Geology news, features and articles

The far-reaching science of geology covers everything from ancient fossils to the precious minerals beneath our feet. At Live Science, we deliver geology discoveries that absolutely rock and help you to understand the makeup of our planet. Whether you want to know how to tell the difference between geologic ages, why Earth has a new geologic age or facts about an ancient supercontinent, our expert writers and editors have you covered with the latest geology news, features and articles.
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Mount Thor: The mountain with Earth's longest vertical drop
By Sascha Pare published
Mount Thor, also known as Thor Peak, is a mountain in Nunavut, Canada with the largest vertical drop in the world — a terrifying escarpment with an average overhang of 15 degrees from vertical.

Giant meteor impact may have triggered massive Grand Canyon landslide 56,000 years ago
By Sascha Pare published
Researchers have found a link between two geological events in iconic locations of the U.S. Southwest that scientists previously didn't think had anything to do with each other.

Study raises major questions about Earth's 'oldest' impact crater
By Aaron J. Cavosie, Alec Brenner published
Scientists thought this crater in Australia was the world’s oldest — but an independent analysis shows they might be off by at least 800 million years.

What's Earth's lowest point on land?
By Charles Q. Choi published
What's Earth's lowest spot on dry land — and how did it get to be that way?

Watch mud volcano erupt beneath a crown of flames in Taiwan
By Patrick Pester published
The Wandan mud volcano has erupted in Taiwan, sending bubbling mud shooting into the air as locals ignite ejected gases with burning rags.

World's oldest rocks could shed light on how life emerged on Earth — and potentially beyond
By Ben Turner published
The rocks could offer insight into Earth's primordial crust and the environment that gave birth to life.

There's a 'ghost' plume lurking beneath the Middle East — and it might explain how India wound up where it is today
By Sascha Pare published
Researchers have discovered an unusual plume of magma beneath Oman that may have changed the course of the Indian tectonic plate between 25 million and 40 million years ago.

Hells Canyon caves reveal unexpected finding about America's deepest gorge
By Olivia Ferrari published
About 2,000 feet deeper than the Grand Canyon, Hells Canyon was rapidly carved when a lake spilled over about 2.1 million years ago, new research estimates.
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