tectonics Archives

The northern and eastern portions of Sputnik Planitia (SP)

Evidence For Possible N2 Basal Flow Beneath Pluto Northern Sputnik Planitia

by Keith CowingJune 30, 2026June 30, 2026

[astro-ph.EP] Sputnik Planitia (SP) on Pluto is a large, predominantly N2 ice-filled basin with a surface area of one million square kilometers; it is among the most spectacular surface features […]

Convection snapshots of 2D Hadean mantle simulations at 4.1 Ga.

Impact events

Asteroid Assault Made Ancient Earth Too Hot And Chaotic For Continents To Form

by Keith CowingJune 29, 2026June 29, 2026

[Curtin University] New research led by Curtin University and QUT (Queensland University of Technology) has revealed repeated asteroid impacts may have been the dominant force shaping the early Earth, delivering […]

Sensitivity of the Fe anomaly of the overturned silicate layer with respect to the rest of the mantle. (a) Sensitivity of this anomaly vs. mantle thickness. Mars and Earth sizes are represented for clarity. Note that the final anomaly is expected to be maximum when the thickness of the mantle is that of the critical Rayleigh number DRac and tends to 0 at infinite thickness. (b) Sensitivity of the Fe# anomaly vs. the bulk Fe# of the mantle. Earth and Mars compositions are represented for clarity. We extend compositions to lower bulk Fe# than Earth according to (R. J. Spaargaren et al. 2023) (dotted line, see text). All other properties remain fixed at Earth-like values except for gravity acceleration which is scaled linearly to planet size (assumed to be proportional to mantle thickness). The density anomaly secondary axis is valid for both, panel (a) and (b). -- astro-ph.EP

Astrogeology, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Bathymetry, Mars, Press Release

Earth And Mars Interior Structures Set By Re-melting Of The First Solid Mantle

by Keith CowingMay 8, 2026May 8, 2026

Magma ocean crystallisation sets up the early structure and long-term evolution of terrestrial planets. Recent seismic evidence signals the presence of a silicate layer at the base of Mars’ mantle.

The mean and associated 1σ and 2σ confidence intervals around a mass-conserving Gaussian fit to the isotopic Euclidean distances (RA) of Mars and the Earth as a function of their mass.

Astrogeology, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Press Release

Earth Formed From Local Building Blocks

by Keith CowingApril 2, 2026April 2, 2026

Planetary scientists have long debated where the material that formed our Earth comes from. Despite its location in the inner Solar System, they consider it likely that 6–40 per cent […]

Intermedia stage in Snowball Earth -- Grok via Astrobiology.com

Analog Studies, Arctic / Antarctic / Alpine, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Cryobiology, Habitable Zones, Icy Worlds, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Bathymetry, Origin & Evolution of Life, Status Report, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography

Interaction Between Vegetation And Snowball Phases In The Late Proterozoic Earth

by Keith CowingMarch 31, 2026March 31, 2026

Between 2.4 and 0.6 Gy ago, our planet underwent several episodes of global glaciations, including the Snowball Earth case that ended 635 My ago.

With the Munsell Soil Colour Chart the cores are described visually in colour and structure as acurately as possible. Photo: Diekamp@ECORD_IODP3_NSF Credit Diekamp@ECORD_IODP3_NSF

Astrogeology, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Habitable Zones, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Bathymetry, Press Release, Sample Return, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography

Extensive Freshened Water Beneath Earth’s Ocean Floor Confirmed For The First Time

by Keith CowingMarch 19, 2026March 19, 2026

The goal of this expedition went far beyond collecting sediment cores. Scientists also set out to sample the water stored within the sediments, including from sandy layers that act as […]

The sulfur compounds give the “yellow vent” at Kueishantao, Taiwan, its characteristic yellow color. Prof. Li-Lian Liu and her research group, Department of Oceanography, National Sun Yat-sen University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan

Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Habitable Zones, Microbiology & Virology, Press Release, ROVs/Submersibles/Diving, Sample Return, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography

How Microbes Use Earth’s Ancient Carbon

by Keith CowingMarch 11, 2026March 11, 2026

Hydrothermal vents on the ocean floor release carbon dioxide that is many million years old. This old carbon originates from the Earth’s interior, and it escapes either directly from the […]

Snapshots of mantle temperature and melt fraction (top row) and basalt fraction (bottom row) at 6.5 Gyr for each interior model of K2-141 b. All models show a shallow magma ocean on the dayside (left hemisphere) and a solid nightside (right hemisphere). Models without plastic yielding (MixCC, MBasal, MixIntr), exhibit upwellings at the substellar and antistellar points, with downwellings forming at the day-night terminators. MPlastic, which includes plastic yielding (lithospheric weakening), displays a more asymmetric pattern, with downwellings forming on the nightside and upwellings rising preferentially on the dayside. Videos for these model runs are available online and on Zenodo (Meier 2025). -- astro-ph.EP

Astrogeology, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Lava / magma ocean / Volcanic Worlds, Status Report

Mantle Convection And Nightside Volcanism On Lava World K2-141 b

by Keith CowingMarch 8, 2026March 8, 2026

Ultra-short period lava worlds offer a unique window into the coupled evolution of planetary interior and atmospheres under extreme irradiation.

Hadean Earth - Grok via Astrobiology.com

Astrogeology, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Fossils & Paleontology, Habitable Zones, Origin & Evolution of Life, Press Release

Ancient Rocks Reveal Evidence Of The First Continents And Crust Recycling Processes On Earth

by Keith CowingMarch 3, 2026March 3, 2026

New research led by scientists at the University of Wisconsin–Madison has uncovered chemical signatures in zircons, the planet’s oldest minerals, that are consistent with subduction and extensive continental crust during […]