Europa, the second inner Jovian Galilean satellite, is believed to contain a global liquid water ocean covered by an ice shell likely 10s of kilometers thick. The paucity of impact […]
USGS
Posted inArtemis & Lunar Exploration, Away Teams & Field Reports, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Caves, Craters, Mountains, Subsurface, Lava Tubes, Exploration Gear & Tech, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Bathymetry, Missions & Hardware, Moon, People Of Astrobiology, Press Release, Tricorders & Sensors
Away Team Practice: NASA Field Geology Training Prepares Artemis Mission Support Teams
NASA engineers, managers, and flight directors recently traded their cubicles and conference rooms for an ancient volcanic field in the northern Arizona desert to participate in a field geology course […]
Posted inArctic / Antarctic / Alpine, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Cryobiology, Icy Worlds, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Status Report
Ice Planet Orbital Survey: Landsat Polar Night Observations Of Sol III
Scientists that study polar ice have realized a hidden talent of the Landsat satellites: seeing in the dark. With this recognition comes more work for the current Landsat fleet, which […]
Posted inAway Teams & Field Reports, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Exploration Gear & Tech, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Press Release, ROVs/Submersibles/Diving, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography
Arctic Mid-Ocean Ridge Sediment Cores Shed Light On Past Hydrothermal Activity
In new research led by USGS, scientists analyzed cores collected from Loki’s Castle vent field, a high-temperature hydrothermal system deep beneath the Arctic Ocean northeast of Greenland, uncovering a unique […]
Posted inAstrogeology, Europa, Icy Worlds, Jupiter, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Bathymetry, Status Report
New USGS Global Geologic Map of Europa Is Now Online
Discovered by Galileo Galilei more than 400 years ago and imaged in detail by the Voyager 2 Galileo spacecraft, Jupiter’s icy moon Europa has been a source of intrigue.
Posted inAstrogeology, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Caves, Craters, Mountains, Subsurface, Lava Tubes, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Habitable Zones, Microbiology & Virology, Origin & Evolution of Life, Press Release
Yellowstone Hydrothermal System Examined In Unprecedented Detail
University of Wyoming Department of Geology and Geophysics Professor Ken Sims made his mark as a National Geographic Explorer conducting research in some of the world’s most extreme locations, from […]
Posted inExtremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Habitable Zones, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Bathymetry, Microbiology & Virology, Press Release
Planetary Astrobiology Surveys: Mapping Hydrothermal Areas From Orbit
Using high-resolution commercial satellite images to help map and monitor Yellowstone’s Thermal Areas
Posted inBiogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Press Release
How Geobiological Feedback Makes Some Yellowstone Hydrothermal Pools Acidic
Yellowstone Caldera Chronicles is a weekly column written by scientists and collaborators of the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory. This week’s contribution is from Ken Sims, Professor of Geology and Geophysics, and […]
Posted inBiochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Exploration Gear & Tech, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Microbiology & Virology, Origin & Evolution of Life, ROVs/Submersibles/Diving, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography
How Do Yellowstone Lake Hot Springs Compare To Oceanic Hydrothermal Vents?
Discovery of hydrothermal systems on the ocean floor in the late 1970s is regarded as one of the greatest scientific finds of the 20th century and has implications for the […]
Posted inCaves, Craters, Mountains, Subsurface, Lava Tubes, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Press Release
A Strange Methane-fueled Ecosystem Found In Flooded Yucatan Caves
In the underground rivers and flooded caves of Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula, where Mayan lore described a fantastical underworld, scientists have found a cryptic world in its own right. Here, methane […]