Volcano crystal balls Magma, the super-hot molten rock which feeds volcanic eruptions, is generated many tens of kilometers below the surface in Earth's mantle. On its journey up to the surface ...

"Fossil feathers are usually preserved in ancient mudrocks laid down in lakes or lagoons. The fossil vulture is preserved in ash deposits, which is extremely unusual," study lead author Valentina ...

Some of the unusual rocks carry stories about water on Mars. One has hints of long-gone microbes. All tell of a dynamic, complex planet.

A team of international scientists, led by researchers from the University of Southampton, has traced strange, out-of-place ...

In the middle of the Pacific Ocean, thousands of miles from any continent, Easter Island rises out of the sea. Its surface ...

When it comes to the fall of the Roman Empire, this climate shift may have been the straw that broke the camel’s back.” ...

There's a lot of pressure, the weight of the overlying rock bearing down, so that combination of high temperature and high pressure is what's necessary to grow diamond crystals in the Earth.

The Yellowstone region's Beartooth Mountains feature some of the most ancient rocks in North America — as old as 3.96 billion ...

"Zeoloites can form as primary minerals (with pretty crystals) or can form secondarily, during the natural alteration of volcanic glass and ash, giving the rock a 'mudrock-like' aspect." ...

"Zeolites can form as primary minerals (with pretty crystals) or can form secondarily ... the way to finding other fossils hidden in volcanic rocks. "The fossil record is continually surprising ...

"Zeolites are minerals rich in silicon and aluminium and are common in volcanic ... crystals) or can form secondarily, during the natural alteration of volcanic glass and ash, giving the rock ...