EurekAlert! News by Subject: Earth Science - News by Subject: Earth Science

Earth Science

Updates every hour. Last Updated: 20-Sep-2025 12:11 ET (20-Sep-2025 16:11 GMT/UTC)

MIT geologists discover where energy goes during an earthquake

Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Studying miniature analogs of natural earthquakes in the lab, MIT geologists quantified how much energy from the quake goes into heat, shaking, and fracturing. The research could help seismologists predict the likelihood of quakes in seismically active regions.

Journal: AGU Advances
Funder: U.S. National Science Foundation

Warming temps alone fail to trigger increased CO2 levels from soil

North Carolina State University
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Higher temperatures combined with added carbon – and added nutrients – led to higher carbon dioxide levels released from the soil.

Journal: Biogeochemistry
Funder: U.S. Department of Energy

UT San Antonio astronomy professor awarded for advancements in planetary science

University of Texas at San Antonio
Grant and Award Announcement

Xinting Yu, assistant professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at The University of Texas at San Antonio, is one of two recipients of the 2025 Harold C. Urey Prize.

The national award from the American Astronomical Society’s Division for Planetary Sciences recognizes early-career scientists shaping the future of space research.

Yu was honored for her research in planetary and exoplanetary science — the study of planets in our solar system and beyond. Her work focuses on how planetary surfaces and atmospheres interact and evolve.

Earth’s history written in the stars: Zircon crystals reveal galactic influence

Curtin University
Peer-Reviewed Publication

New Curtin University research has uncovered a striking link between the structure of our galaxy and the evolution of Earth’s crust, showing its development was shaped by the impact of meteorites during its journey through the Milky Way and not solely through internal processes as was previously widely considered.

Journal: Physical Review Research

New paper links atmosphere and ocean in weathering, carbon dioxide removal

Colorado State University
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A new study has found land and ocean weathering processes are linked and together they influence the amount of carbon stored or released into the atmosphere.

Journal: Nature Geoscience

When does melting ice capsize? New research unearths several mechanisms

New York University
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Rising temperatures of the world’s oceans threaten to accelerate the melting and splintering of glaciers—thereby potentially increasing the number of icebergs and, with it, the need to better understand more about their movement and impact. Through a series of experiments, a team of scientists has pinpointed some of the factors that cause icebergs to capsize, offering insights into how climate change may affect Earth’s waters.

Journal: Physical Review Fluids
Funder: U.S. National Science Foundation

Your ecosystem engineer was a dinosaur

University of Michigan
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Dinosaurs were "ecosystem engineers," preventing dense forests from growing. Their sudden demise led to widescale ecological changes, according to a University of Michigan study.

Journal: Communications Earth & Environment

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