Planet Earth

Water covers nearly three-quarters of Earth's surface. But how much water lies hidden underground in the planet's crust?A 2021 study in the journal Geophysical Research Letters found that more of Earth's water is held underground in the soil or in pores in rock — known as groundwater — than in Earth's ice caps and glaciers."There…

The "gateway to the underworld," a huge crater in Siberia's permafrost, is growing  by 35 million cubic feet (1 million cubic meters) every year as the frozen ground melts, according to a new study.The crater, officially known as the Batagay (also spelled Batagaika) crater or megaslump, features a rounded cliff face that was first spotted…

Emperor penguin chicks have been recorded hurling themselves from a 50-foot (15 meters) cliff in Antarctica for the first time.The "unprecedented" footage, captured at Atka Bay in Northern Antarctica, shows roughly 700 fledglings braving a sheer drop to embark on their first swim in the ocean below. "I had no idea that the chicks would be…

A volcano in southwest Iceland has erupted without warning for the fourth time in four months, opening up massive, fiery fissures in the ground — potentially the largest it has produced to date. The eruption spewed out a river of molten rock that narrowly missed the town of Grindavík. The eruption poses no immediate risk to…

In a groundbreaking discovery, scientists uncovered the first known structure in complex cells that's capable of drawing nitrogen from the atmosphere and converting it into a form that the cell can use.They've dubbed the newfound cell part the "nitroplast." And according to two recent studies, the researchers think it likely evolved 100 million years ago.The…

Quick factsWhere is it? Itilliarsuup Kangerlua fjord, Greenland [70.72910805, -50.71839266].What's in the photo? A mysterious wave, or arc, rippling across the fjord's surface.Which satellite took the photo? Landsat 9.When was it taken? August 3, 2023.This striking satellite photo captured a mysterious arc in an ethereal, iceberg-covered fjord deep within the Arctic Circle. Researchers proposed several…

El Niño is likely to give way soon, ushering in a quick switch to its opposite atmospheric and ocean pattern, La Niña. For the U.S., this climatological flip-flop will likely mean a greater risk of major hurricanes in the Atlantic as well as areas of drier-than-usual weather in the southern portions of the country. Globally, La…

Antarctica is perhaps best known for its endless expanse of ice and snow. But what many people don't realize is that hiding beneath its frosty facade are dozens of volcanoes.In fact, under the continent's massive western ice sheet sits what is considered the largest volcanic region on Earth, with as many as 138 volcanoes. Of…

A magnitude 4.8 earthquake rocked the Northeast, including the Greater New York area, on Friday morning (April 5), according to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS).The earthquake struck at 10:23 a.m. EDT at a depth of 2.9 miles (4.7 kilometers), USGS reported. It hit 4.3 miles (7 km) north of Whitehouse Station in New Jersey, about…

The largest gold nugget ever found in England was discovered by a man using a faulty metal detecting device.   Metal detectorist Richard Brock unearthed the chunk of gold last May while exploring Shropshire, a county in western England, despite arriving late to a meetup with fellow treasure hunters and using an older detector, The Guardian…