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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Fossil Forest, Dorset: England's 145 million-year-old tree stump fossils preserved by ancient microbes
By Sascha Pare published
The Fossil Forest in Dorset is a stretch of southern English coastline peppered with living mounds of limestone that hide the remains of cypress trees from the late Jurassic period.
Hailin impact crater: China's newly discovered meteor pit born from a 'nuclear explosion level' event
By Sascha Pare published
The Hailin impact crater is a newly-discovered scar in the mountains of Northeast China left behind by a meteor impact, but geologists aren't sure exactly when this happened.
'Supergiant' gold deposit discovered in China is one of the largest on Earth — and is worth more than $80 billion
By Harry Baker published
Chinese officials have announced the discovery of a massive deposit of high-quality gold ore, potentially worth around $83 billion, which could end up being the largest known deposit of the precious metal anywhere in the world.
Wandering sand dunes circle a gigantic 'eye' sculpted by an ancient city-killer meteor in the Sahara
By Harry Baker published
Earth from space This 2013 astronaut photo shows a giant eye-shaped impact crater in the Sahara Desert that is slowly being circled by migrating sand dunes, helping researchers track how far these dunes can move over time.
Underwater volcano-like structure is spewing gas off Alaska's coast, US Coast Guard says
By Sascha Pare published
Mapping in the Chukchi and Beaufort seas off Alaska has uncovered a 1,640-foot-tall structure on the seafloor, but scientists say it's too early to determine the nature of the discovery.
Woman accidentally discovers 280 million-year-old lost world while hiking in Italian Alps
By Sascha Pare published
Stunningly preserved fossils of reptilian footprints and underbellies discovered last year in the Italian Alps have helped researchers unearth a tropical lakeside ecosystem that predates dinosaurs.
Meet FRED: The world's 1st-ever, nearly complete fossil database
By Kate Evans, Eos.org published
The near-complete database reflects a spirit of trust and collaboration among the country’s scientific community — but will it last?
Pangaea: Discover facts about Earth's ancient supercontinent
By Laura Geggel, Tia Ghose last updated
Pangaea is Earth's most recent supercontinent, which existed 320 million to 195 million years ago.
'Another piece of the puzzle': Antarctica's 1st-ever amber fossil sheds light on dinosaur-era rainforest that covered South Pole 90 million years ago
By Harry Baker published
Until now, Antarctica was the only continent on Earth without any known amber fossils. But sediment cores taken from below the seafloor have revealed a tiny piece of fossilized resin holding fragments of an ancient rainforest that covered the South Pole during the Cretaceous period.
'Missing link' found in ancient rocks of Colorado show that Snowball Earth really happened
By Liam Courtney-Davies, Christine Siddoway, Rebecca Flowers published
Geologists found evidence in the way enigmatic sandstones called Tava formed in the Rocky Mountains hundreds of millions of years ago.
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