging from microscopic […]

Hunga Tonga–Hunga Ha‘apai volcano erupts on 14 January 2022 in this still from a video posted to social media. Credit: Tonga Geological Services

Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Extinction events, Impact events, Lava / magma ocean / Volcanic Worlds, Press Release

Hunga Volcano Eruption Cooled, Rather Than Warmed, Earth’s Southern Hemisphere

by Keith CowingApril 3, 2025April 3, 2025

When Hunga Tonga–Hunga Haʻapai, an underwater volcano near Tonga in the South Pacific Ocean, erupted in 2022, scientists expected that it would spew enough water vapor into the stratosphere to […]